QUEENS LAN 1).
SUGAR INDUSTRY COMMISSION.
OF THE
I ROYAL COMMISSION
APPOINTED TO
INQUIRE INTO TIIE GENERAL CONDITION OP TEE SUGAR IND USTRY IN
QUEENSLAND, AND TO REPORT UPON TIIE CAUSES WHICH HAVE LED TO
THE PRESENT LANGUISHING CONDITION OF THE INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT
TH K COLONY, THE BEST MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR REVIVING AND
MAINTAINING ITS PROSPERITY, AND, GENERALLY, UPON THE PROSPECTS
OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE IN QUEENSLAND ;
'fO»ETHEB WITH
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE
AND THE
PROCEEDINGS OF TOE COMMISSION AND APPENDICES.
Commissioners :
WILLIAM IIEN11Y GROOM, Esquire, M.L.A., Chairman.
II.. E. KING, Esquire | A. S. COWLEY, Es«uibe : M.L.A.
WILL. ROBERTSON, S-Echetaey.
PBESENTED 10 BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND.
BRISBANE :
BY AUTHORITY: JAMES C. BEAL, GOVERNMENT I'RINIEK, -W..L. LSI .STREET.
1880.
C. A. 20—1889.
INDEX TO WITNESSES.
*-Aa\ms, Charles Edgar
AitkeDson, William Newcombe
Aim. John
Anderson, Anthony
Antill, Robert I leury
Antoney, Joseph
Archer, William, junr.
Baker, Thomas
Barton, Augustus Purling ...
Belian, Thomas
Belilau, Thomas Sharpe
Bertham. John Henry Edward
Biddies, Percy
Bisset, William
BUckmore, Robert Grierson
Bo^k. Hans
Bo ton, Frederick William
Bovles, Sholto Stillingfleet
Bo : d, Robert Mitchell
Brcckenbnry, John
Bnusch, Ludwig Jensen ...
Brilgeman, Robert Newman
Broome, William
Bnwn, Cornwallis Wade ...
Br„wn, William Villicrs ...
Bnse, Michael
Bryant, Frederick
Buehanau, Kenneth Griffiths
Biss, Charles Wil iam
Eglington, Ernest
Evans, Robert
Falkner, Charles
Fanning, Martin Patrick Boyle
Farquhar. William Gordon...
Fletcher, Archibald
Flood, Michael
Florence, Andrew
Forrest, Edward Barrow ...
Foster, Charles Arbuthnot ...
I Fullarton, David Young ...
I Gartside, John
Garvie, John
Gavin, John Alexander
j Gaylard, John
Gibson, Angus
Gladstone. Douglas . ..
I Gladwell, Frederick Will
i Goodiellow, Frederick
Gooding, Francis
Gray, George Wilkie
I Greathead, Anne
' Grimes, Samuel
j Gulliver, Benjamin ...
322
304
320
304
312
158
Cinny, W r illiam C. ...
Cirtuer, Alexander Downie
Ctssey, James
Cinlficld, Henry St. George
Ciristcnsen, Ingverl. Wilhelm
Ciristison, Hans Christian
C ark, John (Ashgrove)
C»rke, John {Eaton Vale)...
Chrkc, Richard Fraser
Ctstello, John Marcus
C uldery, William Henry
Oiwlcy, Epliraim
Ciwley, Lewis Jesse
O.iyue, David
C'an, James (Duncraggen)
C-an, James (Indab)
L an, James (The Island) ...
C an, John
C in, Robert, junr.
C istcsen, James
fatten, James Walker
318
319
222
Hall, Richard Henry Mand
Harrington, William Frederic! ...
-Hart, Daniel ...
Hart, Robert
Hartley, Robert Taylor
Heineaiann, Henry
Hely, William
Henderson, Andrew..
Hendy, Elma
Hickson, William Murray Cox ..
Hill, John H
Hoey, Lewis ...
Horn brook, Frank Charles
Howard, John William Cornelius..
Hyne, William Heury
Ilifi', Richard
lnnes, Charles Claudius
Ironsides, George ,.,
213
.. 57, 69
264
157
304
307
..225, 314
203
277
191
lftnim, Jens Christian
Davidson, John Ewan
iJavidson, William ,.,
I^nmaii, Edward ...
Deputation
Dillon. Dennis
Dinide, Robert
Dixon. Joseph Chapman
Dobsou, William Doyle
Donaldson, James
Douglas, Arthur Edward
Drvsdale, John
M.iJliii, Isaac
Duffy, Michael
Pupuy, Celestin
Jacobson, Lorenz
Jamicson, James
Jensen, .Niels Christian
Johnson, Clement ...
Johnstone, John Dorrens
Johnstone, John feter
Jones, Richard #we2i
Jones, Richard
Josling, Herbert
Ke ly, Thomas
Kemp, Charles
Kerr, George
314
179
INDEX TO WITNESSES— continued.
Kleindsmidt, Albert
Enox, Edward William
Kriiger, Christian Frederick WiUhelm
Landells, William ...
Langdon. William ...
Langford. Benjamin...
Lee, Richard
Leon, Andrew
Lloyd, Alfred Hart ...
L«llo, Henry
Louis, David Adolphus
Lylc, William
MacDonald, Donald
197
MaeKay, Thomas
44
MacEenzic, Alexander Richard
...200, 299
MacKenzie. James
1*6
Maloney, Patrick
SO
Murkey, Daniel
295
Marron, Thomas ...
1&/
Mason, WilBam Walter
52
Matsen. Ole
172
McBryde, John
295
McCreedy, Hugh
193
MeBonald, *r. William Craig Christian...
129
McDouall, John Cricliton Stuart ...
311
McDouall, Robert Crichton
312
McGuigan. Eobert
319
Mclnnis, Duncan
1S8
McLean, William
127
McMillan, Archibald Campbell ...
144
McPherson, John
(59
Mears, Arthur
48
Meston, Archibald
Metcalfe, John Allan ...
Z 46
Michael, James Simon
260
Millar, Thomas
299
Mitchell, John
319
Moore, William George
311
Montgomerie, John James
21
Munro, Jamies
254
Neame, Arthur
Neame, Frank
Noakes Bros.
Noe, Wilhelm
Nott, Frederick Lewis
•'Donohue, Martin
O' 11 alleran, James
•'Kelly, Peter
Oppermann, Hanick Phillip
Paget, Walter Trucman ...
Payard, William
Pearce, Thomas
Pegg, Abraham
Penny, Joseph Sweeting ...
Peterson, Neils
Phillpot, Charles Humphrey
Pidd, William
Porter, Ernest Georgo
Pringle, James
Proctor, James Tartan
Pugh, Theophilus Parsons ...
Pywell, Arthur Edward ...
112
.. 325
.235,243
317
103
21S
1
R.
Rawson, Edward Stansficld
Behfelt, Earl
R*id, Edward Vincent
Richardson. Peler 2
Eobenson, William (Habana)
Robertson, William (North Eton Central Milll...
Robertson, Willinni (Victoria Etundry, Maekay)
Robinson. Arthur Authony
Robinson, Houry^Jolin Goodwin ...
Roger, Michael Georg
Eoseudahl, Neils CJinstiau...
Ross, Henry
Ryan, Thomas
Schulz, William
Sheppard, Daniel
Silvervood. Thomas Alfred
Smellic, Robert Russell
Smith, Allreii
Smith, Henry
Smith, Robert Gemmell ...
Smith, Thomas Bowles
Smith, Thomas Laurence ...
Stanicz, Ludomir
Steedman. William
Stevens, Frank James
Slevenson, Andres Peter ...
Stewart, James
S tod dart, James
Swallow, Thomas Fulton ...
Swallow, William lleury ...
Temple, John
Terzise. John
Th»mas, David Peter
Traill, Archibald James
Truss, Willmni Hyde
Turner, Edward
T t03
;72
Voss, Vivian ...
Voysey, George
W.
Wallace, John Allan .. _
Walker, Matthew Wilson ...
Walker. John McBcan
Walker, John Young
Walker, Robert Francis
Walsh, Michael
Warren, William Stanley ...
Watson, Charles
WebJxr. John
White, George Ambrose ...
Wliil,-. Thomas George ...
White. William Thomas ...
Win ling, Joseph
Williams, Dr. John Trahcrnc
Willcck, Charles Johnstone
Wilson, William Cliorlus ...
Woclcmimn, Benjamin
Woodward. Arthur ...
W»olley, William ..
Wright, William
Yates, William
Young. Charles
Voung, Henry Charles Arthur
Young, John
17
4.
INJ)KX TO Al'PENDICES.
A gri cultural Produce Exported and removed Coastwise from the Port of Cairns, from 1882 to
1888 (inclusive)
Bundaberg, He turn •£ completed Sugar Mills in the District of
Crushing Mills for Extracting Juice only in the District of
11 ,, Cane Growers only in the District of
„ Sugar Exported during 188a from the Port of
Cairns Agricultural Produce Exported and Temoved Coastwise from
„ Land Agent's District. List of Special Leases held in the
,, Sugar Produced and Land under Cane in the District of ..
Draper. A. J, Statement by •■
Duties iu force on Sugar, Molasses, aud Rum in the various Australasian Colonies
Fruit Trade of Queensland, Letter by the Manager of the A.lT.S.N. Co r« the
Geraldton, Claims advanced by Relatives of Deceased Islanders in the District of
List of Cases of Supplying Liquor to Islanders in the District of
„ Kates of Mortality amongst Polynesians in the Hospital
„ Schedule of Employers of Paciiic Island Labourers in the District of
Grub (Cane). Extract from Mr. Angus Gibson's Letter rc the
Ingham, List of Convictions f»r Supplying Liquor to Pacific Islanders in the District of
,, Schedule of Employers ol Pacific Islanders in the District cf ...
Islanders employed in the District, of
L"ttrr from J. \Y r . Sutton re the Effect the Beprcssi^n in the Sugar Industry has had on his
trade ,
Mackay, Imports aud Exports, from 1880 to 1888 (inclusive)
„ Produce imported into
Return showing the working of the Labour Bureau in
Return showing the Death-rate amongst Pacific Islanders in the District of
„ Return furnished by the Chamber ot Commerce of ...
„ Schedule of the Employers of Pacific Islanders in the District of
Mary borough, Approximate Statement of Acreage and Value of Sugar Machinery deserted or
not worked at present on the Mary Biver and Timma Creek
,, Keturn of Paeific Island Labourers Savings Hank Accounts in the District of..,
ii .. ,, „ „ in the District of
Molasses and Treacle Imported into (he various Colonies during 1887
„ Exported from Queensland during the Tears 1881 to 1887 (inclusive)
„ J mported into South Australia during 1887
j, ii „ Western Australia during 1887
Port Douglas, Export Keturn f«r 1888, for
Haw Sugar Imported int» the various Colonies during 188<
Recruiting Vessels in the South Sea Island Labour Trade, Return of
Refined Sugar Imported into the various Colonies during 18s7
Rum Exported from Queensland during tlie Tears 18S1 to 1687 (inclusive)
,, Imported int» the various Colonies during 1887
„ ., South. Australia during 1887
,. „ Western Australia during 1887
Sugorand Rum Manufactured, Imported aud Exported dnring the Years from 1870 to 1888 ...
„ Exported from Bundabcrgr during 1888
., Exported Irom Queensland during the Tears 18S1 to 1887 (inclusive)
„ Imported into Melbourne, for 12 Months ending January 31, 1889
„ Imported into South Australia duriug 1887
„ Western Australia during 1887
„ Mills (complete) in the Bundalterg District
„ Plantations and Farms under Sugar Cultivation in the Colony of Queensland on the
3 1st March. 1888
„ Plantations and Forms under Sugar Cultivation in the Colony of Queensland for the
past Seven Years
„ Produced in the District of C»irns
(Haw) Imported into the various Colonies during 1887 ...
„ (Refined) „ „ „ „ „
Townsville, Death-rate amongst Pacific Islanders in the District of
Produce import- <! into
Summary of Returns showing the Working of the Labour Bureau in
,, Schedule of Employers of Polynesians in the Jtstrict of
2
328
20
337
i%
337
29
338
"2
328
1
327
?
XI-
t'9
,
8
TlT
330
Qq
351
10
331
11
331
,30
349
ion
333
17
333
19
335
37
350
18
33d
38
351
339
23
29
346
33
34
348
349
35
348
4
329
31
347
M
352
28
34li
33
343
3*
347
34
349
35
3L9
27
21
34S
339
33
24
348
339
34
349
35
3 39
20
337
25
m
26
m
3
325
31
347
28
346
14
332
16a
333
13
332
15
333
VlCTOBU,
Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United "Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
Queen, defender of the Faith, to,, &c.
To William Hexht Gboom, Esquire, of Toowoomba ; Alfred San»linos Cowley,
Esquire, of Ingham, Members of the Legislative Assembly of Our Colony of
Queensland; and Henbi E»waed King, Esquire, of Brisbane, i» Our said
Colony, Barrister-at-Law.
Geeetino :
"Whereas it has been represented to the Administrator of the Government of
Our Colony of Queensland in Council that it is expedient and desirable to appoint
Commissioners for the purpose of enquiring into the General Condition of the Sugar
Industry in Our said Colony : A»d whereas tlie Administrator of the Government of
Our said Colony in Council has been pleased to appoint yon as Commissioners for the
purposes aforesaid; .Now Enow Ye, that We, reposing sperial trust and confidence in
your zeal, industry, discretion, and ability, do, by these Presents, by and with the advice
•f Our Executive Council of Our Colony aforesaid, constitute and appoint you, the said
William Kexht Gbo»m, Alfueo Saxd'lings Cowlet, and Hkxby Ldward King, to be
Our Commissioners to make a full and searching Inquiry into the General Condition or
the Sugar Industry in Queensland, and to report to Our Administrator aforesaid upon the
causes which have led t* the present languishing condition of the Industry throughout
the Colony, the best means to be adopted for reviving and maintaining its prosperity, and.
generally, upon the prospects of Tropical Agriculture in Queensland : And We do also,
by these Presents, give and grant to you, at any meeting or meetings, full power and
authority to call before you such persons as you may judge necessary, by whom you may
be belter informed of the truth in the premises: And We do further command and
enjoin you that you do take down the Examination of the several Witnesses that may
appear before you, and reduce the same into writing : And such evidence, with a full and
faithful report upon the matters above referred to, as you and each of you shall think fit,
to transmit to the Office of Our Chief Secretary of Our said Colony.
Aud We do hereby appoint William Roheiitson, Esquire, to be Secretary to this
Our Commission.
In testimony whereof We have caused this Our Commission to be sealed with the
Seal of Our said Colony.
Witness Our trusty and well-beloved Sir Antrim Hfntee Palmek, Knight
Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George,
President of the Legislative Council and Administrator of the Government of
Our said Colony, at Brisbane, this Twenty.eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, and in the
fifty -second year of Our Reign.
A. H. PALMER,
By His Excellency's Command,
THOMAS McILWRAITH.
PROCEEDINGS
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSION.
TUESDAY, 4 DECEMBER, 188«.
Pursuant to Letters Patent, bearing the Great Seal of the Colony, and dated 28th November, 1888, the
Commissioners met in No. 1 Committe Eoom, Parliament House, at 4 p.m.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
Motion by Mr. King, " That W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A,, be the Chairman of the Commission."
Agreed to.
Mr. Will. Robertson was in attendance as Secretary, and, by direction of the Chairman, read the
Commission.
The Secretary was instructed to write to the Collector of Customs at Brisbane for certain returns.
[See Appendix.]
After deliberation it was agreed that the Commission proceed to Townsville by steamer, leaving on
5th January; that Townsville be made the headquarters of the Commission while in the North; that
arrangements be there made for visitingPort Douglas, Cairns, Johnstone River, the Delta of the BuidekJn,
Mourilyan, Mackay, Bundaberg, and Maryborough ; that the Commissioners then take evidence in Bris-
bane ; then proceed to the Logan and Tweed River districts, Queensland, and the Clarence River district,
New South Wales.
The Secretary was instructed to write Mr. A. S. Cowley, at Ingham, and inform him of these
arrangements.
[The Commission then adjourned.]
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Win.. RoBERTSoy, Secretary.
Note. — A telegram was subsequently received from A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A., intimating that
he agreed entirely with the programme formulated by the Commission.
SATURDAY, 5 JANUARY, 1883.
At the A.U.S.N. Company's Wha.ii)", Brisbane.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
The Commissioners met, as arranged on board the s.s. "Cintra," at the Australasian United Steam
Navigation Company's wharf, Brisbane, and proceeded thence to Townsville.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
Note, — The Commissioners reached Townsville on the 8th January, and were there joined by A. S.
Cowley, Esq.
TUESDAY, 8 JANUARY, 1889.
At the Queen's Hotel, Towitsville.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the meetings on December 4th and January 5th were read and confirmed.
Mr. Cowley informed the Commission that he thought it best to proceed at once to Port Douglas,
and work down the coast to Townsville, because if the wet season set in early the work of the
Commiesion might be very much impeded, and, in consequence, it might possibly happen that the
Commissioners would be unable to visit some of the districts.
The Commissioners deliberated, and finally decided to accept Mr. Cowley's suggestion and proceed
by the s.s. " Cintra " on the following day to Port Douglas.
It was decided to insert an advertisement in each of the daily morning papers and one in each of
the weekly journals, inviting evidence from any person capable of giving information that would assist
the inquiry, more particularly in the direction of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing.
The Commissioners also decided to take any evidence that might be tendered to them in Townsville
on their return from the districts north of that town.
AVILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
Note. — The Commissioners arrived at Port Douglas about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 10th
January, 1889.
THURSDAY,
THURSDAY. 10 JANUARY, 1889,
Pout Dofglab District.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
A letter was read from Fritz Gfriffer, Cudgeu, Tweed Kiver, und ordered to be put aside for con-
sideration.
The evidence of Arthur Ed wari Pywell, Acting Sub-Collector of Customs ; aud Richard Owen Jones,
a farmer on the Mossraan, was taken.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
"Will. Robertson, Secretary.
FRIDAY, 11 JANUARY, 18811.
Poet Douglas District.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. [ H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
"W. H, Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and conlirmed.
The evidence of Daniel Hart, selector ; J. D. Johnstone, selector ; Michael Walsh (of Messrs. Walsh
& Co.), merchant, shipper, «fec, was taken.
The members of the Commission then proceeded to the selection of Mr. J. J. Montgomerie,
situated at Mayfield, on the Mowbray Kiver, a few miles from town.
The Commissioners having iuspected the orchard and garden and part of the farm, took the evi-
dence of Mr. Montgomerie, after winch they returned to Port Douglas.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
SATURDAY, 12 JANUARY, 1889.
Pqet Douglas District.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. j H. E. King, Esquire.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Chairman announced that Mr. Commissioner Cowley had proceeded to Bribri in order to
inspect the mill and machinery, and to inquire into the question of the general state of the plantation,
here, also to visit Mr. Hart's selection, leuvins? Mr. Commissioner King ami himself to take evidence.
The evidence of Henry Smith, shipping agent ; John Trcziss, farmer and selector: Ernest Eglington,
Police Magistrate and Polynesian protector; David Peter Thomas (of Messrs. Thomas and Madden),
merchant, «fec. was taken.
The Commissioners deliberated and decided to leave by steamer for Cairns that evening.
WILLIAM II. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
MONDAY, U JANUARY, 1889.
Cairns Bibtrict.
The Commissioners having arrived in Cairns on the evening of the 12th instant, proceeded to the
Pyramid Sugar Plantation, about seventeen miles from Cairns, to-day.
They inspected the mill, Polynesian hospital, the kanaka and Javanese quarters, interrogated the
labourers, and watched them working in the field.
A meeting was then held, all the members of the Commission being present. W. H. Groom,
Esquire, M.L. A , in the chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting was read and eoufirmed.
The evidence of William Langdon, the manager of the plantation, was taken aud the meeting
adjourned.
WILLIAM n. GROOM, Chairman.
AVill. Robertson, Secretary.
TUESDAY,
TX.
TUESDAY, 15 JANUARY, 1889.
Cairns District.
The Commissioners visited Messrs. Swallow and Derham's Hambleton Plantation. The Commis-
sioners thoroughly inspected the mill, labourers' quarters, hospilal, fruit preserving department, and a
large portion of the plantation, also the fruit garden and banana, fluid. They wont in amongst the cane
and saw the labourers at work trashing.
The evidence of Thomas Fulton Swallow, William Henry Swallow, and Denis Dillon was taken.
The Commissioners then returned to Cairns.
EVENING- SITTING.
In the Cairns Hotel.
Present ;
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The evidence of Robert Francis Walker, farmer; Thomas Mackay, selector. Mulgrave Road;
John Allan Metcalf, selector, Barron Eiver; and Arthur Mears, couimissiou agent, Herberton, was taken.
A letter Avas received from Mr. A. J. Draper, Cairns, regretting tbat he would be absent during
the visit of the Commissioners, and tendering a few remarks relative to' tropica] agriculture in Cairns.
The letter was ordered to be printed as an appendix. [See Appendix.']
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
WrLi,. Robertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 16 JANUARY, 188!).
Cairns District.
The Commissioners proceeded by rail to Stratford on the Barron River, where they inspected the
rice mill of Messrs. Behan and Co. They subsequently took Mr. Thomas Bchan's evidence.
They then crossed the River and inspected William Walker Mason's selection, after which they
took his evidence.
They next visited a selection adjoining, on which Chinamen were growing rice.
The Commissioners then drove to the cocoanuli plantation, near Double "ishind, known as Mount
Buchau, and having inspected it, took the evidence mi Mr. J ames Jatnieson, manager and part proprietor.
The Commissioners then returned to town.
EVENING SITTING.
In the Cairns Hotel.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. II. Groom, Esquire, ML. A., in the Chair.
The minutes of ihe previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The evidence of Robert Taylor Hartley, ^lJ>-< ,1 <vtor of Customs, etc.; Isaac Duffin, Crown
Lands Ranger for the districts of Cairns and Port Douglas : Archibald ileston, selector, Barron and
Russell Rivers ; Andrew Leeon. late sugar planter ; John Peter Johnston, selector ; and William Doyle
Hobson, merchant, was taken.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
THURSDAY, 17 JANUARY, 1889.
Cairns District.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The evidence of Major Panning, Police Magistrate and Polynesian Inspector; R. T.Hartley
(recalled), and John MePherson was taken.
The Commissioners deliberated, and came tn the conclusion that in consequence of the great dis-
tances they had to travel to obtain evideuce, their Secretary having to accompany them to do so, it would
be impossible to have the notes transcribed in the necessary time. They decided to send the following
telegram
X.
telegram to the Hon. the Chief Secretary: — " Commission getting much valuable evidence, but have to
travel and take evidence on plantations, farms, gardens, Secretary has to accompany us and has no time to
transcribe his notes. We are obliged to travel by day and then take local witnesses at nigbt. At pre-
sent we have examined 2S « itnesses, and only the evidence of three has been transcribed. It will be
impossible for us to do the work satisfactorily before meeting of Parliament unless we have an additional
shorthand writer ; please send one immediately io meet us at Ingham next week, Reply to Geraldton.
The tedegram was signed by all the Commissioners, and despatched.
The Commissioners further deliberated and decided to proceed to Geraldton by the " Palmer," at
10 o'clock that night.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Rohertson, Secretary.
Note. — The Commissioners arrived at Geraldton early the following morning.
SATURDAY, 19 JANUARY, 1889.
Jousstone Riv ek District. — At Innisfail.
The Commissioners proceeded by boat to Innisfail Plantation. They inspected the mill and cane
fields, and took the evidence of Mr. James O'llalloran, acting manager of the estate.
[The Commission then adjourned to meet at Goondi.]
At Goondi.
The Commissioners drove out to the Colonial Sugar Company's plantation at Goondi.
The evidence of Charles E. Adams, manager; \V. H. Truss, hosspital attendant, formerly a ganger;
and Patrick Maloney, ganger, was taken.
The mill, plantation, offices, men's quarters, South Sea Islanders' quarters, hospital, reading-room,
store, and cane fields were subsequently inspected.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
MONDAY, 21 JANUARY, 1889.
Johnstone Riveu District. — At Mourtltan.
The Commissioners drove to the Mourilyan Sugar Plantation. They inspected the mill, &c, and
took the evidence of li. Russell Smellie, managiug partner of the company.
After taking Mr. Smellie's evidence, the Commissioners proceeded by the steam tramway to
Mouri^au Harbour, where they inspected the company's wharf and store.
In going to and from Mourilyan the Commissioners passed through and inspected the Queensland
Sugar Company's plantation.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
\V i IiTj. Robertson, Secretary.
Note. — On the 22nd January, Mr. Groom not being allowed by his medical adviser to ride, Messrs.
King and Cowley proceeded on horseback to the Basilisk Mouutaiu, and therefrom inspected the country
on the south branch of the Johnstone-
WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY, 18S9.
Johnstone River District. — Divisional Hoard Room, Geraliton.
Present:
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
Tlio minutes of the previous meetings were read and confirmed.
The Chai no an stated that on arrival in Geraldton he had received the following telegram from
the Undersecretary, in reply to the telegram forwarded to the Chief Secretary : — " Tour telegram received,
Mr. Bernays will leave at once for Ingham to assist your Shorthand Writer."
The following AVitnesses were examined: — William Canny, manager of the Queensland Sugar
Company's Plantation, Inuishowen ; Thomas George White, Government medical officer ; James Walker
Cutten, selector; Martin O'Bonohue, Crown Lands Ranger ; and S. S Bowles, Polynesian Inspector.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
FRIDAY,
FRIDAY, 25 JANUARY, 1889.
JOHNSTONE RlTER DISTRICT. — .At GeRAL»TO>\
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of previous meetings were read and confirmed.
The evidence of Geo. Kerr, selector, was taken.
This closed the evidence to be taken iu the Johnstone River district, and the Commissioners, after
deliberation, resolved to proceed by the s.s. " Palmer," on Friday, to the Herbert River.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Roeektson, Secretary.
FRIDAY, 25 JANUARY, 188!).
MoUEILTAN DISTRICT.
The Commissioners, on arrival at Mourilyan Harbour in the s.s. " Palmer," en route for the
Herbert River, proceeded to Mr, Smsllie's Mourilyan residence, where they took the evidence of
J. T. Proctor, who is in charge of Messrs. Seymour ami .Allan's selection kuowu as Esmeralda.
The CommissioQers then re-embarked on the s.s. *• Palmer," and proceeded to the Herbert
River.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
Note. — The Commissioners arrived at Halifax on the 26th January.
MONDAY, 23 JANUARY) 1S89.
Herbert River District.— At Halifax.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S.- Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners proceeded to Halifax, where several selections in the district were inspected,
and evidence was takeu in the Public Hall, when John Aim, M. C. llosendahl, Chas. Watson, selectors
(representatives of the Farmers' Association), and F. Neame, sugar planter, were examined.
The Chairman read the following telegram from the Chief Secretary : — " Chief Secretary would like
Commission to visit Teppoon, near Rockhampton, before returning to Brisbane."
The Commissioners deliberated, and decided to carry out the wishes of the Chief Secretary.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wili,. Robertson, Secretary.
TUESDAY, 29 JANUAHY, 1889.
Herbert River District. — At Ripple Cheek.
Present:
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. J 11. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in tho Chair.
The Commissiouers inspected Macnade Plantation aud the mill.
The Commissioners proceeded to Ripple Creek, where the evideuce of the mauaging partner
(Mr. R. M. Boyd) was takeu, and the estate, mill, hospital, and quarters inspected.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY
The evidence of Messrs. F. G«odfellow, land ageut ; A. E. Douglas, and T. Marron, selectors ;
and B. Gulliver, nuisery gardener, was takeu.
This concluded the evidence to be taken in the Townsville district, and the necessary arrangements
were made for the Commission to proceed to Mackay.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Cha
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
Note. — The Commissioners arrived at Mackay on Tuesday, 12th instant.
TUESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY, 1880.
Mackay District.
Present :
IV. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. [ H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission met at Wills's Hotel, and received deputations from the Mackay Planters'
Association, Farmers' Association, the shareholders of the Central Mills, and the Chamber of Commerce,
and arranged the programme for the week's work.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
"Will. Robertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY, 18S0.
Maceay District.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission proceeded to Habana, and on the road visited the River Estate and Richmond
Plantations, iind Mr. Costclloe's coffee plantation. At Habana the estate and mill -were inspected, and
the evidence of Mr. John Brackenbury, selector, was taken.
The Commission then visited the selection of Mr. E. Deninan, and took his evidence.
They then proceeded to Kindaroo, inspected the mill, and took the evidence of Messrs. C. Bupuy
and D. Gladstone, selectors.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Rodertsos, Secretary.
THURSDAY, 14 FEBRUARY, 1S89.
Mackay District.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. j H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in ihe Chair.
The Coiimiission'proceeded by special train to Eton, where they were met by the manager of
llomebush, ami driven to the estate.
The mill, kanaka hospital and quarters, and estate having been inspected, the evidence of the
following Witnesses was taken N. Petersen, selector; K. N Rridgeman, assistant agricu,tural
jn.iuagcr; and 0. Mat sen, and II. C. Christ ison, selectors.
On the return journey the North Eton Central Mill and the Victoria and Marian Mills and estates
were inspected.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Roiiertson, Secretary.
FRIDAY,
FRIDAY, 15 FEBRUARY , 1889.
Mackat Disraict,
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A , in the Cliair.
The Commission visited the Meadowlands Plantation and inspected the estate and mill.
They then proceeded to the Racecourse Central Sugar Mill, which was inspected, and the evidence
of frhe following witnesses taken : — T. Pearce, chairman of directors; C. Kemp, farmer; and H. Josling
and W. Landells, directors.
The Commission then inspected Te Kowai. Palmy™, and The Palms Plantations and mills, and
proceeded to Branscombe Plantation, where they stopped for the night.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robkrtson, Secretary.
SATURDAY, 16 FEBRUARY, 1889.
Mackat Distiuct.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. J II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H, Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission visited and inspected the Ashburton and Farleigh estates and mills, and returned
to Mack ay.
AVILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
"Will. Robebtson, Secretary.
MONDAY, 18 FEBRUARY, 1889.
At Mackat.
Presen t :
W, II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E.King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.I;.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners met at 7-30 a.m., and read and confirmed minutes of previous meetings.
TlicSeeretiiry was instructed to write to Mr. E. W. Knox, secretary of the Colonial Sugar "Refining
Company, informing him that the Commission desired to take his evidence, and asking when he could
be in Brisbane after the first week of March, to do so.
The Secretary was instructed to write to the Secretary of the Planters' Association, Bundaberg,
asking him to arrange a programme for the Commissionersvisit to the district.
The Commission met again at 10 a.m., and took the evidenceof the following Witnesses: — George
Ironsides, chairman of directors North Eton Central Mill Company; William Robertson, director North
Eton Central Mill Company : Bunean Mclnnis, secretary North Eton Central Mill Company ;
William Lyle, manager North Eton Central Mill Company; Win. Henry Hyne, Meadowlands ; Hugh
McCreedy, Palmyra ; Daniel Shepherd, E. V. Reid. and William Robertson, representatives of Chamber
of Commerce ; Thomas Ryan, Donald MacBonald, Wm. Bisset, and C. W. Brown, representatives of
the Pioneer Hiver Farmers' Association ; Joseph Autoney, farmer : Alox. Richard McKenzie, Marian ;
Walter Freeman Page , Nindaroo, representatives of the Planters' and Farmers' Association ; J. M.
Costello, farmer ; John Temple, farmer ; Ed. Stansfield Rawson, Queensland Sugar Estate Company
Limited; Frank Charles Hornbrook, Polynesian inspector; and Charles Claudius Innes, laud agent.
The Commissioners deliberated, and decided to proceed by steamer that night for Rockhampton.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
WiXX. Robeiitson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 20 FEBRUARY, 18S9.
Ar Rockhampton.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. j H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission met at the Criterion Hotel.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and eonfirmed.
The Commission then examined the following Wituesses: — John Alexander Gavin, late secretary
Tepposn Sugar Company, Limted ; Thomas Kelly, chaii manRockhampton Chamber of Commerce.
Will. Robestsox, Secretary.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
THURSDAY,
THURSDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 1869.
At Eockhaiipton.
Present :
Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. Kiug, E:
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., iu the Chair.
The Commissioners met at the Criterion Hotel.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Commissioners examined the following Witnesses Vivian Yoss, medical officer and inspector
oE Polynesians; William Broome, director Yeppoon Sugar Company, Limited; Henry Eoss, manager
Yeppoon Sueur Estate.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wilt.. Rodgh/l'SOK, Secretary.
Note. — The Commissioners proceeded next day by steamer to Bundaberg, viti Maryborough, and
reached Bundaberg on Saturday nigbt.
MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY, 1889.
BlJNDABEKG DISTRICT. — At Bt NDABEBG.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners proceeded by huggy toFairymeud Plantation, the property of the Messrs. Young
The mill and grounds were thoroughly inspect <1.
The Commissioners then proceeded to Millaquin Refinery, where they were sbowin over the estab-
lishment by Mr. John Cran.
The Commissioners then returned to town.
WILLIAM 11. GKtOM, Chairman.
Will. Uojjertson, Secretary.
TUESDAY] 26 FEBRUARY, 1889.
Bun»abebg District.— At Busdabeiig.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A . | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners proceeded by early train to Bingera Station. They were there meet hy Mr.
Angus Gibson, and taken along his private tramway to Bingera Plantation-
There the mill and irrigation works were closely inspected. The Commissioners also visited the
school of arts, and chapel and school belonging to the plantation.
The Commissioners drove round the district, passing many small selections, farms, and homesteads.
They returned to Bundaberg by special train.
In the afternoon a meeting was held in the Grand Hotel.
The minutes of the previous meeting were rend and confirmed.
Tlie Commissioners examined the following Witnesses : — M. Duffy, merchant aud ex-mayor ; and
Hy. St. George Caullleld, Polyuesi'au inspector.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
W ill. Robektson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY] 1889.
Bundabeeg District. — At Buxdabeug.
Present :
W. IX. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Qmley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners -were driven to the summit of tlie Hummock, fi*om which they had a good viewo:
the Woougarra Scrub. They proceeded tbeuce to Mr. Jauics Crau's, Duneraggau Plantation, where they
inspected lus crushing plant.
They
They theD proceeded to Mr. Noakes's mill and plantation (Spriughill), where the new machinery
was inspected.
The Commissioners next drove to Mon Repos, the plantation of Mr. A. P. Barton, where the mill
and refinery in course of erection were inspected.
They then drove, viti Mr. Farquar's Hummock Plantation, to Wiuderinere Plantation (Mr. Nott's).
The mill having beeu iuspected, the Commissioners drove to the easteru summit of the Hummock, known
as Sir Anthouy's Kest. From this spot they had a splendid view of the Woongarra Scrub lying on that
side of the Hummock.
The Commissioners subsequently returned to Bundaberg.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Romertsoh, Secretary.
THURSDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 1889.
Bundaberg District. — At Bundareho.
Present :
W. 11. Groom, Esquire, M.L. A. | H. E. Kiug, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., iu the Chair.
Tho miuutes of the previous meetings were read and confirmed.
The Commissioners examined the following Witnesses : — T. P. Pugh, Police Magistrate; Frederick
L. Nott, plauter, Wiudermere ; Angus Gibson, planter, Bingera, president of the Plauters' Association ;
John Cran (of Messrs. R. CrauaudCo.), Millaquiu .Sugar Kclinery ; R. Wright, bookseller; W. M. C.
Hickson, planter; Edward Turner, farmer; William Woolley, merchant (a member of the Chamber of
Commerce) ; Thomas Alfred Silverwood, draftsman and mechanic ; W. N. Atkinson, farmer ; Charles
Falkner, farmer and planter ; H. C. A. Young, planter, Fairymead (Bundaberg Planters' Association).
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
FRIDAY, 1 MARCH, 1889.
Mart Riyer District. — At Maryborough,
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.LA. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., iu the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and coufirmed.
The Commissioners took the evidence of the following Witnesses : — PeterRichardson, late manager
of Antigua Plantation ; Wm. F. Harrington, of Messrs. Walker and Co., Limited ; R. Cran, jun., manager,
of Teti^arie Kelinery ; John Webber, of Messrs. Webber Brothers ; E.G.Porter, planter; F.Bryant,
mayor of Maryborough ; and Robert Evans.
The Commissioners decided to proceed to Pialba that afternoou.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
FRIDAY, 1 MARCH, 1889.
Marx Riyer District. — At Pialba,
Present :
II. ({room, Esquire, M.L.A. H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The miuute.s of previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Commissioners took the evidence of Messrs. Anthony Auderson, farmer; A. P. Stevensou,
farmer; J. C. Darnm, farmer.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Win.. Robertson - , Secretary.
SATURDAY,
XVIII.
SATURDAY, 2 MARCH, 1S«9.
Mary; Ritjsk District. — Ax Pialba.
Present :
W. 11. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, MX. A.
W. II. Gro«in, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners met at 9 a.m.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read aud confirmed.
'I'he Commissioners took the evidence of G. A. White, fruit grower.
The Commissioners then proceeded by buggy to Maryborough.
Wl LLIAM II. GROOM, Chair
AVtLl/. JiuUJJiiTstN, Secretary.
SATURDAY, 2 MARCH, 1880.
Mart RivEn District. — At Makyuurouuh.
Present :
W. U. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The evidence was taken by the Commissioners of the following Witnesses : — J. B. Smyth, iuspector
of Polynesians; H. Hart (of Messrs. Wilson and Hart, sawinillers;), Maryborough ; aud Joseph Whiting.
The ("'omiiiissioners decided to visit Yaugarie Plantation in the afternoon, and to proceed by the
s.8. "Fitzroy" to Brisbane on the following morning.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wj i.l. Roiiuktsox, Secretary.
NOTfi. — Tlie Commissioners left Maryborough by the " Kitzruy " on the 3rd March, reaching
Brisbane that sa me evening at. 1 1 p.m.
M9NBAY, 4 MARCH, 18W).
At BiilSBANE.
Present :
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
AV. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
A letter was received from Mr. P. L. De Coures, l'<>r! Dtmgliis, in reference to formiug a station
for aboriginal* on the Mnssman X-iver. The letter was read, ;ind the Sfcretary was instructed to for-
ward it to the Chief Secretary, as it did not eome within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and to inform
M r. De Coures to that effect.
The Commission deliberated on Mr. P. GfrifFer's letter asking them to visit his mill at Cud gen.
Tweed River, and the Secretary was instructed to writeandask that gentleman whatmeansof conveyance
there would be to take them from Nerang to Cuiigen.
The Secretary was instructed to write to the Chief Secretary informing him that the Commission
might h;ive to visit the New South Wales sugar growing districts, and asking him to take the necessary
steps to enable them to do so.
The Secretary was instructed to write and inform Mesiira. E. \V. Knox and E. B. Forrest that
their evidence would be taken on Wednesday, 13th Marcli ; and to Messrs. J. Stoddart, G. W. Gray, J.
Y. Michael, and S. Grimes, asking tlicm to attend ut No. 12 Committee Room, Parliamentary Buildings,
on Thursday, Hlh instant, t« give evidence.
It was decided to visit the Rosewood district on Friday, loth March, and to proceed to the Logan,
Albert, and Coomera districts on Monday, 18th March.
The Secretary was instructed to write to the menuVrti of the districts named, to inform them of
the visit of the Commissioners, and to ask them to kindly make arrangements accordingly.
[The Commission adjourned till Wednesday, 13th Mareh.]
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wiu,. Robertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY,
WEDNESDAY, 13 MARCH, 1889.
At the Houses of Parliament, Brisbane.
Present .-
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. Kiug, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W, H. Gi-oom, Esquire, M.L.A., iu the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Secretary submitted the programme drawn up bv E. J. Stevens, Esquire, M.L A., for the visit
of the Commission to the Albert and Logan districts. This was agreed to, and the Secretary was
instructed to make arrangements accordingly.
The following Witnesses were examined : — Edward William Knox, general manager of the Colonial
Sugar Refining Company; and Edward Barrow Forrest, managing director of Messrs. Parbury, Lamb,
and Co.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Rojertsos, Secretary.
T HUBS DAT, I4r MARCH, 1889.
At tum Houses of Parliament, Bmsbanio.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A.. in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The following Witnesses were exaniiued : — .James Stoddart, merchant, Brisbane; James Munro,
mauager in Brisbane for the British Indin. and A. U.S.N. Companies ; Geurge Wilkie Gray (a member of
the ihm of Quinlau, Gray. a»d Co.], merchant. Brisbane ; James Simon Michael, late tea planter, Bengal ;
and Kicbard Iliff, accountant (Smith, Forrester, and Co.), Brisbane.
Mr. A. "Woodward, of the Polynesian branch of the Immigration Department, was present at 11
a.m., by request, to ffive evidence, 'the Commissioners desiring to examine gentlemen, who had important
business eugagements to attend to first, requested Mr. Woodward to come agaiu at 2.45 p.m. the same
day, and give his evidence.
The Commission met after lunch, and waited for Mr. Woodward till nearly 4 p.m., but he failed
to put in an appearance or send an excuse for his absence. The Secretary was instructed to inform
the Chief Secretary of this want of courtesy on the part of Mr. Woodward towards the Commission.
The Secretary was instructed to inform the Chief Secretary that, as they had examined Mr. E. W.
Knox, general manager of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, it was unnecessary for them to visit
any of the plantations in New South Wales,
The Secretary was instructed to write to Mr. Fritz Gfriffer, of Cudgen, Tweed River, to the same
effect.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairinau.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
FR1BAT, 15 MARCH, 1889.
Present :
W. If. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. [ H. E. King, Esquire.
A S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
VT. II. G room, Esquire, M.L.A., iu the Chair.
The Commissioners proceeded by train to WalUou, and thence by buggy t» the Rosewood Scrub,
where they visited the Woodlands Plantation.
They inspected the mill, plautatiou, and distillery, and took the evidence of Thontas Lawrence
Smith, the mauagiug proprietor.
They returned to Brisbane by special train iu the eveuiug.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
W ill. Robertson, Secretary.
I
MONDAY,
XX,
MONDAY, IS MARCH, 1889.
Brisbane •isteicx — Mount Cotton.
Present :
TV. H. Groom, Esquire, M L. A. I H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The CooiDiissiouers proceeded by the 7*30 a.m. train to Beenleigh, which was reached at 9.15 a.m.
Here they were joined by E. J. Stevens, Esquire, member for the Albert.
The Commissioners proceeded bY buggy to Mount Cotton Plantation.
There they examined the mill and walked through the cane fields.
They examined Henry Heinemann, sou of the proprietor.
L#gan District. — E&glesby Co-Oi'ekati ve Sugar Mill.
The CommiRsioners drove to Eaglosbj Pocket, where they inspected the Eaglesby Co-operative
Mil], the property of seven G erinan farmers.
Thev took the evidence oE H. P. Opperinann, managiug proprietor.
Th« Commissioners then returned to Beenleigli, where they remained the night.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
WrLL. Robkiit80n, Secretary.
\
TUESDAY, IS MARCH, 1889.
Logan District. — At Beenleioii Plantation.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission proceeded by buggy to Beenleigh Plantation, the property of Messrs. Goodn
and Davey, and t«ok the evidence of Mr. Francis Gooding.
At the Junction Plantation.
The Commission then drove to the .Junction Plantation, where they examined the mill and took
the evidence of the proprietor, Mr. K. Refelt.
At the Stegelitz Plantation.
The Commission continued their journey, proceeding to Stegelitz Plantation, situated on Moreton
Bay.
The Commission examined the mill, and took the evidence of the proprietor, Mr. A. Kleindsmidt.
The Commission drove to the Coomera River Hotel, where they remained for the night.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Roiikktson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH, 18S9.
Logan District.— At Otmoor Plantation.
Present :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commission diwe to Otmoor Plantation, where tliey inspected Ihe mill.
They then drove through the cane field tothe manager's (Mr. John Gartside's) residence, and there
took his evidence.
They also took the evidence of Mr. J. W. C. Howard, formerly owner of Riverside Plantation
Coomera.
On the Island, Coomera Rtvkr.
The Commission drove to the Coomera ferry, where they were joined by Mr. S. Grimes, M.L.A.,
who conveyed them by boat down the C»omcra to Roekholme, his plantation on Coomera Island.
There they inspected the sugar and arrowroot mills, and while at Mr. Grimes' residence, took that
gentleman's evidence.
They also took the evidence of Mr. A. A. Robinson, owner of Jlelensvale Plantation.
They proceeded back by boat tothe Coomera Ferry Hotel.
At
XXI.
At Southpobt.
The Commission journeyed by ordinary train the same afternoon to Southport.
The Commission met in Hanion's Hotel, when the evidence of Mr. Clms. II. Phillpot, part owner
of theBuribi Plantation, and Mr. D. F. Fullarton, owner of Bundali Plantation, was taken.
The Seerctarv was instructed to wire to Mr. A. Woodward, of the Pacifi c Islanders' Immigration
office, requesting him to be in attendance at 1030 a.m. on Friday, 22ud March, L8S9, in No. 2 Committee
Room, Parliamentary Buildings, to give evidence.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wiu.. lioHERTSON, Secretary.
Note. — The- Commissioners left Southport by special train at 230 p.m. on the 21st March,
reaching Brisbane at 5-20 o'clock that evening.
FRIDAY, 22 MARCH, 18S9.
AT TTTE PAItI,IAM~EHTARy BxriT,niNOS, BRI9BASE.
Present :
AV. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | H. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L. \ .
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L A., in the Chair.
The minutes of previous meetings were read and confirmed.
The Secretary read a letter from the Chief Secretary, inclosing a reply from Mr. A. Woodward, in
reference to his non-attendance, when requested to give evidence before the Commission on the 14th
March. Mr. Woodward's reply having been read, it was considered by the Commission, and not being
deemed satisfactory, the Secretary was instructed to address the Chief Secretary again on the matter,
informing him that Mr. AVoodward's letter contained no explanation of his conduct, and that it was
written in a tone in which they considered no Royal Commission should be addressed.
Mr. A. Woodward's evidence was taken.
The Commissioners deliberated as to the cause of procedure in the future.
It was resolved to adjourn until the 2nd April, in order to give the Shorthand Writers and the
Govei'umenl Printer timo to get the evidence and documents printed.
[The meeting adjourned till Tuesday, 2nd April.]
WILLIAM II. GEOOM, Chairman.
W i i i RouKimoN, Secretary.
TUESDAY, 2 APRIL, 1889.
At No. 1 Committee Roost, Paumamentabt Buildings.
Present:
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | K. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Secretary read a ietler from .1. B. L. Isambert, Esquire, M.L.A., dated Argentine, Star River,
lGth March, 1SS9, stating that absence from home had preveuted his making arrangements for the visit
of the Commission to the ltosewo«d district.
The Secretary read a letter from Angus Gibson, Esquire, Bundaberg, containing further informa-
tion in reference to the cost of making one ton of sugar; and pointing out that the grub which destroys
sugar oane eatt be exterminated by a, plentiful supply of water.
The Commissioners considered the letter, and resolved to publish that portion referring to the
grub as an appendix. (See Appendix.)
The Secretary read a tetter from J. W Sutton, Esquire, pointing out in detail the effect that the
depression in the sugar industry had had upon his business ;ns an engineer.
It was resolved to publish the letter as an appendix. [See Appendix^]
A letter was received from Mr. A. Woodward, of the Pacific Island Office, enclosing a return
relative to the voyages made by vessels in the Pacific Island labour trade.
It was resolved that the letter and return be printed as appendices. [See Appendices^
The Commissioners deliberated as to the drawing up of their report, and it was resolved to adjourn
until Friday, 5th April, in order to give the Chairman time to draft his report, and that the Commission
meet on the day named to consider it.
[The Commission adjourned till 10-30 a.m. on Friday, 5th April, 1889.]
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Ito»ERT30>', Secretary.
FMJ3AI,
FRIDAY, 5 APRIL, 18S9.
At No. 1 Coalmittee Room, Parliamentary Bctldim os.
Present :
\V. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M. L. A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and couiirmed.
The Chairman submitted his draft report.
The Commission deliberated, d nd it was resolved to a.djourn till Tuesday, 9th April, to allow
Messrs. King and Cowley time to consider the Draft Report.
[The Commission adjourned accordingly.]
WI LLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Wn.i,. Roheiitso.v, Secretary.
TUESDAY, 9 APRIL, 188<).
At No. 1 Committee Room, PahliamFjNT Anr Burr.Dijras.
Present :
W . II . Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II . E . King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. , in the Chair.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
-A letter was received from Mr. J. Munro, the manager of the A .U.S.N. Company, informing the
Commission that his Company were doing all they could to foster the fruit trade of Queensland, and
enclosing circulars forwarded to the captains of all vessels helonging to the Company in reference to the
handling of fruit, and the ullage of the same which occurs during transport.
The letter was read and ordered to be printed as an appendix. [Sen Appendix.']
The Secretary was instructed to obtain a return showing the export of sugar from Queensland up
to 3lst March, 1889.
Mr. Commissioner King and Mr. Commissioner Cowley handed in amendments to the Chairman's
draft report.
The Commission deliberated on the Draft Report and the draft amendments.
The Chairman stated that he had read through the draft amendments very carefully, and could
agree with one or two of the clauses, but the bulk of them he could not agree to, and there seemed to be
no alternative but to present a minority report.
The Commission further deliberated and subsequently adjourned till 1030 a.m. next day.
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will. Robertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL, 1889.
At No. 1 Committee Room, Paruamestart liun.DTyos.
Present :
W. It. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Enquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. IT. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Choir.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Commission deliberated on the draft report and the draft amendment.
Mr. King moved — "That aa there is no prospect of the Commission coining to an agreement
upon the subject of inquiry, it is considered advisable to present two reports."
Mr. Cowley seconded the motion.
Carried.
[The Commission adjourned till 115 the same afternoon.]
WILLIAM. H. GROOM, Chairman.
Will, Rouertson, Secretary.
WEDNESDAY,
WEDNESDAY, 10 APRIL, 1889.
At No. 1 Committee Room, Parliament art Bim.iixGB.
Present :
W. IT. Groum, Esquire, M.L.A. H. K. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A , iu the Chair.
The Committee met at 4'45 p.m.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The secretary read a communication from the Under Colonial Secretary stating that Mr. A.
Woodward of the Pacific Island Labour Office had been censured both for discourteous conduct towards
the Commission, and for the tone of his letter of explanation.
Mr. King handed in a report agreed upon by Mr. Cowley and himself.
Mr. King moved — "That the amended report as agreed to by Mr. Cowley and myself be printed."
Mr. Cowley seconded the motion.
Carried.
The Commission deliberated as to the presentation of the Commissioners' report to Hia Excellency
the Administrator of the Government.
[The Commission adjourned till Noon, next day.]
WILLIAM H. GROOM, Chairman.
WiM«. KoBEttTsoy, Secretary.
THURSDAY, 11 APRIL, 1889.
At No. 1 Committee Room, PaiUjCAMEinta.ry Bbildjxos.
Presen t :
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. | II. E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. H. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minntos of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Commissioners deliberated upon the draft report of the Chairman, and the amended report
brought up by Messrs. Fung and Cowley.
M r. King moved — "That the amended report brought by "Sir. Cowley andmyself be adopted by the
Commission, and be presented to IHs Excellency the Administrator of the Government, together with the
dissentient report of the Chairman."
Mr. Cowley seconded the motion.
The Chairman refused to put the motion to the meeting, giving as his reason that, it was contrary
to a resolution previously arrived at — namely, " That two reports should be presented."
Nothing further was done, Mr. King simply declaring that his motion was supported by am a jority
of the Commissioners.
The Secretary informed the Commissioners that His Excellency the Administrator of the Govern-
ment would be pleased to receive their Report at Government House on Friday, 12th April, at 11 a.m.
[The Commission adjourned till 1030 a.m. the following day.]
WILLIAM IL GROOM, Chairman.
\Vfi,c. Robertson, Secretary.
F RIM AY, 12 APRIL, 1889.
At No. 1 Committee Room, Parliamentary- Buildinos.
Present :
W. IT. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A. [ H.E. King, Esquire.
A. S. Cowley, Esquire, M.L.A.
W. II. Groom, Esquire, M.L.A., in the Chair.
The minutes of the prev ious meeting were read and confirmed.
The Chairman objects to the term " amended report " as applied to the report brought up by
Messrs. King and Cowley, as he considers their report a " new " report.
Mr.
XXIV.
Mr. Cowley moved — "That the reports and evidence now before us be presented to ITis Excellency
the Acting Governor."
Mr. King BeconJed the motion.
Carried.
The Secretary presented his cash and cheque books.
Mr. King mored — "That they be accepted by the Commission."
Mr. Cowley seconded the motion.
Carried.
Ihe Commissioners proceeded to Government House to present their Kep«rt to the Acting
Governor.
This concluded the business •£ the Commission.
The above minutes were read and confirmed.
WILLIAM IT. GROOM, Chairman.
"Will, Robeatson, Secretary.
REPOST.
1 889.
QUEENSLAN D.
SUftAJt INDUSTRY COMMISSION.
REPORT.
To His Excellency Sir Arthur Hunter Palmur, Knight Cornrnander of the }[ost
Distinguished •rdcr of St. Michael and St. George, President of the Legislative
Council, and Administrator of the Government of the Colony of Queensland
and its Dependencies.
Mat it please Your Excellency —
We, the undersigned Commissioners appointed by letters patent dated
the 2flth day of November, 18S8, "to inquire into and report upon the general
condition of the sugar industry in Queensland and the causes which have led to its
present languishing condition, and the best means to he adopted for reviving and
maintaining its prosperity, and, generally, upon, the prospects of tropical agriculture
in Queensland," have the honour to lay before your Excellency the following
lleport : —
] . Immediately upon receiving the letters patent the Co muiissioners niet in .^^J", RU
the Parliamentary Buildings, Brisbane, and, taking into consideration the great ^J 1 ®^'
difficulties of travelling in the North during the wet season, and the importance of
making a thorough examination of witnesses and inspection of the plantations in the
Northern districts, resolved to proceed to Port Douglas and to work from there down
to the more Southern portions of the colony. Accordingly we proceeded direct to
the Northern districts, and have examined minutely the <tate of the sugar industry
and the condition of tropical agriculture at Port Douglas, Cairns, the Herbert River,
the Johnstone River, Townsville, the Delta of the Bnrdekin, Mackay, Rockhampton,
Bundaberg, Maryborough, Rosewood, Logan, Pimpama, and the Coomera, and we
examined altogether 154 witnesses, whose names appear in the index.
2. In the earlier part of our inquiry we discovered that, •wing to the great eyiae&eaof
distance at which many of the planters resided from where the Commissioners had *>
agreed to take the testimony of witnesses, it was impossible for them to attend and emd
give evidence ; many of them also were absent trom the districts, and it was deemed
desirable in both cases that the opinion of these phmlers on the sugar question should
bo ascertained. We accordingly drafted a series of questions, which will be found in
an appendix. These questions, together with a circular letter, were sent to about
285 planters and farmers. Replies were received from 90 of them ; and in
order that their views should be put in a concrete forrn, the whole of the answers to
the various questions have been summarised in narrative form, and are appended to
the evidence.
In order to obtain as complete a volume of evidence as possible we opened com-
munications with the Planters and Farmers' Associations in every district where we
could learn that such associations existed, suggesting that those societies should
depute members of their body to lay their views upon the subject of our inquiry
betoi-e us, and we also gave notice at the different places u here we sat that we were
willing to receive evidence from all persons who had any information on the subject
to
to tender to us, and we did not reject any evidence offered, though it will be
apparent that in one or two instances t hat which was volunteered was of little value.
f Jhc evidence collected by us is derived, it will be seen, from all classes of the com-
munity ; of 15 1 who were examined orally, 17 being Government officials, 4-5 planters
and malingers of sugar estates, 53 farmers and selectors, 19 merchants and store-
keepers, 5 manufacturers, and 15 of sundry professions and working men.
3. Travelling over such a large area of country, and examining such a large
number of witnesses, and visiting and inspecting almost every sugar plantation in
Queensland, necessarily gave us a very accurate idea of the value of the sugar
industry 1o the colonv. The total area of land under cultivation in the colony on
t he 31st December, 1.8S7, was 205,737 acres of which 51.815 acres were under sugar
cultivation {tide statistics of Registrar-General), thus showing that the sugar industry
represents one-fourth of the entire area cultivated in the colony. Trom the evidence
obtained, we estimate that the capifcil invested in the; sugar industry of the colony
is about ,£5,000,000 sterling; the machinery alone represents a value of £1,000,000;
the annual expenditure is scarcely less than £800,000 sterling; and the value
of Ihe sugar exported is about £800,000. The number of white Europeans who
arc permanently employed in the sugar industry cannot be less than from 2,000
to 3.0i '0; the total number who are more or less directly interested in the
industry, and whose livelihood almost depends upon it, cannot be less than
double that number; and the officer in charge of the Labour Bureau at Towns-
ville assured us that 70 per cent, of the immigrants were engaged for the
plantations, and the number of Polynesians who are engaged in the industry is
about 0,000. The wages of the kanakas amount to about £50,000 per annum, whilst
that of Europeans, not including managers, would amount to £200,000. In the
i districts north of Roekhiinpton the farmers' produce is almost entirely consumed by
the plantations, the number of horses that arc being worked being enormous, averaging
in many instances over a hundred on a single plantation. Theeffeets of the existing
depression of the industry have been already felt in the timber trade and in the
ironfoundries of the colony, and the prosperity ol r the important towns of Mackay
nnd linudaberg is already, to some extent, affected by it. The shipping trade of
the colony is also seriously interested in the sugar industry, and its importance in
this connection may be judged from the fact that the A. U.S.N. Company's returns
for lS^S show a diminution in receipts on the freight of sugar alone of £22,000
{ride Mr. Munro's evidence, question 8180), arising from the shortness of the crop
of that year, which was occasioned by t he drought. And it must also be borne in
mind that sugar is the only article of agricultural produce of which any appreciable
quantity is exported from the colony. It is therefore apparent that the extinction
of this industry, involving, as it would, the loss of so great an amount of capital,
thr* loss of employment to so large a number of our population, and of a market
for so much local produce, as woll as of an important item in our commercial
exchange, must very seriously and prejudicially allcct the prosperity of the colony
and the welfare of every class in our community.
4. Is the sugar industry now depressed, and is its condition such as to justify
inquiry and remedial measures ';/ The results of our researches fully justify the
appointment of this Loyal Commission, and give unmistakable evidence of a serious
depression in the industry, and of the necessity of immediately adopting measures
for its relief./ The most northern plantation is that at Weary Bay, in the Cook
district. Tins your Commissioners were unable to visit, but they havelearned from
evidence supplied l>y the manager that, after the expenditure of £100,000, it is about
to be abandoned. The only plantation in the Port Douglas district has ceased
operations, and is in the hands of a liquidator. At Cairns there were a few years
ago three plantations, ©nc (Hop Wall) is abandoned, and the machinery removed.
The others are still at work, but neither are paying interest on the capital invested.
Hambleton is still in the hands of the original proprietors, who have invested
£180,000 in its development. But the Pyramid Plantation is now in the hands of
the mortgagee, the pioneers having had to relinquish it after expending the sum of
£ :J0,00(J. On the Johnstone River there are four plantations. On one the mort^a^ee
has foreclosed, but is still carrying it on. The others, as is shown in the evidence, are
not at present paying expenses, notwithstanding the fact that they are in the hands
Of '
XXVII.
of wealthy proprietors and are replete with every appliance for economical working.
Ilic Herbert River (Imrham) Plantations are in no better coalition, although also
in the hands of wealthy proprietors. They are all being worked excepting one
(Gairloch), which has lately been sold and is now closed. Another (Hamleigh) has
passed from the hands, of the original proprietors for one-tenth of its cost. Macnade,
lately the property of the Sugar Company, Limited, has Imjlu taken over by the
mortgugeoi'ora sum of £3.3,000, although it cost the previous owners over £130,000.
The Victoria and Ripple Creek Plantations are still held by their original owners;
but, like al) the others, fail to give any return on the capital invested. Tn this
district there are eleven farmers who supply from 000 to 700 acres ot'eanetothe Victoria
mill. These small growers also suffer from the depression, and are unable to make
more than bare working expenses. On the Burdckin Delta there are three planta-
tions in active operation, and another, on which £200,001 has been expended, is
now closed. Here the effects of the depression are painfully evident, as two of the three
working plantations luive lately passed from the hands of the first proprietors, who have
lost their all and are now the managers. At Mackay, which has- heretofore been
regarded as the chief centre of the sugar industry in Queensland, there are 22
plantations with mills, a large number of farmers growing cane, and
two Government Central Mills. Here, for the season ending 31st
March, 1887, If 5,138 tons of sugar were manufactured, while 16,002
tons were made the following \ear, but during the 1888-9 season
the falling-oil' was very great, only about 5,500 tons being produced.
Evidence went to show that in no single instance either amongst farmers or planters
was a profit being made, all the plantations being carried on at a loss. The town of
Maekay itself is most seriously depressed in its trade and general business, and from
the evidence of the commercial men there it was quite apparent that the whole of
the towns people seriously felt the depression which rests on the sugar industry of
that district, tn 1887 the exports were £304,322 of which £281,82^ worth 'was J
sugar, and in 1888 they had fallen to £137,529 of which £112,510 worth was sugar. I
The imports for these periods were £125,730 arid £1)1,128 respectively, and I
the import of (lour, which in 1887 was 102.3 tuns, fell to 7(59 tons in 1888. 'These J
statistics were furnished by the Suli-Collector of Customs at Mackay, and very clearly
demonstrate the serious el feels of the depression in the sugar industry upon the trade
of the port. At Rockhampton there is only one plantation (Yeppoon) now in
existence, the Pandora Mill haviug been closed some time since. The Yeppoon
plantation is in liquidation, and was sold for £10,500 during the visit of the
Commission to that district. About £40,000 had been expended upon it. At
Bundaberg the condition of affairs is somewhat different. There there are forty
plantations, twenty-two manufacturing plants, fourteen crush ingniil Is. L scyen1 ecu small
growers of cane, and one sugar refinery. This district bears evidence of a certain
amount of prosperity, and it. was shown that iu twelve instances interest ranging from
2 to 11 per cent, was paid on capital invested. In all other cases more or less loss
w;is the result of the year's work, and planters and farmers alike were beginning
to feel the effects of the depression, and were looking forward to the future with
anxiety. The Messrs. Crau's Millaquin refinery represents a capital of £150,000,
and an annual expenditure of uearl.v £00,000; and from the excellent system it
possesses for bringing juice from the planters' crushing mills to the refinery
has contributed largely to the success of the cane growers in the past,
and will no doubt do so in the future. That the prosperity of Bundaberg
largely depends upon the sugar industry, is borne out by the ollicial statistics of
1888, the total exports for that year bein g £802.500. of' which £;U)\122 w ns for
sugar alone. The depression at Maryborough was most marked, as shown by a
return furnished by the honorary secretary of the Planters' Association of a list of
twelve plantations now closed. The aggregate area of these plantations was 2,800
acres, and the estimated value of the machinery now lying idle, £19,000, while an
additional £25,000 worth is ouly being partially used. The primary cost of putting
those 2>()0 acres into cultivation and erecting machinery on the various plantations
now out of use was £128,330. At one time the export of sugar from Maryborough
ranged from 5,000 to 6.000 tons : it has now fallen to 1,500 tons, notwithstanding
that at Yengaric there are large manufacturing works similar to Millaquin, in which
£100,000 has been invested, and which is capable of manufacturing Irom 4,00 j to
5,000 tons of refined sugar in the season. In
xxvnr.
In the Logan district we found many of the older plantations abandoned,
hut manv of the smaller ones are still in existence and are growing cane,
in some' cases profitably, and in others affording the owners only a bare
subsistence. The co-operative principle, judging fioin the experiment which has
been made at Eaglesby, appears to have been to a certain extent successful, and
the Germans, who have established a co-operative mill there and who have worked
it for the past seven years, are perfectly satisfied with what they have done in the
past and with their prospects for the* future. At the Coomcra, at Mr. Grimes's
plantation, a similar hopeful condition prevails, and Mr. Grimes is so satisfied with
his past efforts and his prospects for the future that he intends to place forty acres
more under cane. The foregoing will, we think, show beyond any doubt that the
sugar industry on the whole is very much depressed and its existence as an industry
seriously imperilled from a variety of causes.
5. The causes assigned for the depression, as will be gathered from the
'evidence, are numerous and varied. They comprise mismanagement, extravagance
and inexperience of planters in the early days of the industry, financial embarrass-
ment owing to working on borrowed capital, losses through unfavourable seasons,
disease, exhaustion of the soil, fall in the price of sugar, anil loss of confidence in
the industry, which, it is alleged, is owing to the abolition of black labour in the
near future, and which prevents planters obtaining the necessary advances to carry
them on.
6. Whilst we admit that amongst the large number of persons emgaged in
sugar planting, there have been some (as there are in all other industries) whose
failnrc may be attributable to their own incompetence or recklessness, we feel bound
to state that the great body of the planters are in no way liable to such a charge.
On the contrary, we should give them credit for careful study of all new inventions
and discoveries by which the progress of their industry may be assisted and for
remarkable enterprise in introducing every improvement, the value of which has
been established. In proof of this we may point to the work of the Messrs. Swallow
at Hambleton Plantation, where they art: supplementing their sugar works by the
creation of a, large fruit-preserving establishment, which promises to be most
successful, and to be a great, benefit to the Northern frnit-growers. They also
employ in sugar-making two pateats of their own, one for cutting the cane
up before it, comes to the rollers, thus equalising and regulating the feed, and
another process for the treatment of the juice. All of the operations in
the Colonial Sugar llefiniug Company's mills are carefully watched and the
results tested by chemists, who ascertain the amount of sugar in the cane, and the
quantity obtained, and endeavour to prevent all waste. tYe have to thank Mr.
Sinellie, the. managing director of the Mourilyan Sugar Company for valuable infor-
mation respecting the progress of sugar making in the United States, contained in
recent publications which he kindly lent to us, and we saw in the nursery of that
plantation a few stools of the new Borneo cane recently introduced by him from
Java. This cane is said to contain_2£'G per cent of crystallisable sugar, whilst
ordinary cane contains only from ljLto IS per cent., and the improved varieties
of beetroot cultivated in Europe contain only. 20 per cent. As the com-
pel il ion of beet with cane sugar, which lias so serionsly depreciated the
value of the latter was only rendered possible by the grent improvement
in the sugar producing qualities of the beetroot, we consider that the Queens-
land planters would be moving in the right, direction when they turned their attention
to the discovery of a variety of cane surpassing even the improved beetroot in its
yield «f sugar, and we regret that the Colonial Sugar defining Company, which had
planted fifty acres of this cane at Goondi, becoming alarmed by the report of a disease
existing amongst the cane in .Java, deemed it advisable to plough out and burn the
plants.
In the Burdekin Delta also the sugar planters have taken the lead by
establishing a system of irrigation, which, if it were generally adopted throughout
the colony in those localities where a supply of water is available, would very
much lessen the losses which are so often sustained through protracted drought.
Again, the refineries owned by the Messrs. Cran at Maryborough and BimdaUeV,
in which sugar is made by a patent process, have done much towards makin^'thc
growth of sugar cane profitable in those districts. "\Ve
XXIX.
We therefore consider that, instend of the depression of the sugar industry
being attributable to the ignorance and incapacity of the planters as a body, they
have, on the contrary, shown great enterprise, directed by careful study of their work.
The machinery on all the large plantations in the Northern districts is of the newest
and best description, double crushing being almost universal and maceration
generally practised. As an idea prevails in some quarters that the Queensland
planters are behind the times, owing to their not, having adopted the diffusion
method of manufacture, we may direct attention to the results of an experiment
tried in Dcmcrara, particulars of which are published in " Sugar Cane" of December
1st, 1SS8. Two lots of cane of 100 tons each were treated, the one by diffusion and
the other by double crushing and maceration. By diffusion 19,341 lbs. of sugar and
717 gallons of molasses were obtained, whilst double crushing and maceration
yielded only 18,304 lbs. of sugar and 079 gallons of molasses, the value of the yield
being $40.20 in favour of diffusion. .But the additional fuel required for the diffusion c\
process cost $75-12, the net return being therefore $34"9:2 more by maceration than «mJ
by diffusion. Mr. Knox, the general manager of the Colonial Sugar Hcfining *
Company, which has a diffusion mill on the Richmond Elver, appears to be in some
doubt as to whether that process would here yield a larger mouey return than the
present process, though it would undoubtedly yield more sugar, (Questions 8200-5.)
It is worth while here to draw attention to the fact that the average return of sugar
this year in the Northern districts was about one ton of sugar lor ten tons of cane.
At Mourilyan plantation the average was one ton of sugar for 9*9itons of cane, or at
the rate of 22,624 lbs. of sugar for 100 tons of cane, being 3,2S0 lbs. of sugar more
than was obtained in Demerara by diffusion from 100 tons of enne. We consider,
therefore, that we arc justified in finding that the depression in the industry is not £
caused by any defect in the machinery used, or to mismanagement or ignorance. •
7. There is no doubt that a large number of planters are at present seriously kmkm*
embarrassed through inability to pay the iutcrest on borrowed capital invested in their n,t"Ju
plantations, the working expenses having generally during the last two years ^ul*
exceeded the value of their produce, and tlicre is reason to believe that many of them
retain their position as nominal owners of their properties solely owing to the
inability of the banks and other mortgagees to realise on their properties under
present circumstances. It seems to us, however, that this embarrassment is an effect
rather than the cause of the depression. Most persons who embark in business of
any description in the colony avail themselves largely of their credit, and there is no
reason why a sugar planter, any more than a squatter or any person carrying on any
other business, should not obtain the assistance of borroAved capital. At the time
when the great advance in sugar planting in Queensland took place the price
obtained tor the product gave so large a profit that the planters had every prospect
of not only paying interest on these advances but of soon repaying them. The
changed condition of the industry by converting this profit into a loss has produced
the embarrassment now existing. It must be borne in mind, too, that even if the
planters themselves owned all the capital invested they could not be expected to
continue to grow sugar at an annual loss in working expenses as well as of all
interest on capital, and, in fact, planters who are in this position have stated to us S -
their intention to give up the industry before they have exhausted all their resources '
unless some change in its prospects shall appear.
8. The last year being a season of prolonged drought has, no doubt, caused v^*™
severe loss to the sugar planters as well as to all other agriculturists and to IT"
the pastoral industry. This cause of loss, however, does not affect sugar planters t\
only. All persons engaged in any agricultural pursuit must expect occasionally to
sustain loss through adverse seasons, and in those pursuits the profits of the °-ood
years must be expected to balance the losses of unfavourable ones. jEven before
this drought, too, the sugar industry was failing, and the losses occasioned by it have
simply increased tin* depresssion which had "commenced before. We are 'Mad to
report that we have heard .it no disease in the cane at present. The last yearns crop
in the Northern districts suffered, however, considerably from the ravages* of a grub,
the multiplication of h Inch appeal's to be favouretl l'»v f]nni»ht as the Northern
pjauters stated that it was always worst in dry seasons, whilst !Mr. Angus Gibson, of
Uingera, near Bundaberg, has discovered that irrigation destroys it. There is no
reason
XXX.
9
reason to believe that exhaustion of the soil has as yet affected the yield of sugar,
except, perhaps, in the Maryborough district ; in the rich scrub lands of the
jSorthern districts it will take rnany years to exhaust the stores of vegetable mould,
and in other places a proper system of manuring the ground is already being
initiated. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company, on its Herbert River Plantation,
uses large quantities of imported chemical manures, with different kinds of which it
is experimenting. The general depression in the sugar industry is, therefore, due to
causes altogether outside of those treated of in this paragraph, which can only be
considered as accidental aggravations of it.
!). Since 1S83 sugars of all classes have fallen in price fully 00 per cent., and
there can be no doubt that this fall, which is likely to be permanent, has been a
principal cause of the depression of tlio sugar industry in Queensland. That is to
say, that IT sugar had maintained its price the plantations in the colony would have
well paid their owners, instead of ruining them. But if sugar can be grown and
made in other countries at a profit even at present prices, why not in Queensland ?
]No country in the world can have a soil and climate better adapted for the growth
of the sugar cane than the districts north of Townsville ; very few, we believe, have
any equal to them. We have already drawn attention to the fact that 100 tons of
cane ou the Johnstone Kiver gives by double crushing and maceration nearly a ton
and a-half more sugar than an equal quantity of cane treated by diff usion at
Uemerara ; and Mr. Knox states that Queensland cane is much sweeter than that
grown in Fiji. "We are nearer, too, to the Australian markets than any foreign
producers, and therefore in those markets we should be able to compete with them.
To ascertain the reasons why we cannot do so seems, theref ore, to be the object of
this inquiry.
s
It. It is alleged that one principal cause of the present depression of the
industry is the refusal of capitalists to assist planters to tide •verthelossesoccasioned
by the late unfavourable seasons, such refusal being due to the fact that by " The
Facific Islanders Act of 1S85," section 11, the importation of these islanders is to
cease on the 31st December, 1890. It is, no doubt, true that advances cannot now
be obtained on sugar properties because capitalists do not at present see a prospect
of sugar-growing being' carried on profitably in the future, and it is probable that
one reason why they do not believe in its future success is that, in their opinion,
it cannot be profitably carried on without a supply of cheap coloured labour. It is
evident, however, that the willingness of capitalists to advance to sugar-growers will
depend on their opinion of the prospect of profitably carrying it on, and that if they
were satisfied that it could be carried on profitably without black labour they would
be just as willing to make advances under these conditions as if black labour was to
be employed. We postpone anv expression of opinion as to whether sugar can he
profitably grown without black labour until we come to discuss the remedies pro-
posed for the existing depression. At the present time, however, it must be borne
in mind that the cost of black labour in the colony has increased by more than 5t
per cent, since 1883, and we find that this increase in working expenses, concurring
with a great fall in the price of sugar and unfavourable seasons, has caused the
working expenses of the plantations generally to exceed the value of their produce;
this result, with no better prospect in the future, naturally alarming capitalists, and
causing them to refuse the accommodation required to carry on with.
11. It is clear that unless by some menus the production of sugar can be
rendered profitable in Queensland the ent ire extinction of t he industry must come
aboul in time — and in a very short time, we fear. A rise in the price of sugar in the
markets of the world is scarcely to be looked for, as other countries are fostering and
encouraging the extension ofthu industry by every mcaus in their power, and the
supply has already more than overtaken the demand. At the present time the
United States of America, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Holland, are
all engaged in the production of sugar, and arc adopting every means, scientific and
otherwise;, to encourage its culture and to assist its progress. Large plantations in
the Sandwich Islands are owned almost exclusively by Americans, and the output
of sugar from those islands is very large indeed. The American Government have
for some time past, through the medium of their agricultural department, been
making
XXXI.
making a number of experiments with the view of testing the adaptability of sorghum
as a sugar-growing plant, and the latest reports which were laid before the Sugar r , f - Vv ^
Convention held in London in August of last year went to show that it was fully ^
anticipated that the State of Kansas aloae would, in the course of time, produce a yield
of 500,000 tons of sugar from sorghum. Mr.Sprecldes 3 w}io is ooe of the largest owners *^™* on
of plantations in the Sandwich Islands, has now erected a large beetroot sugar rnauu- un««j»i*
factory at San Francisco, and is not only cultivating a large area of beetroot himself,
but has also offered special inducements to the fanners to grow beetroot for him,
and a very large area has been placed under cultivation with the sugar beet-
root. In fact, every effort is being put forth by the United States Govern-
ment and people to grow as much sugar as possible, in order to keep down importa-
tions, and hence the reason why the United States Government declined to be
officially represented at the recent international conference in London on the sugar
question. It appears to us that the effect of the bount y system upon sugar pro-
duction is not sufficiently estimated by the general public,, or by those engaged in
the sugar industry. Undoubtedly it is the means of giving an immense amount of
employment, both in the held and the factory, to the large populations of France,
Germany, Austria, and other Continental nations ; and these countries are prepared
to make unusual sacrifices in order to keep up the sugar iudustry, and to encourage
as much as possible large exports of sugar. What the Continental nations are now
doing in order to foster the industry may be gathered from the following extract
from a speech of liaron de Worms, one of the representatives of England at the
Sugar Convention, and who was elected its president, delivered at Greenock on the
1st of last November. The right honourable gentleman said :
"The following figures will show the sacrifices foreigu countries cankc in order to maintain the "~\
bounty system. Bounties cost Fraiiee £3,3t0,000, Germany £3,\WS,484, Austria £1.036,067, Belgium
£813,000, Holland jG30!),G55. Iu Germany this amounts to £o per ton on the quantity exported, in
France to «CS per ton on llie quantity manufactured, in Austria to £:} per ton on tlie quantity exported,
in Belgium to XfS per ton on the quantity exported, and in Holland to X:} per ton on the quantity
exported. "Why do foreign governments make these tremendous sacrifices ? The answer is vcrj simple.
Their object has been, and is, to develop by artificial means their own sugar industry, and the artificial
means they adopt are the Statu subsidies. Against whom is this nrlilicisil cnuipelition aimed? Against
the can e sugar producer o I llio British colonies, and I. he refiner nf the British towns. It is impossible
to suggest any oilier reason for the existence of sugar bounties iu foreign countries, inasmuch as the
great sugar market of the world is England, and that the only means by which foreigu countries could
hope to compete with or to destroy the British sugar iudustry was by giving an advauce to their pro-
ducers and refiners — a profit far away greater than the legitimate profit winch could be earned in the
ordinary course of trade."
The foregoing indicates the enormous sacrifices which Continental nations are
makiug in order to foster and encourage the production of sugar from beetroot, and
it is against this article that the sugar growers of Queensland have largely to contend ;
and the question must suggest itself to everyone, " If this industry is so important
and profitable to the; eouutry that it is worth while for the "European powers to make
such sacrifices to create aud maintain it, must it not be worth our while to do a good
deal to support the industry already established in tins colony ?" We are aware t hat
the precise accuracy of Baron de Worms' figures given above has been disputed, but
we have no means of deciding whether they are absolutely correct or not, and a
trifling alteration in them would not affect the inference we draw from them.
12. The remedies suggested by the various witnesses for the amelioration of "*™^
the condition of t he sugar industry, briefly summarised, are as "follow : —
(a) The erection of central mills, and the subdivision of the large sugar
estates into small farms to be cultivated by the families of the settlers
on them ;
(b) The negotiation of a reciprocity treaty whereby Queensland sugars
might be admitted duty free into the other Australian colonics ;
(c) The adoption of a comprehensive irrigation scheme ; and
(rf) The repeal of the 11th section of " The Pacific Islanders Act of 1885,"
thereby permitting the importation of kanaka labour to continue, its
introduction and distribution t o be taken into the hands of the Govern- S^i,
nient, but to be at the cost of the employers.
13. As
XXXII.
«
13. As many of the small fanners who gave evidence before us appeared to
consider that hy the establishment of central mills, which could be supplied with
cane by small "cultivators, sugar growing and manufacturing might be profitably
carried on. we gave great attention to this^poitvt and learnt that many attempts have
been made to cany out this system with very indifferent success. In fact, the only
case in which anv success has attended it is at Kaglesby Pocket, on the Logan River,
where in 1881 seven German farmers purchased a small mill which they have worked
ever since. Thev cultivate about ten acres of cane each, and buy as much more as
they can get from their neighbours, paying 8s. Gd. per ton for it delivered at the
rollers, and they state that the growers are satisfied with this price, though m the
Northern districts the farmers are dissatisfied with IQs. and lis. a ton paid by the
planters' mills. Last year this co-operative company crushed 900 tons of cane and
miidc 07 tons of sugar. Although, therefore, they have now nearly cleared off the
original debt on their mill, yet "it does n»t appear that the result has led to any
extension of the cultivation of cane in their neighbourhood — in fact, they state that
it hi decreasing. At the Coomera, where Mr. Howard established a central mill, he
was unable to get it supplied with cane by the farmers, and the same result attended
Mr. T. L. Smith's enterprise at Rosewood. Mr. Gooding, who wished to work his mill
at Reenleigh as a central mill, could not get the fanners to undertake to grow a
sufficient quantity of cane for it ; and the Urangan Company, in the Maryborough
district, failed also, and the machinery is now removed. In almost every district which
we have visited the planters have stated that it is their wish to work as manu-
facturers only, and that if they could only get farmers to grow the cane they would
gladly give up cultivation and let their estates in small farms, but that they are
unable to get farmers to agree to grow cane. The reason for this is, we think, not
far to seek. To grow cane, a farmer must have some small capital in hand. When
growing any other article of agricultural produce he may expect to receive some return
in six months after planting, but from cane he can get Done within twelve, or, in
some cases, eighteen months. To grow sufficient to keep a central mill going will
require a capital at least equal to that invested in the mill, and generally consider-
ably more. For instance, a mill costing £20,000 erected should be able to turn out
2,000 tons of sugar per annum, and to supply the cane to make that amount, 2,000
acres of land should be under cultivation, 1 ,500 acres to crush each year and 500
;icres fresh planted to take the place of the old ratoons to be ploughed out each year.
But to cultivate that area of land properly a capital of at least £10 per acre is
required, or, if the land were scrub, which bad to be cleared, £20 per acre. It is
impossible to find auy small number of farmers all residing within reach of one mill
who can undertake such an outlay, and if the mill be not fully supplied with cane
failure is the result. The Colonial Sugar Company, both at Mackay and on the
Herbert River, and also Mr. Long, at Mackay, have succeeded in getting a small
number of farmers to grow cane for their mills, but in both these instances the mill
owners assist the farmers by making advances ou their growing crops. The working
of the two Government central mills at Mackay, which we earetully investigated,
shows very clearly that no industry can be established, even by grants of public money,
unless it be conducted on proper business principles.
In the AorthEton Central Mill Company a number of small farmers residing
near Eton agreed to take shares to the amount of £20,375, they not paying the
money, but mortgaging their lands to the Government for that amount, the Govern-
ment advancing the money to enable them to erect the mill. The Government
eventually increased the advance to £25,000, of which £2i,777 has been paid to the
directors of the company, and £4,223, which the directors admit to be due to the
liquidators of the Crystalbrook Sugar Company, from whom the machinery was
purchased, is still lying in the Treasury, ready to he handed over to the liquidator if
he will accept it in full discharge of his claim. He, however, demands a larger
amount, and legal proceedings huve been commenced, which, if they should result
unfavourably to the company, would make them liable for a very considerable sum
in excess of this amount, and the remainder of the £25,000 is all spent. At the
time when the Government agreed to advance this £25,000 on the security of the
shareholders' lands, the shareholders were not all freeholders, but a considerable
number were selectors, whose lands would soon become freehold. Two of this latter
class became entitled to their deeds last year, and by some oversight the deeds
were
XXXIII.
were issued to them without any endorsement of the encumbrance upon them,
and they immediately pledged these deeds to a bank as security for advances
then made to them. One of these men was the largest shareholder in the
company, and by this transaction the Government has lost nearly one-third of
the nominal security which it held. The sugar-making capacity of this mill
is supposed to be from 1,500 to 2,000 tons of sugar in a season, but only 450
acres of cane were guaranteed to be cultivated to supply it. It was worked
this year as an experiment, the directors state, and it crushed all the cane off
the shareholders' laud and purchased some more, and made 100 tons of sugar, which
realised net lrom £12 to £13 per ton, the cost for cane and working of mill being
£1,500. To complete the mill so as to render it capable of working to its full
capacity, the engineer states that a further expenditure of £2,000 is required, whilst
the directors agree that in order to get a sufficient supply of cane to the mill it will
be necessary to construct ten miles of tramway, connecting the growers with the mill,
and for this purpose application has been made to the Treasury for a further loan of
£] 0,000. It is suggested that if this loan were granted a number of settlers,
who arc not now shareholders, might be induced to take shares and mortgage their i .
lands to the Government as additional security; but in face of the fact that the |j
company jpays its own shareholders only 10s. per ton for cane, whilst it gives out- '
sidors 13k., we can scarcely think that this expectation will be realized. No
balance sheet has ever been prepared, as provided for by the articles of association,
and no estimate of ways and means for the ensuing season, and the Secretary assured
us that he had no idea of when the charge for interest on the money advanced by the
Government was to commence, and had never received any notice or any communica-
tion whatever on the subject from the Treasury. At present, whilst the mill is not work-
ing the Company is paying an engineer £300, and a secretary £100 per annum.
The Racecourse Central Mill, we are glad to say, has been conducted in a much more
business-like manner. The shareholders obtained an advance from the Government
of £21,000, on the same terms on which the advance to the North Eton Company
was made. Of this sum £19,000 was expended on the mill, which for its capacity
is one of the best, and certainly the cheapest that we saw. It was not worked this
season, as the amount of cane that the shareholders had was so small that it could only
have been worked at a loss. The only expense of the company when not crushing
is the salary of the secretary, £130 per annum. The books appeared to be
correctly kept, and a balance-sheet was shown to us. The amount of interest due to
the Treasury was £1,500, which had not been paid, as, if it were, the Company would
have no funds left to commence the next season with, and the directors hoped that
under the circumstances they would not be pressed for it. Everything in connec-
tion with this mill was creditable to the management, but yet we regret to say that
we have no expectation that the shareholders will be able to cany it on — nor do
they expect it themselves. l?y their articles of association this company can only pay its
shareholders 8s.. (3d. per ton for cane delivered at the mill, whilst it is offering lis.
per ton to outsiders, and, growing cane at 8s. 0d., the shareholders must be soon r^v^-
ruined, for there is no prospect of any profit remaining to be divided among tlienr
after payment of interest on the Government advance — nor even of their being able
for the next few years, at all events, to pay that interest.
In connection with both of these mills we feel bound to notice that the
experiment, to try which Parliament voted the money for their construction,
is not being, in our opinion, fairly made. 1 1 was, we think, understood that this
money was granted for the purpose «f trying whether su<gar could be profitably
grown with white labour. But both of these mills are now purchasing kanaka-
grown cane. The Eton mill last year bought it at 13s. a ton, when it was only
giving its own shareholders, who grew it with white labour, 10s., and this year the
<^t4iaeec()urse Mill is offering 14s. per ton to growers who employ kanakas, while its
trps^ own shareholders can only get 8s. 6d. per ton. Even if these mills could make a
*r sufficient profit out of the purchase of kanaka-growu cane to maintain the companies
in existence, that would not demonst rate what was intended to be demonstrated —
that white labour could be profitably employed in the cultivation of sugar cane; it
was never doubted that white labour could be profitably employed in manufacturing
sugar out of cane grown by black labour. It was also to be expected that these
mills by thus working would enable the farmers to judge correctly of the cost of
c making
"■I
making sugar, and perhaps disabuse their minds of the idea that the planters wei
making an undue profit by the pwehase of their cane at the current rates. I
however, these mills pay no interest on their cost, it is evident that the planter wh
has to pay interest on the cost of his machinery cannot give as high a price as the
can, and it is already a subject of complaint that they are closing some of th
private mills, by offering a higher price for cane than anyone who did not get h
capital for nothing could afford to pay— that, in fact, instead of paying the interes
on the cost of the mills to the Government, they are dividing it amongst the growei
of the cane. It will be noticed that in estimating the cost of manufacture of suga
the directors of these companies take no account of the interest on the cost of thei
plant, though that must inevitably be the largest item of expense.
We are of opinion that the experiment tried with these mills has not been
success, and docs not promise to be one — in fact, unless further subsidies are grante
to them, they must inevitably be closed before long. We agree, however, that i
would be best for both large and small capitalists that the business of manufacturin
sugar should be separated from the cultivation. But that cannot he effected in
day, nor by any Actof the Legislature. It is a change which will gradually work itse]
out. If sugar-growing continues to be a (Queensland industry, the soil of the lar
plantations will by degrees be parcelled out among small farmers who will under
take to grow cane according to a fixed scale of prices for the mills attached t» th
land, and the large planter will become simply a manufacturer.
14. If Queensland sugars could be admitted duty free into the colonies o
Victoria and South Australia, our planters would profit by an increase of about £,'
per ton in price until their production exceeded the requirements of those colonies
and this would be a great assistance to their industry, no doubt ; but any concessio:
made to us by those colonies in this direction would have to be paid for by som(
equivalent granted to them, and until we know what that equivalent, would be, it is
impossible for us to say whether such an arrangement should be made.
15. "Whether sugar-growing is to continue the principal branch of our agricul
tural industry or not, irrigation is in this climate an absolute necessity, if an;
gricultural pursuit is to be attended with a reasonable chance of profit.
16. We come now to the consideration of the question whether the employment
of black labour is necessary to render the cultivation of sugar profitable. We are
aware that there are •political and social co nsiderations which will have to be
weighed by the Legislature when dealing with this question, but with those we do
not meddle; we are appointed merely to discover the causes of the present depression,
in the sugar industry and a remedy if possible for it, and we shall therefore discuss
this question solely with reference to that industry, leaving it to your Excellency 's
advisers and to the Legislature of the colony to decide how far the requirements of
that industry can be met without prejudice to the general interests of the colony.
In answering this question, " Can sugar be profitably grown in Queensland without
the employment of cheap coloured labour P we must divide the colony into two
sections, North and South, taking Tiwnsville as the boundary between the two. In
the districts north of Townsville all the cultivated land, except a small quantity on
the south sideoi'the Herbert River, is scrub of the richest description, which after felling
and burning has to be cultivated with the hoe for six or seven years until the stumps
have rotted out, when horse implements can be used.
In this district there was absolute unanimity amongst all the witnesses
examined that white men could not cultivate cane. Putting on one side altogether
the evidence of plant ers and employers of labour who have tried to get field work done
by white labour ineffectually, we find the small selectors all telling the same
talc. At Tort Douglas Mr. .Jones says, " Europeans will not cultivate with the hoe "
(Question 50). " Withdrawal of black labour means shutting up Northern districts"
(215). Mr. Johnston says, " Live months in the year whites cannot work" (l v 5).
Neither vvhite men nor horses c an do the same w«rk as in the South (52S-535), and
he gives as a proof of this the result ol a contract t or clearing with which he was
.connected (556). Mr. J. J. Montgomery, the m»st successful selector at Port
Douglas,, .Says-, " The scrub must be cleared before white men can cultivate profitably "
.(77-1-5) . Mr. Tresize says that he could not cultivate cane with his family (8.1-7). Mr.
Walker,
XXXV.
Walker, an old settlor on the Downs, who is now on the Mulgravc, says, " White men r-
do not work well at cultivation on his farm " (1407). Mr. Mackay says, " I cannot do /
the same amount of work as in the South" (149S). Mr. W. II. Truss, an employe on \
Goondi Plantation, would not do weeding or trashing (2708), and Patrick Moloney,
a ganger in charge of kanakas there, would leave the place before he would do it \
(2733). Whilst we were at Geraldton the Divisional Board labourers declined to I
work until the weather got cooler (3029-31) ; and George Kerr, a selector, says that /
those who once were against black labour there, are now in favour of it (3346), and /
that he would not weed, trash, or cut cane ; and the Herbert Eiver farmers tell the /
same tale. '
In the districts south of Townsville a different condition exists. Here white
labourers can work without sueli great danger to life or health, but they dislike the hand
work in the field so much that they will not willingly undertake it and never continue at
it long, and then the question arises whether, though they can do the work, it can be
done by them profitably. In considering this question we must look to the market
which our sugar growers have and the competition which they have to meet in it.
In a good season three-quarters of the crop of Queensland sugar is exported, chiefly
to the Melbourne market, and one-fourth is consumed in the colony. In Melbourne,
that which is exported comes into free competition with the sugars from
Mauritius, Java, and China, which, the European market being flooded with beet
sugar, are now thrown upon the Australian market, and the price of our sugar is
therefore brought down to the level at which they can afford to sell theirs. Even for
that portion of the crop which is sold in this colony growers do not get the full
benefit of the protective duty of £5 per ton, the price in the colony being governed
to a considerable extent by that obtainable for the export, but they net on an average,
perhaps £2 per ton more for the sugar sold in the colony than for that exported.
And the price for the exported portion of the crop is governed by the cost at which
the foreign producer can afford to place his sugar on the Melbourne market. Now,
in the Mauritius, sugar is growu by coolies whose wages are a shilling
a day without rations ; in Java the cost of labour is sixpence a day, and in
China prohably less, whilst in Fiji again coolies are employed at one shilling
per working chiy. In Queensland, however, at the present time, allowing for the /
cost of introduction fees payable under the Pacific Islanders Act, wages, rations, and
all other expenses, it is calculated that kanaka labour (indented) costs about ^ix 4een~
shillings per week, or considerably more than even the European labourers employed
in the production of beet sugar receive. If it were not that the soil and climate of
Queensland is particularly adapted to the growth of sugar, it would clearly be im-
possible to continue the competition even on those terms. Even as it is, any increase
in the cost of production means the destinction of the industry. And the employ-
ment of white labour for hand wcrk in the field, even if it could be obtained, would
mean a very great increase in cost. It will be seen by the evidence that most of
those witnesses who thought that sugar could be grown with white labour were
careful to explain that it could only be grown by settlers working solely with the help of
their fjimijjcs, and not employing hired labour. Even a number of the shareholders
in the Government central mills at Mackay expressed themselves satisfied that sugar
could not be grown with white labour, and repented having signed the conditions on
which the money for these mills was granted to them, and the •nly instances in
which we found sugar successfully grown with white labour, at ihc present time, were
at three small mills in the Logan district, belonging to German settlers who seldom
employed hirwl labour, and at the plantation of Mr. S. Grimes, M.L.A., on the
Coomera. Mr. Grimes's success, however, may he accounted for by the fact that,
situated as he is in a populous district, his labour costs him less than a Northern
planter has to pay for his kanakas, since Mr*. Grimes has not to keep his men during
the slack season, but gets them only when, keeps them only as long as, their labour is
necessary, and in addition to this he has, of course, a great advantage over the
Northern planter in freights and cost of all supplies.
From the evidence laid before us, therefore, we have come to the conclusion
that evrn in that part of the colony lying south of Townsville sugar cannot be grown
profitably, at least for export, without the employment lor hand work in the field of
a class of labour cheaper and more suitable for the work than white labour.
17. After
XXXVI.
17. After full consideration of the subject, therefore, we have the honour to
submit the following recommendations for the improvement of the condition of
the sugar industry : —
/ (1.) We recommend that the Government should make inquiry in Java and
Borneo about the qualities of the cane of which small quantities were
imported by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. and the Mourilyan
Sugar Co., and if satisfied that it is as valuable as it is represented to
be, should procure a shipment of plants sufficient to plant twenty or
thirty acres of land in a nursery vv li icli, to avoid all danger of import-
ing any disease, should be established on one of the islands on our
Northern coast — say one of the Palm Islands or Fitzroy or Dunk
Island.
(2.) We recommend that your Excellency's advisers should open negotiations
with the colonies of Victoria and South Australia, for the purpose of
ascertaining on what terms andconditions (if any) those colonies could
admit Queensland sugars duty-free.
(3.) We recommend that assistance should be given either to public bodies
or to individuals to enable them to provide means of irrigating all
cultivated lauds in localities where a sufficient supply of water can be
obtained.
(4.) We declare it to be our opinion that if all coloured labour be with-
drawn from the plantations the extinction of the sugar industry must
speedily follow, and we therefore recommend that the introduction of
Polynesian labour be permitted to continue, at all events for some
years longer than the period now limited.
IS. In the districts situated between Port Douglas and Mackay, including
Townsville, the Herbert River, the Johnstone, and the Russell, we directed our
attention very largely to the subject of tropical agriculture. It is quite apparent
that a very large area of the coast lands in those districts is adapted for the growth
of tropical produce of all kinds.
At Cairns and Port Doug las rice is largely grown by the Chinese, and a rice
mill at the former port is kept in work dressing the paddy. Before long it is
evident that the Queensland growers will be able to fully supply the local market
with this article. When that point is reached, however, it is doubtful whether they
will be able to export it with profit to markets in which it will have to compete with
the grain grown by the cheap labour of Java and China.
Ginger also grows well. Mr. Walker, a select or on the Mulgrave informed us
that if he had labour be could produce any quantity of green ginger at a price of
Id. per lb. At R ambleton, Messi's. Swallow have four acres under this crop,
the produce of which they will preserve in their factory there.
Coffee of both the Arabian and Liberian varieties grows most luxuriantly.
The Arabian variety is, h«wever, considered the best. Some trees which we saw
were much larger than we imagine those trees usually are, and everywhere they
were loaded with berries. The soil is eminently suited to the growth of coffee, and
if its production can only be rendered profitable, North Queensland should become
a large producer of this commodity.
Tobacco grows well everywhere, from North to South, but though many
attempts have been made to establish its cultivation as an industry, they all appear
to have failed, principally, we believe, owing to waut of experience in both the
cultivation of the plant and the manufacture of the leaf.
Cinnamon grows luxuriantly, and although we did not see the nutmeg of
commerce growing, yet we were informed that the wild nutmeg;, which grows in
the scrubs north of Townsville, is "a very good substitute for it," and therefore we
may presume that the cultivated variety would grow well if planted.
On Mr. Seymour's selection, at Mourilyan Haebour, a plantation of india-
rubber trees ( Ceara) is doing well. The trees are yet too young to yield, but a few
poundsof rubber were obtained last year, and sent to the Melbourne Exhibition.
At Mr. Montgomery's garden, at Port Douglas, we saw the vanilla bean
growing; and we believe not only that those fibre plants, such as Agave Americana,
rhea
XXXVII.
rhea grass, and others, which now supply the fibres of commerce, will grow well
there, but also that there are native fibre plants, such as the wild banana, which
might be profitably utilised if the manufacture of fibres was once established in these
districts.
All tropical fruits arc grown in profusion ; every homestead has its small clump
of cocoanut palms, which commence to bear here severalyears earlier, we believe, than
in their native country, and at Double Island we saw 5,700 trees in one plantation
doing well ; mangoes, oranges, lemons, limes, citrons are seen everywhere,
growing almost uncared for ; custard apples of different varieties, jack-fruit,
tamarinds, and tapioca arc also common. Wc saw a Sew plants of the mangosteen,
which appeared to be thriving, but were not yet old enough to bear ; and we heard
that the cocoa (Cac*.o theobronia) was growing in the Port Douglas district
but did not see it. This tree is tender when young and the first plants sent
to the district were lost through neglect or destroyed by vermin. Pineapples, of
course, arc abundant, but the speciality of these districts at the present time is
the banana. An immense quantity of this fruit is grown and a great deal exported
in spite of difficulties and drawbacks, which we shall presently discuss. The
suitability of Ihc climate for the growth of this fruit is shown by the great size of
the bunches, which arc far larger than the Fiji bunches. On the Johnstone and at
Cairns and Port Douglas this fruit is sold by the bunch at a price of Is. per bunch,
delivered at the wharf, and the dealers refuse to count as a bunch any stalk on
which there arc lesis than twelve dozen bananas. Wc arc assured that it is not
uncommon to get eighteen or sometimes twenty dozen on a bunch.
In spite of this fertility, however, the drawbacks to the exportation of this
fruit are so serious that the growers can make but little of them.
19. In these districts, extending from the Herbert River to the north of Port
Douglas, this colony possesses a vast estate capable of supplying all Australia with
tropical fruits and products, and of enormously increasing the national wealth.
In order that the cultivation of some products such as coffee and sugar .uay be
rendered profitable it will be necessary as we have already said that the cult'vator
shall be enabled to employ a labour cheaper than that of Europeans, and more
suitable for field work in a tropical climate. Fruit-growing, however, may
be carried on by Europeans, and this industry under favourable circum-
stances is capable of very great expansion, and should be extremely profitable. At
present, however, most of the selectors are in very poor circumstances and cultivation
in those districts is almost entirely carried on by Chinese, whilst settlement upon
the land is decreasing, and the districts generally retrograding instead of advancing.
The principal difficulties with which settlers have now to contend are — 1st the
difficulty of getting their produce to the port of shipment ; and 2nd, the difficulty of
getting it thence to its market in marketable condition.
From Cardwcll to the north of Port Douglas the coast range attains a height Bimcuityot
greater than elsewhere in Queensland, rising in some places to over 5,000 feet. BackC£i«. prod
from the banks of the navigable rivers the country is intersected by lofty and steep
spurs running down from this range, and by deep creeks which are generally running
and in the miny season are often for weeks at a time impassable torrents. Until
roads and bridges are provided, therefore, settlers back from the rivers, rich as the
soil is, can make nothing of their produce, not being able to get it to port. At Port
Douglas three village settlements have been surveyed in these back lands and not a
single lot selected — which is not to be wondered, at since they are only accessible
to pack horses. But these back lands are the only ones at present available for
selection as all the frontages to the navigable streams have been secured by selectors
(frequently absentees from the colony) who, having taken up the lands as conditional
purchasers and performed the conditions by bailiffs, have obtained their deeds and,
withdrawn the bailiffs and allowed the lands to revert to their criginal condition of
impenetrable scrub. Wherever the large selectors have settled on their lands they
have greatly assisted in the settlement of the country. At Cairns the two large
plantations formed in that district represent an invested, capital of £310,000, a great
part of which was, of course, expended in the district, and, together with the annual
working expenditure of over £45,000, must have greatly assisted to support the town
of Cairns before it had obtained the trade of the inland districts lying west of
the
XXX VTU.
the range. At the Johnstone River four plantations represent a capital
of about £450,000, and the whole of the settlement on that river is due to the
expenditure of this money and of the large annual working expenditure of the same
plantations, and if they had not existed there would probably not be a single white
man on that river. On the Herbert River the capital of the plantations was about
£650,000, and the agricultural settlement on that river is entirely due to the existence
of those plantations, for most of the farmers first made money by working on them
and, since settling on land of their own, have made a living by growing produce for
the supply of the plantations, and they now freely state that if the plantations close
they will have to abandon cultivation and let their land go back to pasture for cattle,
since the expense and difficulty of getting their produce to Townsville would prevent
them from finding another market. Here we may remark that whilst in Townsville
we noticed an advertisement in the local papers offering for sale 3,00i bags of
American maize, and we believe that if we had been able to ascertain the charges
made for carriage of that maize we perhaps should have found that it was brought f torn
the interior of the United States to Townsville at a less cost than the Herbert River
farmers would have to pay for sending theirs to the same market only 70 miles from
where it was grown. But whilst large capitalists who occupy and utilise their lands
benefit the colony and the community, those who secure the land and leave it
unoccupied are the greatest obstruction that exists to settlement. On the Dain-
tree River the whole of the land along the navigable water (a distance of 23 miles)
is selected and made freehold, and in all that distance only five white men are
now to be found residing on the land all of them being homestead selectors.
On the Mulgrave and the Russell Rivers the same state of things prevails to almost
the same extent. And the existence of these large areas of unoccupied scrub by
dividing and scattering the few homestead selectors, exposes them to the attacks of
the blacks, and in some cases in the Port Douglas district some homestead selectors
have had to abandon their land, finding it too great a risk to remain. The few
selectors who are attempting to cultivate the lands back from the navigable waters
arc naturally crying out for the construction of roads and bridges, and as it is clear
that the divisional boards in these districts have not the means to provide them, the
Government might, under these circumstances, be asked to make some special grant
for their assistance.
21. But when the fruit has been with trouble and expense brought to the
port of shipment, the exporter has a still more serious difficulty to contend with in
getting it to market. The grower secures on an average Is. per bunch for
bananas, the freight to Melbourne is Is. a bunch payable in advance, and the
Customs duty on them in Melbourne is '-Id. a bunch, or 33 per cent, of the price
received by the grower. But this might be borne if he could get, his fruit safely and
properly carried. Unfortunately for the settlers, only one line of steamers is at
present trading to the Northern ports, that of the A. U.S.N. Co., which therefore,
has a monopoly of the trade, and this company has adopted a form for their hills of
lading which practically exonerates them from all responsibility whatever for the
cargo shipped. Shippers have no choice but to accept the terms offered by the
company or not to ship. We ourselves saw how these bananas are shipped and
carried. At Cairns they were brought alongside of the steamer for the South in a
lighter. The main hatch being open, and the steoin winch ready, a rope, having at its
end some twelve or fi fteen small lines of about a yard in length and with a running
noose at the end of each was passed through the block on the derrick, and the
end of it then lowered into the hold of the lighter, each noose on the end
of the small lines was passed over the stalk of "a bunch of bananas, and the
word given to hoist away ; steam was turned on at the winch and twelvt; or fifteen
bunches of bananas were violently jerked out of the mass in the lighter's hold,
banged against the edge of the lighter's Kitchway, then against the steamer's side, and
then run up a little higher and down with a run into the hold. After being shipped
in this manner they are stowed sometimes below and sometimes on deck in piles of
from 6 to 7 or 8 feet high, and as some of these bunches will weigh 150 lbs., the
weight on the lower layers must be too much for any soft fruit to bear, it is no
wonder, with this treatment, that more than half of the bananas shipped have to be
carted tot he manure dep6t when they arrive at Melbourne. It should be mentioned
too
too that whilst the distance from Fiji to Sydney is 1,872 miles, the Fiji hananas are
lauded there in seven days, whilst the transit from Port Douglas to Melbourne, a
distance of 2,017 mites, takes fourteen days. Owing to this lengthy transit our
growers have to cut their hananas when they are too green, and thus the Fiji
banana gets the name of bang the better fruit. Other fruits — oranges, lemons,
mangoes, &c, are shipped in cases, but the shippers of these are no better off, the
fruit being regularly stolen to such an extent that consignees frequently refuse to
continue to deal with the growers. The extent to which this plunder of cargo is
carried is most disgrace ful. (Qs 140, 148, 261, 712, 717, 810, 820, 852, 1279, 1280,
1288, 1330, 1773, 1776, &c.). And although Ave had evidence that claims had
frequently been sent in to the company for losses sustained thereby, we were unable
to hear of any instance in which they had been allowed in the North. We may
here state that this plunder of shipments of fruit is complained of by every shipper
of fruit from Port Douglas to Maryborough, and it appears to prevail on the steamers
of both the companies which trade on our coast.
The manager of the A. U.S.N. Co., whom we had before us in Brisbane,
informed us that be was about to try a better plan of shipping bananas than the
one we have described, and also that two vessels of the company's fleet had been
specially fitted up to carry bananas, though after being so fitted they were laid up
whilst other vessels were employed in the trade. He admitted that there was a
regular system of pilfering fruit on board the company's vessels, which he considered
the company could not prevent. We are of a different opinion, believing that if the
loss occasioned by these thefts had to be borne by the company, it would quickly
discover a way to stop them. It was stated to us in evidence that the freight paid
on fruit shipped South from Cairns amounted to £150 per week, and we are satisfied
that the existing trade could be quickly quadrupled if shippers could have any
reasonable bopc that their fruit would not be stolen, and would arrive at its destina-
tion in good condition.
For the purpose of encouraging the development of tropical agriculture and ti
fruit-growing in the Northern districts, Ave beg to offer the folloAving recommenda-
tions : —
1. That the Legislature should be invited to pass an Act of Parliament
defining the responsibility of public carriers, and declaring null and
void all conditions inserted in bills of lading or other contracts
Avhereby they may seek to evade the responsibility which in the
opinion of the Legislature should properly attach to their business.
2. That if possible arrangements should be made for the conveyance of
the Northern mails by special fast steamers, Avhich should carry
only mails, passengers, and fruit, such steamers to be properly 6tted
for the carriage of fruit, and to run from CooktoAvn to Melbourne
in eight days.
3. Tbat an experienced tropical agriculturist be appointed to supervise
the experimental farms at Cairns and elscAvhere in the North, Avith
instructions to pay visits periodically to the principal cultivators of
tropical produce in the Northern district, for the purpose of observ-
ing their progress, and conferring Avith and advising them, and to
report to the Government from time to time on the progress of the
industry, and bring its requirements under notice.
4>. Tbat negotiations be opened with the Governments of Victoria and
the other Australian colonies, with the object of obtaining the
admission into those colonies of Queensland fruit duty free, as Ave
admit their fruits.
H. E. KING.
A. S. COWLEY.
EEPOET.
QUEENSLAND.
SUGAR INDUSTRY COMMISSION.
REPORT.
To His Excellency Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer, Knight Commander of the Most
Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, President of the Legislative
Council, and Administrator of the Government of the Colony of Queensland
and its Dependencies.
May it please Yotjr Excellency, —
As Chairman of the Commission appointed by letters patent dated the
29th day of November, 1888, " to inquire into and report upon the general
condition of the sugar industry in Queensland and the causes which have led to its
present languishing condition, and the best means to be adopted for reviving and
maintaining its prosperity, and, generally, upon the prospects of tropical agriculture
in Queensland," I have the honour to lay before your Excellency the following
Report : —
1. Immediately upon receiving the letters patent the Commissioners met in riMrict*
the Parliamentary Buildings, Brisbane, and, taking into consideration the great witSwV
difficulties of travelling in the North during the wet season, and the importance f ,x:miIiea -
makinga thorough examination of witnesses and inspection of the plantations in the
Northern districts, resolved to proceed to Port Douglas and to work from there down
to the more Southern portions of the colony. Accordingly we proceeded direct to
the Northern districts, and have examined minutely the state of the sugar industry
and the condition of tropical agriculture at Port Douglas, Cairns, the Herbert River,
the Johnstone River, Townsville, the Delta of the Burdekin, Mackay, Rockhampton,
Bundaberg, Maryborough, Rosewood, Logan, Pimpama,and the Cooinera. There were
examined altogether 154. witnesses, whose names appear in the index, and who may
be classified as follows • — Government officials, 17 ; planters and managers, 45 ;
farmers and selectors, 53 ; merchants and storekeepers, 19 ; manufacturers, 5 ;
sundry professions and working men, 15.
2. In the earlier part of the inquiry it was discovered that, owing to the great E™j e ne« or
distance at which many of the planters resided from where the Commissioners had V»v^u± LlK
agreed upon to take the testimony of witnesses, it was impossible for them to attend
and give evidence ; many of them also were absent from the districts, and it was
deemed desirable in both cases that the opinion of these planters on the sugar
question should be ascertained. There were accordingly drafted a series of questions,
which will be found in an appendix. These questions, together with a circular
letter, were sent to 300 planters. Beplies were received from ninety-six of
them ; and in order that their views should be put in a concrete form, the whole of
the answers to the various questions have been summarised in narrative form, and is
appended to the evidence. Advertisements were also inserted in several newspapers
inviting evidence from all who were disposed to assist the inquiry.
3. Travelling over such a large area of country, and examining such a large E^enuna
number of witnesses, and visiting and inspecting almost every sugar plantation
Queensland, necessarily gave me a very a curate idea of the value of the sugar
industry to the colony. Thetotalarea of land under cultivation in the colony on the
31st December, 1887, was 205,737 acres, of which 51,815 acres were under sugar
cultivation
cultivation (vide statistics of Registrar-General), thus showing that the sugar
industry represents one-fourth of the entire area cultivated in the colony. From
the evidence of various witnesses examined, and from evidence obtained in another
way, I estimate that the capital invested in the sugar industry of the colony
ranges from £4,000,000 to £5,000,000 sterling ; the machinery alone represents
a value of £1,000,000 ; the annual expenditure is scarcely less than £700,000
sterling, and the value of the sugar exported is, in good seasous, about £800,000.
For the season ended the 31st of March of this year, the quantity of sugar exported
was 17,000 tons, which, at £20 per ton, represents a value of £340,000. The
number of white Europeans who are permanently employed in the sugar
industry cannot be less than from 2,000 to 3,000; the total number who are
more or less directly interested in the industry cannot be less than 10,000 persons ;
and the number of Polynesians who are engaged in the industry is from 6,000 to
7,000. The wages of the kanakas amount to about £50,000 per annum, whilst that
of Europeans would amount to .£100,000. In the districts north of Townsville the
f armers' produce is almost,, entirely consumed by the plantations, the number of
horses that, are being worked being enormous, averaging in many instances «ver a
hundred on a single plantation. The shipping trade of the colony is also seriously
interested in the sugar industry, aud its importance in this connection may be judged
from the fact that the A U.S.N. Company's returns for 1888 show a diminution in
receipts on the freight of sugar alone of £22,0u0 (vide Mr. Munro's evidence,
question 8180), arising from the shortness of the crop of that year, which was
occasioned by the drought. Thus it will be apparent that the prosperity of a very
large portion of the colony and of a very large number of its inhabitants depends
almost exclusively upon the prosperity or otherwise of the sugar industry.
ooOI 4. Is the sugar industry now depressed, and is its condition such as to justify
;>, r inquiry and remedial measures ? The results of a personal inspection of the various
districts of the colony have gone a long way to answer this question. At Port
Douglas there is only one plantation, and at the time of my visit that was closed,
and was in liquidation. The capital invested in it was represented to be about
£10,000, and scarcely any of those who had had anything whatever to do with the
plantati on were able to make it a profitable undertaking. At Cairns the principal
sugar plantations are Hambledon and the Pyramid. Upon Hambledon the sum
£180,000 had been expended, but it had returned no interest^ and at the Pyramid
£130,000 had been invested, and no interest whatever had been received from it.
private individual and a company who subsequently purchased the plantation have
been ruined, and now it is in the hands of the mortgagees, who are willing to dispose
.nGiwrn- °^ ^ a ^ one -' 0111 'th of its value, or perhaps even less. At the Johnstone Paver i
' similar state of affairs was found to exist. The only plantation there which showed
anything like indications of paying its way was that of Goondi, the property of the
Colonial Sugar Pelining Company. As this company has enormous capital at its
«y- back it is enabled to effect improvements in machinery and otherwise for the pro-
'JJjf duction of sugar from cane, and to carry on all its undertakings in the most approved
H«rten manner. On the Herbert \\ iver I found both planters and farmers who ^rew can
in a state of great depression. No rain had fallen there for several months when
visited the locality, and the outlook for the future was anything but promising.
I found all the plantations, with one or two exceptions, heavily encumbered,
many of them barely paying their way, while in others the mortgagees bad foreclosed
and sales had been effected at not more than one-sixth the original cost of the
properties. Thus the ITamleigh plantation — the property of the llamleigh Sugar
Company, a Melbourne proprietary — had cost £120,000 when all further pecuniary
advances were refused. The plantation comprised 5,100 acres of land, a mill which
cost £30,000, agricultural implements of all descriptions, including two steam
ploughs, and a substantial and well-built homestead of more or less value. This
property was placed in the market at Melbourne for bond fide unreserved sale, and
was purchased by Whippingham Brothers l or £13,000. The late firm of Fanning,
Nankivell, and Company was estimated to have lost fully £200,000 by their sugar
investments on the Herbert River, their Gairloch plantation alone, upon which
£120,000 had been expended, realising only £16,000. The Macnade plantation, upon
which £130,000 had been expended, was taken over by the mortgagee for the
amount of his mortgage, £35,000. Other cases could be quoted, but the fort
;he tore-
going
of the Herbert River plantations. Q
entirely upon cane growing' for a /
>n; their crops of cane had decreased \ *
tlicv had found extreme difficulty in *
xx in.
going will suffice to show the condition of the Herbert River plantations.
The small cane grower?, who rely almost
livelihood, gave evidence as to their condition;
from 40 tons the acre to 10, 13, and 12 tons;
making a living, and many of them had been obliged to obtain employment from the
divisional hoards as contractors, in order to acquire the necessary funds to keep their
farms in working order. On the Delta of the Burdekin the plantations were in anoj* jiiDtl
equally deplorable condition. With the exception of one or two, all were heavily
encumbered, and the losses arising from the low price of sugar and the continued
drought had brought ruin more or less upon all of them; in some instances mort-
gagees had foreclosed, and the planters had become simply managers and field
•verseers on their own plantations. At Mackay, which may be regarded as one of AtM "<*»r-
the chief centres of the sugar industry of Queensland, and where there are 17,500
acres of land under sugar cultivation, 1 found the condition of affairs practically the
same as in most of the other sugar growing districts. The sudden fall in the price
of sugar and the continued drought, the heavy interest to be paid on borrowed
money, and the large sums invested in machinery, had all assisted to the accumula-
tion of serious liabilities, which pressed hea-vily upon the planters and rendered the
position of many of them almost intolerable. Only in one instance — that of Mr.
McCredie, of Palmyra, was there a return of interest on the capital invested, and f^^ffe^
this case illustrates the force of what will be said further on in relation to large
unproductive areas. Mr. McCredie's plantation comprises only 62% acres, of which
47i acres were under cane. For six years, prior to 18S8, the plantation yielded
Of per. cent, interest after paying working expenses. The year lbS8, owing to the
continued low price of sugar and the effects of the drought, showed a loss of £1,5M.
The amount of capital invested was £2i,0M, and the mill cost £-1,50% in Glasgow, and
with buildings and cost of erection, only £9,Mt. The small farmers at Mackay,
equally with their fellow labourers on the Herbert River, were in a very depressed
condition, inasmuch as the yield of cane on many of tho small farms of the district
had been much lower than on the Herbert, being in some cases as low as 2 tons to
the acre, i am able to speak from personal observation of some of these cases,
and there may lie some justification for the statement of one of the witnesses that
some of the selectors were in such a condition that they were obliged to go into the
bush and shoot a stray kangaroo to find animal food for their families. This evidence
was given by a perfectly disinterested witness, whose sympathies were entirely with
the small farmers and who had every opportunity of knowing and learning their con-
dition. The town of Mackay itself was most seriously depressed in its trade and
general business, and, from the evidence of the commercial men there, it was quite
evident that the whole of the townspeople seriously felt the depression whiclt rests
upon the sugar industry of that district. In 1887 the exports from the port of
Mackay were £3§2,424, and in 1888 they had fallen to £137,529; the imports
in 1887 were £125,73t, and in lb88 they fell to £91,128. These statistics were
furnished by the sub-collector of Customs at Mackay, and they very clearly
demo?istrate the serious effects which a prolonged drought of two years have
had upon the trade of tlte port. At Rocklnimpton there is only one plantation ; a. * Ckhamptoii _
it was in liquidation, and was offered for sale on the day following the J amr
arrival of the Commissioners, and sold, subject to the approval of the guarantors,
for £ 10,5m. About £<lt,Mt had been expended upon it; only £24,001 of
the capital had been subscribed, and there was an overdraft, for. which certain
guarantors were responsible, of £16,M0. The causes assigned for the failure
of this plantation were tlte low price of sugar, the drought of 1888, and early diffi-
culties in connection with labour. At Bundaberg I found tlte condition of affairs Bun<iaber S .__
somewhat different. This district has been comparatively prosperous, and the rising _
and progressive town of Bundaherg owes its progress and its large accession of popu-
lation almost entirely to the sugar industry. It has not suffered like many of the other
districts of the colony. The soil is exceptionallyrich,more particularly in the"Woon*arra
scrub, and the yield of cane is proportionately large ; the erection of a sugar refinery
by the .Messrs. Cran at Millaquin has also been an important factor in aidin* and
assisting the sugar industry, and in the planters and growers of cane obtaining
remunerative prices for their products. The Millaquin refinery represents a capital of
£15(),000,and an annual expenditure of from £10,MOto£6t,tii, and fromthe excellent
system
CauMsnssiKneil
1
\
FalliopTiceoJ
sugar th e
primaiy cau*e.
r
system it possesses for bringing the juice from the sugar mills to the refinery, has
contributed largely to the success of the cane growers in the past, and will no doubt do
' so in the future. There is not so much interest to pay on borrowed money in this
locality as in some of the other sugar growing districts,nor has so large an amount been
invested in machinery on which interest lias to be paid, nor are the areas of land in the
possession of the planters more than they can manage or turn to useful and practical
account. The result of all these circumstances is that Bundaberg is, comparatively
speaking and when compared with the more Northern districts, a prosperous
sugar growing district ; its success largely depends upon the sugar industry, and
this fact is amply borne out by the official statistics of 1888. The total exports from
the port of Bundaberg for that year were £362,500, of which £308,422 was for sugar
alone, leaving only £54,000 for other productions. At Maryborough the sugar
industry was in a very depressed condition, arising partly fr«m the drought, partly
from the low price of sugar, and partly no doubt from exhaustion of the soil by
continuous cropping and with one particular crop. At one time the export of sugar
from Maryborough ranged from 5,000 tons to 6,000 tons; it has now fallen to 1,500
tons, notwithstanding that at Yengarie there is a large refinery in which £100,000
is invested, and which is capable of manufacturing from 3,000 tons to 4,000 tons of
refined sugar in the season. In the Logan district I found many of the older
plantations abandoned, but many of the smaller ones are still in existence and are
growing cane, in some cases profitably, and in others affording the owners only a bare
subsistence. The co-operative principle, judging from the experiment which has
been made at Eaglesby, appears to have been successful, and the Germans, who have
established a co-operative mill there and who have worked it for the past seven years,
are perfectly satisfied with what they have done in the past and with their prospects
for the future. At the Coomera, at Mr. Grimes's plantation, a similar hopeful condition
prevails, and Mr. Grimes is so satisfied with his past efforts and his prospects for
the future that he intends to place forty acres more under cane. The foregoing will,
I think, show beyond any doubt that the sugar industry on the whole is very much
depressed and its existence as an industry seriously imperilled from a variety of
causes other than labour.
5. The causes assigned for the depression, as will be gathered from the
evidence, are numerous and varied. They comprise mismanagement, extravagance
and inexperience of planters in the early days of the industry, financial embarrass-
ment owing to working on borrowed capital, losses through unfavourable seasons,
disease, exhaustion of the soil, fall in the price of sugar, and loss of confidence in
the industry, which, it is alleged, is owing to the abolition of black labour in the
near future, and which prevents planters obtaining the necessary advances to carry
them on.
6. The great fall in the price of sugar is, in my opinion, the primary cause of
the depression. "When sugar was realising^ rom .€30 to ;£35 per ton a sort of " boom "
set in, and there was a rush of persons to the Northern districts to select Land for
sugar growing purposes under the belief that rapid fortunes were to be made. Blocks
of land were selected on the various Northern rivers ranging in area from 040 acres to
1,280 acres, and other areas were acquired making the total area in many instances
5,000, and as high as 8,000 and 12,000 acres; large orders for machinery were sent to
England and mills were erected at a cost in many instances of £40,000, when perhaps
n mill of one-fourth the capacity and one-fourth the cost would have been ample for the
then area under cultivation. On the earlier plantations everything appears to have
been conducted on a scale of extravagance unusual and quite foreign to the commence-
ment of a new industry. The money for carrying out the undertaking had in most
cases to be borrowed, or at all events a very large proportion of it, and the result
has been that the accumulated interest 'upon the borrowed capital has now
attained a sum it is quite impossible for the plantations to bear, and neces-
sarily must entail certain ruin on many of the owners of them. In somo cases
7,000 acres of land are included in *a plantation, but not more than 800
acres have been cultivated ; and not more than 600 acres arc at the present time
under cane. The mill machinery for crushing this c:ine has cost at the least
from £30,000 to £40,000, and the buildings and other improvements which have
been erected and carried out represent a capital of £100,000; and in many instances
a much
XLV.
a much larger sum. The whole of the working expenses of such a plantation, and
the interest on the money invested on the unproductive land, and in machinery and
buildings, have to he home hy the small area cultivated ; and when to this is added
the small crop of cane owing to the continued drought of the last two years, the
condition of many of the planters can be very well understood. It is here that the
charges of alleged mismanagement and extravagant expenditure find a place, whilst
the inexperience and lack of knowledge on the part of planters in the early clays
respecting the cultivation of sugar cane and the manufacture of sugar is puinf ully
evident in the large and expensive establishments which have been erected, and
which subsequent events have shown were totally unnecessary, as much smaller
machinery and much less capital would have answered all the purposes of the owners
of the plantations. It is but just to say that since the fall in the price of sugar
there has been a great desire on the part of the planters to improve their machinery
by double crushing power, the prevention of waste, and otherwise, so as to obtain as
much sugar as possible from the cane, and this result has undoubtedly been
attained. But these improvements have added to the original cost of the plants, and
still further increased the liabilities and accruing interest on already overburdened
plantations.
7. That there have been serious losses through the drought of the past two [,i.>r- IV. .111
years and from disease has also been made apparent, and is clearly revealed
in the evidence appended. On the Herbert River the grub has proved very
destructive ; in some cases small farmers have had as much as twenty-five acres
in a season completely destroyed, while in other cases the loss from the same causa
is stated to have been 10, 15, and as high as 25 per cent. The losses by drought
are, of course, more serious. In good seasons, on many of the plantations north of
Townsville, the yield of cane has been from 30 tons to 40 tons the acre. In 1887,
owing to the drought, it fell to 20 t«ns, 18 tons, and 1G tons, and, during 1888, owing
to the continuance of the drought it fell in some instances, even in favoured districts,
as low as 12 tons to the acre ; and at Mackay the yield of some of the small farms
only averaged 2 tons of cane to the acre. The losses, therefore, by draught and
by the ravages of the insect plague have been, without question, no small factors in
assisting to bring about the present depression in the sugar industry. The grub has Tt
been very destructive during the last two years in all the scrub lands. According
to the experience of planters in the Cairns, Johnstone, and Herbert River Districts,
it commences its ravages on lands that have been cleared for the first time, and
planted at the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth year. Entomologists
state that the grub which attacks the cane takes three years from the laying of the
egg until the beetle comes to maturity ; but the experience of planters goes to show
that in the months of September and October the grub enters the dormant or
chrysalis state, and in November and December it is hatched as a winged black beetle.
The beetle emerges from the soil at the end of December and the early part of
January, and takes wing usually to trees, where they often destroy the young wood
by ringbarking. Newly slacked lime has been applied as a remedy around the cane,
but it has not succeeded in destroying the grub at the period when it is most
destructive. Experience goes to show that the grub thrives best in dry soil, and
is especially troublesome in seasons of drought, hence the reason why it has been so
destructive during the years of 18S7 and 1886. At Mourilyan the grub first attacked
the young ratoons at the end of the year 1886, three and a-half years after the scrub
had been felled and the laud planted ; and it did so on all tlie river frontages o£ that
plantation with such vigour that labour was unable to cope with the pest, and a
large area of cane was entirely destroyed, and the land for a time abandoned. At <
the close of the rainy season in 18S7, the land was grubbed, stumped, ploughed, \
harrowed, and replanted, and by December of 1887, 179 acres were under cultivation
and planted withcane; in only one ploughed biockdid thr grub reappear, and thenonly
in small patches. Prom the experience of this plantationit would appear that thorough
cultivation is the best cure and remedy for this pest. Attention, however, is i
directed to an extract from a letter written by Mr. Angus Gibson, of Bingcra
plantation, in the Bundaberg district, to Mr. A. S. Cowley, in which the writer states
that irrigation has been the means of checking the progress of the grub ; that it
cannot stand an excess of moisture ; and that where the cane land is flooded with
irrigation
XLVI.
irrigation waters the <?ruhs rise to the surface and die ; and hundreds of birds have
been seen hovering round the irrigated cane in search of the grubs floating on the
surface of the water.
8. It is alleged by many of the witnesses that the want of confidence now
manifested by banks and monetary institutions in the sugar industry has arisen from
the action of the Legislature in posing a statute by which the importation of
Polynesian labour is absolutely prohibited after the 31st of December, lb90 ; but the
''acts adduced will scarcely bear «ut the contention. I think that the fall in
the [>ri(W of sugar, and the enormous increase in theqnantiyof sugar manufactured
from beetroot, and the heavy loses occasioned by the drought, are the chief reasons
why, at the present time, there is a want of confidence felt in the sugar industry.
At the present time the United States »f America, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium,
and Holland, are all engaged in the production »f sugar, and are adopting every means,
scientific and otherwise, to encourage its culture and to assist its progress. Large plan-
tationsin the Sandwich Islands are owned almost exclusively by wealthy Americans,
and the output of sugar from those islands is very large indeed. The American
Government have for some time past, through the medium of their agricultural depart-
ment, been making a number of experiments with the view of testing the adaptability
of sorghum as a sugar growing plant, and the latest reports which were iairt before the
Sugar Convention held in London in August of last year went to show that it was fully
anticipated that the State of Kansas alone would, in the course of time, produce a yield
of 500,000 tonsof sugarfrom sorghum. Mr. Spreckles,who is one «f the largest owners
of plantations in the Sandwich Islands, has now erected a large beetroot sugar manu-
factory at San Francisco, and is not only cultivating a large area of beetroot himself,
but has also offered special inducements to the farmers to grow beetroot for him, and
a very large area in that State has been placed under cultivation with the sugar
beetrott. In fact, every effort is being put forth by the United States Govern-
ment and people to grow as much sugar as psssible, in order to keep doAvn importa-
tions, and hence the reason Avhy the United States Government declined to be
officially represented at the recent international conference in London on the sugar
question. It appears t» me that the effect of the bounty system upon sugar pro-
duction is not sufficiently estimated by the general public, or by those engaged in
the sugar industry. Undoubtedly it is the means of giving an immense amount of
employment, both in the field and the factory, to the large industrial populations of
France, Germany, Austria, and other Continental nations; and these countries are
prepared to make unusual sacrifices in order to keep up the sugar industry, and to
encourage as much as possible large exports of sugar. "What the Continental nations
are now doing in order to foster the industry may be gathered from the following
extract from a speech of Baron de "Worms, one of the representatives of Great
Britain at the Sugar Convention, and who was elected its president, delivered at
Greenock on the 1st of last November. The right honourable gentleman said :
"The following figures will show the sacrifices foreign countries niake in order to maintain the
bounty system. Bounties cost France £:3,3SO,000, Germany £3.238,484. Austria £1,036,067. Belgium
£;»l:3,000, Holland £30fl,fwo. In Germany this amounts "to £> per ton on the quantity exported, in
France to £S per ton on 1he quantity uiai mfactured, in Austria to £:} per ton on the quantity exported,
in Belgium to £8 per ton on the quantity exported, a ud in Holland to £3 per ton on The quantity
exported. Why d» foreign governments i*akc these tremendous sacrifices ? The answer is very simple.
Their ohjeet has been, and is, to develop by artificial means tlinir own sugar industry, and the artificial
means they adopt are tlie State subsidies Against whom is this artificial competition aimed? Against
the cane sugar producer of the British colonies, and the refiner of the British towns. It is impossible to
BURgcst any other reason for the existence of sugar bounties in Foreign countries, inasmuch as the great
Pugir market of the world is England, ami that the only means by which foreign countries could hope to
compete with or to destroy the British sugar industry was by giving an advance to their producers and
refiners— a profit far away greater than the legitimate profit which could be earned in the ordinary
course of trade "
The foregoing indicates the enormous sacrifices which Continental nations are
making in order to foster and encourage the production of sugar from beetroot, and
it is against this article that the sugar growers of Queensland have largely to contend.
It is, in my opinion, the knowledge of this competition added to the Extremely low
price of sugar which it has occasioned (and Mr. Knox, the general manager of
the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, in his evidence, states that the low price is
likely to be permanent), and the smallncss of the crops caused by the two Years'
drought,
XliYIL
drought, and the already embarrassed condition of the planters, which have brought \ /^/fa
about the want of confidence that it is now alleged is manifested by monetary/ rr ^^*
institutions in the sugar industry.
9. The remedies suggested by the various witnesses for the amelioration of
the condition of the sugar industry, briefly summarised, arc as follows : —
(a) The repeal of the 11th section of "Tlie Pacific Inland Labourers Act of
1880 Amendment Act of 1885," and its extension for a further period
of five years ;
(b) A reciprocity treaty to be entered into with the Australasian colonies,
for the admission of Queensland grown sug'ar duty free upon certain
conditions to be arranged between the contracting parties ;
(c) The adoption of a comprehensive irrigation scheme ; and
(d) That the Government should take the introduction of Polynesians into
their own hands, and establish depots at the various islands to he
managed by Government agents, and that on the arrival of islanders in
Queensland they should be conveyed to the immigration barracks, and
there be open to engagement in the same way as ordinary white immi-
grants, the planter's to be responsible for the whole cost of the scheme.
10. In considering the first of these suggested remedies, a very grave question {or
of public policy arises. In the general election of 1883, the question of coloured pm-io*
labour was distinctly before the constituencies, and they were invited through the ^^J^ T
ballot-box to pronounce an authoritative opinion as to whether coloured labour w r as j»i ™*
desirable a- otherwise for any of the industries of Queensland. The answer was an
emphatic " No," and a large majority of members were returned to Parliament
pledged to oppose the introduction of coloured labour and to put a stop to its further
introduction as early as possible. The will of the people thus declared through J
the ballot-box, was given practical effect to by the Parliament of the day, who
repealed " The Coolie Immigration Act of 1862," and puswd " The Pacific Island
Labourers Act of 1880 Amendment Act of 1885," the 11th section of which
prohibits the further introduction of South Sea islanders on and after the 31st of
December, 1800. At the general election of May, 1888, the question was again
before the constituencies, and in most of the large centres of population, as well as
in many of the more sparsely populated districts, candidates were returned opposed
to coloured labour. Those who are engaged in the sugar industry, therefore, ask
the Parliament of the country to reverse its decision arrived at after mature
deliberation on the part of the great body of the electors, who authorised their
members to give effect to their wishes. Assuming that heavy losses, arising from
the causes already defi ned, are one of the reasons why the country is asked to
reverse its decision on the coloured labour question, may it not. with equal propriety
be asked that some consideration should be shown to Ihe graziers and agricul-
turists of the colony who have also sustained serious and grievous losses through
the late disastrous drought; and may not the groweis of wheat and maize in the
various districts of the colony who suffer fr»m a failure of tbeir crops, and the
large number of farmers in the Logan district, who have not only suffered from
the drought, but also from one of the m»st disastrous floods that, ever aftcted the
country, with equal reason apply for legislation in their behalf? I respectfully
submit that in considering the proposed remedy suggested for the relief of one par-
ticular class of the community, we are bound in all fairness and justice to consider how
far that relief is justifiable as affecting other portions of the colony. The verdict of
the electors was unquestionably adverse to the revival of the coloured labour question,
it was considered by public men in all its aspects — moral, social, and jiolitical— and it
was deemed advisable in the best interests of the country that a time should come
when coloured labour should cease, find when all the industries of the country
should be conducted entirely by white labour. The que>tion now to be determined
is, has anything special arisen which would justify a departure from tho previous
action of the Legislature, who simply gave effect to the deliberate voice of the
people ?
(A.) Moreover,
XLVHT.
(A.) Moreover, if Australia is to be a great federated dominion on the
basis of the dominion of Canada, with a dominion parliament and a dominion
executive, and the federated colonies are still to retain tbeir present govern-
ments and legislatures, then without question, the further admission into any
colony of Asiatic or coloured races is definitely set led, because federation of the
colonies means the exclusion of all Asiatic and coloured races from Australia,
^scegi to a very inappreciable extent. The public men of the larger colonies of
Victoria and New South Wales have already intimated in their several addresses
at the recent general elections in those colonies their belief in federation, and their
intention at the same time to keep Australia free from all Asiatic or coloured
races. Hence it is clear that if Queensland is to join in a federated Australia—
and the aspirations of all her public men are in that direction — the request of the
planters for the extension of the terms of the 11th section of " The Pacific Island
Labourers Act. 0/I88O Amendment Act o/1885" is practically disposed of.
On the other hand, the question arises, " Is Queensland in a position to do
without the sugar industry, or to confine the cultivation of sugar to white labour
exclusively ? " And in answering tbat question we are bound to look at all
the surrounding circumstances of the case. The climate north of Townsville is
'essentially tropical, the scrubs are an impenetrable jungle, and from the evidence
placed before the Commission it is evident that they will cost an enormous amount of
money to clear them and render the land available for agricultural purposes. Further,
immediately the scrub is cleared, malaria arises, seriously detrimental to the health
of Europeans and destructive to human life, as has already been proved in the con-
struction of a line of railway from ITourilyan plantation to Mourilyan Harbour. It
is the opinion of all who have had experience of the districts north of Townsville
that the dense scrubs of the Johnstone, and the Barron, and the Tully, and the
Kusscll cannot be cleared by European labour. At present agricultural labour by
Europeans on their own freehold land in the districts now under considera-
tion is evaded as much as possible. Thus in the district of Cairns the whole
of the agriculture outside sugai- growing is carried on by Chinese. There
are from 1,200 to 1,500 Chinamen in the Cairns district, and the evidence
of witnesses, including that of the Crown Lands "Ranger, affirms the fact that were
it not for the Chinamen there would not be an acre of land under cultivation in
Cairns outside the sugar plantations. A central rice mill has been erected a shor
distance from Cairns, and last year there- was manufactured in it 700 tons of rice
The whole of the " paddy " was grown by Chinamen, so that the mill may be said to
be practically kept in existence by Chinese labour. Homestead selections have been
taken up in the Cairns and other districts, bothunder "The Grown Lands Alienation Ac
of 1876," and " The Crown Lands Act of '1884." The selectors reside on their selections
but for the first five years they lease, their land to Chinamen on a clearing lease, a
Is. per acre per annum. Thus, while the Chinaman is absolutely fulfilling the con
ditions of selection, the selector is receiving a profit of 9d. per acre f roin t he land. A
the end of the first five years another agreement is made between the selector and th
Chinaman, and the cultivated land is then let at the rate of £1 an acre per annum
In one case a homestead selector holding 160 acres had 130 acres cleared in thi
manner, and he has now for himself eight acres, with a garden planted by Chinese
while 1:22 acres are let to Chinese at £1 per acre per annum, and this is apparentl
the general mode in which agriculture is carried on in a large portion of the Norther
coast districts. At Herberton, where the climate is much" colder, and where pro
dttctions of a more temperate zone can be grown, European labour finds a fittiu
outlet, but without question in the coast districts north of Townsville there is, in ^
great many instances, a disposition on the part of Europeans to have nothing wha
ever to do with agriculture, until the laud has been cleared and made ready for
cultivation. Consequently, if the question " is Queensland able to do without the
sugar industry, except on the basis of a white population?" is answered in the
anirmative, then untloubtedly a very large portion of the coast districts of the North
will not be cultivated, at all events for a long time to come, and from £4,000,000 to
£5,000,000 of capital which has been vested^in the sugar industry will be wiped out
of existence, and the whole of the population now dependent upon the sugar industry
for a livelihood will, for a time, and until new industries arise, be thrown out of
employment. Can Queensland at the present time afford to do this ?
11. The
11. The second remedy suggested for the revival of tlip sugar industry is that £*p££ d iw
of a reciprocity treaty with the Australasian colonies, w hich, it is affirmed by the
planters, would lie the means of adding value to their sugar of from £2 to £3 per~iome».
ton at kast. This question is also one of public policy, and it is surrounded with a
great many difficulties. The rights of thousands of -persons engaged in agriculture,
outside the sugar industry, have fairly to be considered when dealing with reciprocity
treaties. However advantageous a reciprocity treaty may be to the planters, it would
only lie of special benefit to themselves, so far as Queensland products are concerned,
but! it might, prove ruinous to all the other agriculturists in all parts of the colony.
The basis ot the suggested reciprocity treaty was not stated ; there was merely an
expression of opinion given that a reciprocity treaty would open a better market for
Queensland manufactured sugar, and place* it in a position more able to stand the
competition of its rivals from other countries. Assuming that the suggested reci-
procity treaty would mean the admission »f agricultural produce grown in the other
colonies free iuto all the ports of this colony, in consideration of the admission
of sugar into the ports of the other colonies free of duty, then it must be apparent
that it would mean the striking of a most severe blow at the other agricultural
interests of the colony, without any corresponding advantage whatever being
conferred upon them. In fact, it would mean class legislation of a most objectionable '
form, and it would be totally inconsistent with the fiscal policy of the colony as
defined in " The Customs Duties Act of 1888."
12. The third suggested remedy of irrigation works, wherever practicable, nation
I entirely concur with. At the Burdekin Delta the Messrs. Drysdale Brothers are UjeBiu-deltiu
carrying out irrigation on a very extended scale. The Messrs. Young, of Kalamai, and ** a mf», BD d
Mr. Mackenzie, of Seaforth, have also established irrigation works, and their value 8eaf * rlb -
was made apparent to the Commission. I also had the opportunity of seeing
irrigation on a small scale carried out by a selector named Payard, who, with a plant
that cost £250, was able t» irrigate twenty-three acres of cultivated land and raise good
crops, and to fl»od a large portion of thirty acres of grass land, and obtain grass
feed for his dairy cattle, while the neighbouring selectors around him 3 who had no
means for irrigation, had no crops, and lost nearly all their cattle. I believe that
irrigation applied to the sugar plantations, wherever practicable, will go a long
way indeed to assist in relieving the industry of its present depression, inasmuch as
where a plentiful supply of water can be obtained, a crop of cane can be assured
even in the rlryest of seasons. This was made most clearly demonstrable at the
Pioneer plantation of the Messrs. Drysdale on the Burdekin Delta. It will be
observed from the evidence that the general consensus of opinion is strongly in
favour of irrigation in sugar-growing districts, and that there was a disposition on
the part of both planters and small farmers t» pay any reasonable rate which may be
imposed to cover the interest on the outlay necessary for an irrigation scheme and
the cost of its maintenance. Many of the farmers expressed themselves willing to^^
pay as much as£2 per acre per annum for the supply of water for irrigation purposes. ^
13. The fourth and final suggested remedy is that the Government should p, opo , e(J
take fl ^introduction of Polynesians into their own hands, establish dep»ts at the ^j^J"^ 11
various South Sea islands, to he managed by Government agents, and that on the
arrival of the islanders in Queensland they should be coaveyed to immigration
barracks;, and there be open to engagement in the samo way as ordinary white
immigrants ; the planters to be responsible for the whole cost of the scheme. The
remarks made with respect to the first suggested remedy apply with greater force to
the foregoing. The question of* coloured labour, so far as legislation is concerned,
may be said to he practically closed. The people have already pronounced an
authoritative opinion upon it, and the principal public men of the colony have,
whenever opportunity has occurred, more or less emphatically declared that
they are not disposed to re-open the subject. The acceptance of the sugges*
tion in its entirety would mean the complete rc-opening of the coloured labour
question, because all legislation affecting it now would have to be repealed, a new
system would have to be introduced, a new set of regulations would have to be framed,
and radical changes effected, without any apparent counterbalancing advantages.
The fact that the cost of the projected scheme would be borne by those who are
engaged in the sugar industry does not outweigh the higher considerations which
JD are
Centra) taillf.
North Eton
are involved as affecting the community generally. The acceptance of the suggestion
would mean that Queensland was prepared to recognise the introduction of coloure
labour as an absolute necessity ; and the fact that the Government had accepte'
the entire responsibility of introducing coloured labour would not, hi my opinion,
have an influence for »ood in the future. At present the system is surrounded with
certain safeguards, and yet the evidence which has been adduced shows that in some
instances the introduction of coloured labour has proved objectionable. At Rock-
hampton there are, according to the evidence of the Polynesian Inspector, 200 kanakas
in the district ; he was only able toaccount for82 of them. It is known that there is
quite a colony of South Sea islanders in North liockhampton, some of whom have
married white women, have drays and carts of their own, and are competing with
Europeans in the catting and sale of firewood, and many of them are also employed
in other ways. At Bundaherg there at least 300 South Sea islanders walking about,
engaging for short periods, and are thus in open competition with Europeans. It is
clear that, even with the safeguards already established by the Legislature, the South
Sea Islanders are coming into active competition with white men, and are doing
work which by no straining of words can be called tropical agriculture. From the
tone of public opinion, and from the facts detailed in evidence, the fourth remedy
suggested as a means for reviving the sugar industry is not one that I can recom-
mend for the acceptance of Your Excellency's Advisers.
14. In inquiring into the sugar industry it was impossible to avoid inquiry
into the success or otherwise of the central mill system. In the session of 1885
Parliament voted £50,000 for the erection of central sugar mills, and in December of
that year, in order to determine upon the localities where these mills should be erected
the then Government appointed Mr. W. O. Ilodgkinson, M.L.A., to visit the various
sugar districts of the colony and report as to the most desirable places for the estab-
lishment of such mills. Mr. Hodgkinson furnished a report in accordance with the
terms of the letter which the Chief Secretary had addressed to him, and that report
was presented to both Houses of Parliament in the session of 1886. Acting on that
U report, two central mills were established — one at North Eton, known as the North
I Eton Central Sugar Company, Limited ; and the other at the Racecourse, known as
' the Racecourse Central Sugar Company, Limited. Agreements between the regis-
tered shareholders and the Government were duly drawn and executed, and a bill of
incumbrance was prepared by which their respective properties were virtually mort-
gaged to the Government as security for advances to be made for the erection of the
mills.
(A.) In the case of the North Eton Company the number of shares applied f»r
r- ' represented £20,375; the amount actually expended on the mill, when the balance
which was pending at the time of our visit to Mackay is paid, will be £25,000. The
mill and buildings have cost the amount which has been advanced, and the mill is
capable of turning out 1,500 tons of sugar during the crushing season. Owing, how-
ever, to the severe drought of the past two ycara the North Eton Central M ill has not
had anything like a fair trial. Last season only 100 tons of sugar was manufactured
there, and the evidence of the directors proves that the crushing of the last season
was intended more as a test of the cllicicncy of the machinery for crushing' (vide
Mr. Ironsides' and the Secretary's evidence) than for purposes of profit. The
* yield of cane last year on the small farms was very low indeed, in many cases
}not being more tban_ l l ton s to the acre. It cannot, therefore, be said that the
J central mill system, so far as North Eton is eenccrncd, has had any opportunity of
( fully demonstrating whether the system is to be successful or otherwise. When Mr.
Hodgkinson visited North Etou a meeting or the fanners was called to consult with
him upon the question of the desirability of erecting a central sugar mill in that
locality. Various small farmers came forward and affirmed their willingnes
to grow cane exclusively by European labour, and to show their bina
jides in the matter, signed an undertaking to duly execute a bill of encum-
brance and mortgage their deeds to the Government as security for the
advances necessary for the erection of a mill and buildings. At that
time the seasons had been favourable, and the yield of cane had often averaged 30
tons to the acre. In the season of 1885 Mr. George Ironsides, one of the largest
shareholders in the company, received upwards of £700 for the produce of his crop
of 70 acres. Other selectors had been equally successful, and there appeared at that
time
LI.
time every prospect that suffi cient cane would be grown by the surrounding farmers
to keep the mill going during the crushing season. The drought, however, has most
seriously altered the complexion of affairs since Mr. Hodgkinson's visit. Moreover,
some of the selectors, as will be seen from the evidence, have altered their opinions,
and now affirm that, owing to the low price of sugar and the bad seasons, they cannot
undertake any longer to grow sugar exclusively by European labour. ~ ~ "
(B.) But the most serious matter in connection with the North Eton Central ™ c ^j£°£,
Mill is the following : — It would appear from the official returns that twenty share-
holders signed the Mil of encumbrance in 1886, and undertook to mortgage their
deeds to the Government as security for the necessary advances in connection with
the erection of a mill and buildings. #ut of these t wenty shareholders, according to
the evidence of the secretary of the company, only tour at that time had their deeds
from the Government. The others, it would appear, were homestead and conditional
selectors and would receive their deeds in clue course of time. Tbe bill of encum-
brance appears to have been registered in the Supreme Court on the 14th of October,
188G. One of the largest shareholders in the company was Mr. Joseph Antoney. This
gentleman took up 500 shares at£l2 10s. each, representing £G,250. He was not at that
time a freeholder, but he became a freeholder in Septcmber,1888,and his deeds were for-
warded to him in the ordinary manner without the encumbrancebeing endorsed upon
them. Shortly afterwards he deposited them with one of the banks at Mackay and
obtained an advance upon them. Other shareholders hav e also received their deeds,
and, so far as can be gathered from the evidence, without the encumbrance endorsed
up»n them. The secretary of the company stated in the course of examination that
he wrote to the Registrar of Titles, who had previously endorsed the bill of encum-
brance on one of the freeholder's deeds, and asked him if it was tme that deeds had
been issued to shareholders of the North Eton Central Sugar Company, Limited,
from the Real Property Office, without the encumbrance being endorsed on them ;
and the answer he received from the Registrar of Titles was that he
could not give the information, and that it would be too much trouble to
search and find it out. The Secretary further stated that upon receipt of that letter
he wrote to the Colonial Treasurer, under date the 8th of December, 1888, asking
him to be good enough to obtain the necessary information for him, and up to the
time of the witness giving his evidence he had received no reply. It will be observed
that Mr. Antoncy's liability to the company was £6,250 or one-fourth of the total
amount which lias been advanced to the North Eton Company, and for this amount
the Government now hold no security, as the deed which Mr. Antoney undertook to
mortgage to the Government for the security of the advance has been handed by
him to a bank for pecuniary advances.
(C.) So far as this company generally is concerned, I am bound to state that Want olbujlnaii
there appears upon the evidence a w r ant of business capacity in its management. wZnwZm"*
No books liad apparently been kept up to tlie commencement of this year, comply,
when a set of books appears to have been received from the office of the Auditor-
General. The secretary, whom Tve examined, had only occupied that position
for six months, and he was unable to give the Commission any information as
to the operations of the company prior to his appointment. Nor had any balance-
sheet been prepared and distributed among the shareholders as provided in the
Articles of Association. Rut sufficient evidence was given by the directors to show
that there was an evident want of care in the management of the company, more
particularly in the direction of expenditure. The cost of the mill is out of all pro-
portion to the amount of cane which was undertaken to be grown. At the utmost
the small farmers in tltc immediate neighbourhood of North Eton did not at that
time undertake to supply cane from more than 400 acres, and in place of a very
expensive mill which has cost about £25,000 being erected, a smaller mill that would *V
have cost about £5,000— such as the one erected on Mr. McCredie's
plantation — would have been quite large enough as a commencement, and
the residue of the money could have been very well spent in obtaining and
laying down portable tramways so as to have brought jdl the shareholders who
have undertaken the growing of cane into immediate communication with the
central mill. 1 cannot but think that had such a course as this been adopted, the
success of the North Eton Central Mill would be much more likely to be assured
than
LTI.
than it. is at the present time. It is clear from the testimony nf the witnesses
Mcaininccl that, under existing circumstances, it will take a very long time, and
a further expenditure for tramways will he necessary, before the mill can he made
a success.
( V.) The Racecourse Central Mill has only just lieen completed, and has
never vet been worked. Its cost in Glasgow was £9.807, and it was purchased
from Messrs. Merlees, Tait, and Watson. "Without question it is one of the finest
mills in the Northern districts, and comprises all the latest improvements ; the
vacuum pan is of the latest ami newest design, an* was awarded a prize at an
exhibition held shortly before its purchase by the company. The original cost of
the mill is said by those who are conversant with sugar machinery to be exceedingly
reasonable, and the mill is declared by experts to be one of the most complete suftar
mills in the Mackay district. The freight, and the cost of erection, together with the
buildings, amounted to a little over £11,000, making the total outlay £21,000.
But, however reasonable the original cost of the mill may have been, there can be no
doubt that the same remarks which are made in reference to the North Eton Mill apply
with equal force to this mill. It is too large for the amount of sugar cane likely to
be provided at present by the small fanners, and if a mill had been
erected at a cost of one-fourth of the amount, it would have been ample
for all the purposes of the farmers, and they also would have had
£15,000 at their disposal to lay down tramways to their various cane
fields, without which there does not appear to be any immediate prospect of
this mill becoming a success. The railway is practically of very little use to
the small farmers in bringing cane to the Racecourse Mill, and as the land is low —
in wet seasons the roads arc almost impassable — tramways are a necessary
auxiliary to the central mill system, just as much as they are a necessary auxiliary
on all large plantations. When the Racecourse Central Sugar Company, Limited,
was formed seventeen shareholders signed the bill of encumbrance, representing 525
shares, and the aggregate amount of the capital was £15,750. The total amount
advanced to the company out of the central mill vote is £21,000. When Mr. Hodg-
kinson attended the meeting in the vicinity of the Racecourse, twenty-seven farmers
undertook to grow cane for the mill exclusively by European labour. Out of that
number seventeen became shareholders in the company, and undertook to mortgage
the deeds of their land as security for the advances required for the complete
erection of the mill. Erom the evidence of Mr. Pearce, the manager of the
company, and from that of two of the directors, who are also shareholders, it is
found that the area of the land then held by many of the farmers has been
reduced, while in other cases the farmers have admitted that they have changed
their opinions, and now declare that they arc unable to grow cane without coloured
labour. So far as can be gathered from the statements of the chairman and board
of directors, the money advanced to the Racecourse Central Sugar Company appears
to have been judiciously expended, and the company has one of the best and most
complete sugar mills in the Northern portion ol* the colony, but, as before stated, its
capacity is largely in excess of present requirements.
(E.) With respect to the question ol* the central mill system generally, I
believe from investigation that it contains within it th e elements of si.ieee.s s. if
properly applied. That this is so is very clearly demonstrated in the case of a small
company formed at Eaglesby in the Lo »an district. There, seven German farmers
agreed to form themselves into a co-operative company, about seven or eight years
ago, and they obtained from one of the hanks an advance of £1,000, with which
they erected a mill quite sufficient ftr their requirements, and which in our opinion
would have been quite large enough for either of the central mill sugar companies in
the Mackay district. They bound themselves to grow cane for their mill on areas
amounting in the aggregate to something like 100 or 140 acres. The cane was sold
to the mill at Ss. a ton, and with that price they were perfectly satisfied. They
grew the cane entirely by their »wn labour with the assistance of members
of their families, and the result is that they have reduced the debt, with
interest from £4,000 to £700, and had it not beeu for the severe drought,
and the heavy flood of January, 1887, it is more than probable that nearly
the whole of the £4,000 would have been liquidated. But even in
the
LTTT.
the facp of tlio disaster of the flood, and the equally ruinous drought, they
have undoubtedly proved that the central mill system, when conducted on well JL
defined principles, can he made a success. My opinion is, that this i s one o f 11'° -n u $
solutions; of the sugar question. In the course of time as the larger plantations — — —
become clear of scrub, and the land is stumped and made ready for the plough, the
leasing of the land to small farmers will ]ye generally carried out, and the central
mill systemwill become one of the elements in tbefnture success of the sugar industry
of the colony. At Pialba, where sugar cane growing can, in my opinion, be made
a very important industry, the German and Danish farmers, who are there in large
numbers, declare that if the Government will erect a central mill for them they
will gladly undertake to grow cane exclusively by white labour, and they are quite
confident that they can make it a success.
lu. Summarised the causes of the depression in tlie sugar industry in this*
colony are, in my oj union : — *
(«.) The unnecessarily large areas held by planters compared with the
small area actually cultivated, and the consequent payment of interest
on the large unproductive area.
{h.) The erection of mills quite disproportionate to the area of cane under
cultivation.
(c.) The sudden and continuous fall in the price of sugar arising from the
keen competition of sugar produced from beetroot.
(</.) The financial embarrassment of many of the planters, owing to their
working on borrowed capital bearing a high rate of interest, which,
with the working expenses, is entirely chargeable to the small area of
cultivated land.
(e.) The disastrous drought of the last two years which has seriously
diminished the production of sugar, the export for 1888 being not
more than one-half what it was in 1887 ; and the prospect of an
equally diminished output f»r the present year, owing to the continued
drought, the rain having come too late to insure a full crop for the
coming season.
(/.) A general want of confidence on the part of monetary institutions in
the sugar industry, arising from the foregoing circumstances, and the
probability of the keen competition of the beetroot sugar continuing
for some time to come.
16. As to the means to be adopted for reviving and maintaining the pros- su»usfar
perity of the sugar industry throughout the colony T find the question one ofSt"^
extreme difficulty. The planters themselves, in the more Northern portions of thefndiK yo1
colony, ask to be supplied a\ ith cheap and reliable labour, and for a reciprocity
treaty to be entered into with the Australasian colonies. Oil both of these questions,
as I have already pointed out, there is a strong conflict of opinion. %n the first
suggested remedy Parliament has pronounced an emphatic opinion, and has passed
a statute limiting the time when the cheap, reliable labour asked for is to cease and
determine. The reciprocity treaty is a question of public policy which must be
solely determined by the Legislature. From the present depressed condition of the
sugar industry, in all countries where sugar is manufactured from cane, it is clear
that the depression is not confined to Queensland alone. The sugar planters in
the West Indies have almost been ruined by the extreme competition of beetroot-
sugar, although in (hose islands they have an abundance of coloured labour.
Fronde, in his recent work on the West Indian Islands, mentions the case of a
plantation in Jamaica, valued by the owners at £60,000, but £12,000 could not be
obtained for it. Even in countries where cheap labour is easily obtainable, such as
Java, Mauritius, and Natal, the depression exists, and is likely to continue ; nor
have any means been suggested by which in other countries" any relief cau be
applied. The aholit iou of the bounty system was one measure of relief proposed by
the Government of Great Britain, at the International Sugar Conference at Loudon,
and the terms of the draft convention agreed to practically abolishes the bounty system,
and
LIV.
and tbe convention is to be ratified by the high contracting parties on the 1st of August
of this rear. It is to come into operation on the 1st of August, 1890, and to remain in
force for ten years. Great expectations are formed that the abolition of the bounty
system will assist the sugar industry of the British colonics, and it is in this direction,
• we think, where relief will be partially aifordcd. I am also of opinion, after
careful and mature deliberation, that a great deal of the capital which is invested
in the sugar industry, and which has come from places outside of Queensland,
will necessarily be lost, ani all that the Legislature can do to assist the planters
will not prevent it. In my opinion many of the plantations are hopelessly enciMn-
bered, and the same fate which has overtaken the Ilamleigh plantation must
of necessity, in the course of time, overtake others. However much we may regret
such a result, and sympathise with those involved in it, there does not appear to he
any alternative. When the plantations are not worked on borrowed capital, and
when there are no heavy burdens on the estates in the form of accumulated interest,
then I think there may be an opportunity of making the sugar industry more
proiitable than it is at present. For the smaller growers, as I have already
intimated, I believe the central mill system, if conducted on well-defined principles,
will prove an ultimate success.
17. In the districts situated between Port Douglas and Mackay, including
Townsville, the Herbert River, the Johnstone, and the Russell, I directed my
attention very largely to the subject of tropical agriculture. It is quite apparent
that a very large area of the coast lands in these districts is adapted for the growth
of tropical fruits. Bananas, mangoes, and pineapples grow with the utmost pro-
fusion, and if properly cultivated and some more satisfactory means could be adopted
for their shipment to all the Australian capitals, there is certainly a great field for
the opening up of a large and impoi"tant industry. In the Port Douglas district we
visited the garden of Mr. Montgomery, which is situated on the Mowbray River. It
may fairly be taken as a test illustration of what can be done in tropical agriculture
with scientific knowledge and careful culture. Mr. Montgomery's selection com-
prises an area of 16# acres. It is nearly all under cultivation, a veiy large proportion
bearing fruit trees of every description. The mango trees on this selection were
very numerous and were loaded with fruit ; in fact it is no exaggeration to say that
tons of mangoes were lying on the ground rotting for want of a market. The mango
is a fruit which ripens quickly and requires rapid transit in order that it may reach
the market in a saleable condition and yield proiitable returns to the grower. If this
desirable rcsultcouldbeachieved, then undoubtedly hundreds of cases of mangoes would
ee besenttoall the large centresof population on thecoast. In the district of Port Douglas,
limes, oranges, bananas, and man goes grow luxuraintly and the yield is very heavy,
but in all cases the great difficulty the grower has to contend with is that of reaching
a market, and this applies not only to markets by way of the sea, but also to those
reached by means of internal communication. Many of the farmers reside in localities
where theroadsarc ina very primitive condition, and where the difficulties of conveying
their produce to market are almost insurmountable. While in the Cairns district,
I was informed by one selector from the Russell River that he even offered nearly
1,000 bushels of maize to anyone who would take it away, but such is the condition of
that district, so far as the roads are concerned, that no one would accept the offer,
and he had to set fire to the crop {vide question 2261). In Port Douglas the selectors
labour under similar disadvantages, and the question arises how their position can
be remedied ? The roads are under the care of divisional boards, but the revenue
derived from rates is so small that, even with the Government endowment, it g-oes a
very little way indeed in putting the roads in anything like a satisfactory condition.
Many of the larger streams are bridgcless, and arc likely to continue so unless some
special provision is made by Parliament to assist the boards to bridge them. Agri-
cultural settlement cannot be advanced, nor can the area of land cultivated increase,
unless better provision is made and larger facilities are provided for the transit of
produce to a profitable market. So far as we could gather from the evidence of the
witnesses, scarcely any of the farmers or selectorsjin the Port Douglasdistrict were mak-
ing anything more than a bare living. Indeed, one of the most enterprising of their
number, and one who has spent ten years in proving to demonstration what the
district is capable of producing, informed us that he expected eveiy moment to be
turned
IV.
turned out of his selection by those who held his title deeds. The banana yields a Kmeuifie
large crop, and if the fruit could he disposed of to advantage would unquestionably give SSVo
a large profit, but we learned from the witnesses examined at Port Douglas and Cairns ™ T '
that the difficulties of shipment, and the mode in which the fruit is carried to market —
unless speedily altered— are likely to lead to the discontinuance of the growth of the
article. I was informed that in December last, a week or two preceding Christ-
mas, bananas to the value of £300 or £400 were shipped from Port Douglas by the
" Cintra," expressly to meet the Sydney and Melbourne markets at Christmas time.
The Sydney fruit arrived in a tolerably fair condition, but that consigned to Melbourne
was perfectly rotten on arrival, and the consignees refused to accept it; the result
was a dead loss to the shippers. Complaints were also made by Mr. Mont- meitof
gomcry and others in the Port Douglas district of the loss of fruit by m
pilfering on the voyage. Mr. Daniel Hart stated in his evidence that out
of forty cases of oranges that he sent to Brisbane twelve cases were completely
empty when they were received by the consignee. Nor is this evidence at all
exceptional ; the bulk of the testimony given by the principal growers of the North
was one continuous story of losses by bad treatment on board the vessels, and
of losses by pilfering, and to such an extent has it been carried on that many
of the growers have discontinued shipping, and allow their fruit to rot in the
gardens. The result has been that the progress of the fruit growing industry in the
North has been greatly retarded, and the employment of labour seriously interfered
with; and it has also tended to create a feeling of dissatisfaction in the minds of those
already settled on the lands of the North, and a belief that it is useless for them
to remain there, but that they had better go to other places where a market is more
easy of access, and where their productions when grown will receive better treatment
at the hands of shippers and others. An explanation in connection with the shipping
of fruit to the southern colonies was obtained from the manager of the A.U.S.N.
Company, who was examined, and whom I felt it my duty to make acquainted
with the serious nature of the allegations which had been made by Northern fruit
growers. That gentleman admitted that many of the complaints were not ground-
less, but stated that everything the company could do to mitigate the evil had been
tried, and he was in expectation that other remedies would yet be applied with the
view of putting a stop to the stealing of fruit on the up and down trips of coastal
steamers, but unfortunately he did not deal with the greater question of the more
rapid transit of fruit to the large centres of population.
18. Banana growing is an important industry of Fiji, and regularly steamers m b»n» D
arrive at the ports of Sydney and Melbourne with cargoes of from 15,000 to 25,000 lra
bunches, and these come into active competition with the Queensland grown bananas.
It is of importance to the Queensland grower, if his industry is to be at all a
successful one, that his fruit should arrive in the Sydney and Melbourne markets in
an equally sound condition as the bananas imported from Fiji. But herein lies
the difficulty : the distance of Fiji from Sydney is 2,000 miles ; there is only one
port of call in the whole distance, and the fruit on the steamers is in no way interfered
with from the time of its being placed on board the steamer until it is
landed at the port of Sydney, and the voyage only occupies seven days.
The distance from Port Douglas to Melbourne is a little over 1,800 miles,
and owing to the numerous ports of call, and the delay of two days in Brisbane
and two days in Sydney, very •f'ten with five or six transhipments, the voyage
occupies fourteen days, and the Queensland bananas arrive at the market iu the con-
dition above described. Thus it will be seen what enormous shipping advantages
the Fiji grower has over the grower in Queensland, and how necessary it is that some
very decisive action should be taken if the banana industry of the North is to be at
all lostcred and encouraged ; and we have no hesitatiou in saying that, outside of
sugar growing, it is one of the greatest industries of the Northern districts, and is
capable of unlimited expansion provided that proper means are employed to convey
the fruit to market. The banana is capable of being made up in different ways. On
the Daintrec lUver there is a banana drying establishment, which is producing an
excellent article of trade that commands a ready sale in the market. At the Hamble-
don plantation the Messrs. Swallow have erected a large fruit drying establishment
capable of preserving 5100 bananas a day, and they arc also about to preserve this fruit
in
LVI.
in syrup as well as in boxes in a dry state, not unlike that of the Turkish lis,', so
that with the various methods in which the banana can be converted into articles of
commerce there is an uulimitcd field fur its culture, and with proper facilities for
conveying it to market it can be made one of the most useful and profitable inclus-
umm. lemon., tries that Queensland possesses. It is also to be remarked that limes aud lemons
and oranges grow luxuriantly. The limes, which in the West Indies form a most
important article of trade, are allowed in the North to go to waste, simply because
there is no market for them, and the same may be said of the lemon and the orange.
One or two witnesses stated that they had tried to open up a trade with the dis-
posers of fruit in the city of Brisbane* and a few consignments were made to them,
but the result was not at all satisfactory, and the experiment is not likely to be
repeated under present conditions. They feel the need of a central depot
in Brisbane, to which their fruit could be sent and disposed of at times
when the market is ready for it. and not be placed in an auction room
immediately after being received, and sold at any price, no matter what the conse-
quences may be to the grower. The evidence on this point is very strong indeed,
and deserves the utmost consideration. The area of land fit for the cultivation of
tropical fruits in the coast districts north of Mackay is practically unlimited, and
there is room for the settlement of a large industrial population to be engaged in
^ oi the fruit industry, if only proper facilities can be provided for conveying the fruit to
f«m" fi8 ior market. It is clear, however, that unless some assistance is given to the farmers
tSm2i«. ru " and selectors hi the Northern districts who are engaged in tropical agriculture in the
form of better roads and bridges over creeks and rivers, and facilities for shipping
their fruit quickly and speedily to the various centres of population, very little pro-
gress will be made in the North in the direction of tropical industries. The present
selectors are the pioneers of civilisation in those districts ; they are opening uplands
which have been practically cUsed to the white population ; they arc enduring all
the trials, difficulties, and privations which are incidental to early settlement, and on
these grounds I respectfully submit that they are entitled to the most favourable
consideration of Your Excellency's Advisers and the Legislature. At the same time
I quite admit that neither the Government nor the Parliament can do everything.
Those who receive large sums of money from the Northern districts in the shape of
freight on produce, have a fair aid just claim on them to consider their constituents.
The Northern trade of the colony is virtually in the hands of one company, presumedly
influential and wealthy, and if they desire to foster the trade of the North, and
encourage the settlement of population there, and induce settlement on the public
lands so as to increase their commercial enterprise, then they are bound to consider
what are the best means they can adopt to assist those who are already there and who
are opening up the resources of a hitherto comparatively unknown country.
^4«}S d tropic ( ti ^ n m e West Indian Islands where the depression in the sugar industry is
. r S^£? h0 *°' l ar S el y fel^ attention has been directed to the cultivation of tropical fruits, and* to
the enormous market which Mew York presented tor their consumption. The climate
of the West Indies is identical with that of Northern Queensland, and the same fruits
which are grown in the West Indies are grown in the Northern coast districts of
Queensland. The shipping companies trading between the AVcst Indies and New
York have given every facility possible for the conveyance of tropical fruits from the
West Indian Islands. They have prepared many of 'their steamers especially for the
carriage of fruit, the bananas instead of being stored in holds or packed on the deck
eight or ten feet high, as we saw tlicm hi some of the steamers in the North oi' this
colony, rendering them in a very short time totally untit for market, are placed in
racks, so that not one bunch presses on another, and full ventilation is afforded. The
cases are also arranged in such a way that pillage is impossible, and the safety of the
cargo is thoroughly insured. The result is that a trade has been opened up between
the At est Indian Islands and New York, which is now assuming large proportions,
and is likely to lead to the most beneficial results as far as the popidation of the West
Indian Islands is concerned. It is my opinion that if the fruit industrv of the North
is to be established on a permanent basis, and a large population is to* be encouraged
to settle on its rich coast lands, the following improvements will have to be
effected : —
*
«c?«»?' i" ( a '^ establishment of one or more quick-going steamers specially fitted
r u »Ler »nd for the carriage of fruit, open and in cases, to call at the various ports north nf
develop tropical . . R_ , ,- ■» . 1 O i „ • „ Ui
qmmJimii ' -«- ac * a yj an( l ^en proceed direct to Melbourne and bydney , carrying fruit, passeng e rs J
and
LVH.
and mails. As already pointed out the voyage from Fiji to Sydney occupies seven
days, and the fruit from the Fiji Islands is thus landed in a profitable market in a
sound marketable condition. At present the fruit from the North of Queensland has
to undergo a journey of fourteen days, and in its then frequently rotten and
unwholesome condition has to compete with the sound saleable fruit of the Fijian
Islands. Ey lessening the time for the steamers to travel between the tropical fruit-
growing districts in the N orth, and the large centres of consumption in the South, the
fruit will arrive in an excellent condition, and will thus be in a position to compete
with the tropical fruits from Fiji. Steamers specially told ofi' for the conveyance of
tropical fruit would, I believe, be largely supported by the Northern people, and
the knowledge that such a vast improvement in the conveyance of fruit would
take place would give a great stimulus to the industry, would not only encourage
those who have already invested their capital in the enterprise, but would also lead
to larger areas of land being placed under fruit, and thus add materially to the
resources of the Northern districts. For a time I believe it would pay the colony —
even if the trade itself did not prove payable — to subsidise one or more steamers
until the fruit industry of the North is sufficiently developed to create a remunerative
sea trade.
(6.) Assistance to be rendered to the poorer divisions of the North, whose
revenues are necessarily small and who are unable, owing to the large area of their
roads and the nature of the country— frequently low-lying, and in the wet season, in
many cases, covered with water — to form roads sufficiently passable to admit of the con-
veyance of the produce of the farms to the seaport towns. And also liberal assistance
towards the erection of bridges over many of the rivers and creeks which now render
settlement on the public lands in many places almost impossible. The condition of
the roads and streams surrounding selections is a serious drawback to the pros-
perity of those who have already taken up agricultural lands. The evidence of the
selectors on the Mossman and Mowbray Rivers at Port Douglas, on the Russell
and Mulgrave Rivers at Cairns, and on the Herbert River, clearly proves that
unless assistance of some kind in the direction indicated is given, further settlement
in those districts will practically cease. At present the cost of conveying produce
to the port of deportation is a serious charge upon the farmers and fruit growers,
and in many instances the fruit is allowed to rot on the ground rather than extra
expense should he incurred in sending it to market, and the same remarks will apply
to agricultural produce. It costs farmers on the Herbert River £2 5s. a ton to send
their produce down to Townsvillc, while the freight for a similar distance by railway
would not amount to more than 5s. or 6s. a ton. The Northern farmers arc thus most
seriously handicapped in the matter of freight, and considering that the whole of
them have to compete against imported produce from the Southern colonies, which
is carried hy sea at a very low rate, the difficulties of their position can be well
understood ; in fact, it is clear from the evidence, and a close personal inspection of
the districts named, that unless means are adopted to lessen the cost of carriage of
both fruit and agricultural produce to market, the progress of agriculture and fruit
growing in those districts will be very seriously retarded, and may probably cease
altogether.
19. A very large proportion of the Noi-thern districts is of recent settlement, Experimental
and the farmers who have selected land or have purchased considerable areas, as fl,m «-
many of them have done, have not a practical knowledge of what the land is
capable of growing. The fruit grown in the North is distinct altogether from that
grown in the temperate zones, where most of the farmers have previously resided,
and consequently there is a great lack of information as to what the tropical regions
are capable of producing. From the evidence of Mr. Daniel Hart and Mr.
Montgomery, and other practical farmers like them, it is evident that coffee can
be profitably grown in the North ; but there is a want of knowledge as to the proper
method of growing it, and also of manufacturing it into coffee when it is grown.
The lime, the orange, the lemon, and the citron can also be grown there with the
utmost profusion, but practical information is required as to the best varieties to be
grown, the diseases to which these fruit trees are liable, and the remedies to be
applied to ward ofF the attacks of their enemies. I am, therefore, of opinion that
two or more experimental farms should be established in the Northern districts,
in charge of thoroughly practical men, well versed in tropical agriculture, and
able to impart valuable theoretical and practical information to the farmers and
e selectors
liVUI.
«»Ucled In tbe
North an 4
MOcouplfd.
selectors as to what articles of commercial value can be grown most profitably. It
was impossible to visit the various farms in the different districts of the North without
being struck in many instances with the primitive mode of cultivation adopted
with regard to tropical fruit-growing — a fair indication that there was wanting
that practical and scientific information by which alone success can be attained in
any kind of agriculture. I believe that the establishment of two or more
experimental farms in tbe Northern districts would be of incalculable value to
those who have made these districts their homes, and who are desirous of
becoming permanent colonists. There is, without question, an unlimited field for
the growth of tropical fruits ; the soil is rich, and the area of land adapted for the
cultivation of fruit trees is practically unlimited, and, with the adoption of the means
we have already suggested, we believe there is a great future for the North so far as
tropical fruit growing is concerned. Almost without exception, the whole of the
witnesses- — and some of them were very practical, hard-headed men, accustomed to
agriculture from their youth — admitted the absolute necessity for experimental farms
in their various localities in order that the best information obtainable should be
afforded them as to what can be grown most profitably. In the West Indian Islands —
more particularly in Jamaica — the Government have established what are known
there as " Botanical Stations, 3 ' and they have proved of great value to the tropical fruit
growers of those islands in educatiug them as to the best fruits to be grown, their
mode of culture, their treatment, and how best to dispose of them when they arrive
at maturity. It is our opinion that similar " Botanical Stations," placed in charge
of thoroughly practical men who have a well-grounded knowledge of the cultivation
of tropical fruits, would be of immense value to the farmers in the Northern districts,
and materially assist them in the carrying out of their industry.
20. I cannot close this Report without drawing the attention of the Gov-
ernment and the Legislature to the enormous area of unoccupied lands in the
Northern districts, which, from the evidence of many witnesses, is a serious drawback
to the progress of settlement and to the further selection of land. In the Port
Douglas district there are 56,384 acres of land selected, but there are only 3,000
acres under cultivation. On the Daintree River, for twenty-three miles on cither
side, the land has all been selected, but it remains unoccupied, and there are only
four resident homestead selectors in the whole of that distance. In the Cairns
district there arc 80,000 acres selected, and the total area of land under cultivation
does not amount to more than 5,51)0 acres, and it is estimated that there arc not
more than 3,000 acres in the whole district outside of sugar under cultivation. In
the Ingham district, which includes the Herbert River, there are 202,161 acres
selected, of which area 5,933 acres are under cane, and only 400 acres under culti-
vation other than by cane. It is estimated that in this district there are at least
120,000 acres made freehold, and these freeholds are practically unoccupied. In
the Townsvillc district, which includes the Burdekin Delta, there are 272,064 acres
selected ; the area of land imder cultivation by sugar is 2,240 acres ; under cultiva-
tion otherwise than by sugar, 450 acres. In the Mackay district there are 420,520
acres selected, of which 24,302 acres are under cultivation, 17,422 being under sugar
cane, and the balance under cultivation other than by cane. It is estimated that in
the Mackay district there are 14t,000 acres made freehold, and not now occupied.
Most of these lands have been selected on the various streams of the Northern
districts. On the Herbert River it is estimated that from Ingham to a distance of
thirty miles west of the town, the whole of the laud has been selected on cither side
of the river. On tbe Mossman, the Mowbray, the Russell, the Mulgrave, and the
Tully the same thing has occurred, and it was the opinion of witnesses that the
taking up of these large areas with water frontages bad rendered a large extent of
Iback country comparatively useless, and retarded settlement in the North very
hiaterially. I admit that this question is outside the Commission, but the facts
adduced in evidence were so strikiug that I could not refrain from specially
tlluding to them in this Report.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's most obedient Servant,
W. H. GROOM,
Chairman of the Suyar Industry Commission.
MINUTES
Parliamentary Buildings,
11th April, 1889.
1889.
QUEENSLAND.
SUGAR INDUSTRY COMMISSION.
MINUTJES #F EVIDENCE
TAKEN BEFOBE
THE ROYAL COMMISSION
APPOINTED TO
INQUIRE INTO THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN
QUEENSLAND, AND TO REPORT UPON THE CAUSES WHICH HAVE LED TO
THE PRESENT LANGUISHING CONDITION 01* THE INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT
THE COLONY, THE BUST MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR REVIVING AND
MAINTAINING ITS PROSPERITY, AND, GENERALLY, UPON THE PROSPECTS
OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE IN QUEENSLAND.
'I HUBS DAY, 19 JANUARY, 1889.
(At Port Douglas.)
PaESENT:
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. 1L GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the^Chair.
Akthue Edwabd PsrwjJLL examined :
1. You are Acting Sub-collector of diatoms at Port Douglas ? Yes.
2. Are jou able to give die Comiuissiou any statistical in lor motion, sucli as the returns of the exports A. E. Pywell.
of agricultural produce and fruit from this district ? Yes ; of all the exports for 1888, if you only ✓*™*^ v ^~\
want the larger items, not the smaller. 10 Jan.. 1889.
3. Will you kindly state them ? Bananas : 35,124 bunches, valued at £'1,125 ; 41 cases, valued at £51 ;
sugar : 366 tons 19 cwt. (jrs., valued at £7,331 ; pineapples i 253 cases, valued at £197 ; passion-fruit :
27'cases, valued at £17.
4 By Mr. King : Is the sugar the produce of the Port Douglas District? Yes; of a few small
plantations.
5. By the Chairman : Were there any mangoes sent away ? ifes ; but not in any quantity, only five or
six cases.
6. By Mr. King : More than that ? Not in the exports. 1 have returns of the products of the district
exported beyond the colony, but not of the produce exported to other ports in Queensland. I mn let
you have the other returns to-morrow.
s 7. By
MINOTES Of EVIDENCE TAKES' BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
E. Pywell. 7_ By Mr. Coioley : Is there any sugar being exported from the Mossman ? No.
" — — \ 8. Bi/ the Chairman : Are you, as Sub-collector of Customs, able to give an account of the agricultural
Jen., 1889. produce of the district, and of the exports of produce from Port Douglas to Brisbane aud the various
other Queensland ports? L cannot give you any more than the exports beyond the colony.
9. What has become of maize-growing in Port Douglas ? That will be shown in the district returns.
10. By Mr. Cowley : Do you know of any farming that is being carried on ? No ; I have only been here
during the past two years.
11. By Mr. King : What prices are derived by the "growers for those exports and products ? I could
not tell you that.
12. Do you know what freights are charged for the conveyance of this fruit ? I don't know.
13. By Mr. Cowley : Do you think that facilities afforded for the export of produce are sufficient? I
think so.
14. JS y Mr. King: Have vou had no complaints from owners of produce, of the want of proper
accommodation :' No ; I have had n» complaints.
15. By the Chairman : Do you think that the growers of fruit are satisfied with the returns they receive
for it ? T think growers are.
16. By Mr. King : Can you state what the nationality of the growers of fruit is principally ? Is fruit
growing carried on by Europeans or Chinamen? Chiefly Chinamen.
17. Is there any export of oranges, limes, or lemons ? Very little.
18. Do you know whether any tropica! product such as coffee, tobaee*, and rice, or any other kind is
cultivated in the district ? I think a little coffee is grown at Dan Mart's.
19. Where is that ? Ou the Mossman.
20. Do you know whether the growing of that coffee is a success ? I do not know whether it turned out
a success or not. I tasted some of the coffee and it made me feel very ill. I only tried it once.
21. By the Chairman .- You say you have been in this district two years? Two years in April.
22. Do you think that if any encouragement were given by legislation for the growth of tropical fruits,
that advantage would be taken of it in the district ? I believe so. There is line laud for fruit on the
Daintree. The facilities for shipping fruit are against its production.
23. When Mr. Cowley asked you just now a question with regard to the matter of shipping, the point
which we wanted elicited was to hear from you, as officer in charge of the Customs here, whether you
thought that the f acilitie* for export weresuch as to encourage the growth of the articles already referred
to ? I meant in connection with getting the products of the Mossman here.
24. In your opinion at present it is not sufficient? I can't speak from experience ; I have not been long
enough here.
25. Have you heard any of the growers say that if larger facilities were afforded them they would be
tiraulated to grow more thau they do now ? Tes. I think they would.
26. Is the mango a fruit that grows well in this district? Tes ; very well.
27. Is it sent away from this district to Queensland ports, and to ports other than those in this colony ?
It is sent to Brisbane and Melbourne.
28. By Mr. Cowley : In those returns you produced you point out that there are only five or six cases of
mangoes sent away from the colony? Mangoes are sent away in very small i|uantities from here.
29. Are there many seut to Sydney, or to Melbourne, or to Brisbane, or to Northern ports such as Norman-
ton ? No ; only to Brisbane aud Melbourne.
30. B y the Chairman : Do you know if any rice has been grown in this district? Tes; rice has been
grown here.
31. Successfully? I think so, on the Daintree.
32. Do you know if any has been exported from this port? Yes; some rico has been exported. The
amount will be in the district returns.
33. By Mr. Cowley : If you have not visited the places you cannot tell us much about the farms ? No.
34. Can you tell us from y«ur own knowledge what labour is used? No.
[The following is the return supplied hy the ivitiiess, shewing the quantity of produce exported from
Fort Douglas during 1888 to other ports in Queensland'] : —
Fbodtjce of the Poet Dotjqi.vs District removed Coastwise from the Poet of Port Dougi^s for the Year
ended 31st Decejibkh, 1888.
Articles.
(inantitr.
Orates
Lem«ns
Rice
Fruit (undescribed) ...
5 tons
99 cases
361 „
- ' „
(35 „
£
12.5
12
239
297
DO „
If) Ions 5 cwt.
120 cases
24 „
2* „
ii5
22i
120
Cocoa . .
Maize ...
Bananas
Ducks ...
F.wla ...
o,y<i\i Dusnei
■1,521 bunches
lti cases
35 ..
15
15
3«
914
340
25
51
A. E. PYWELL, Acting S.-C.
Hi CHARD
THE OENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
3
Richard Owen Jones, called in and examined :
35. By the Chairman : "What are you, Mr. Jones ? I am a farmer. I have been a farmer for the last R- O. Joue:.
eight years on the Mossman in this district, and I am now a produce merchant in Port Douglas. /■~ , *^- A --*"~>i
36. Do you still carry on your farm in connection with your business? No, I do not ?it present. 10 Jan., l88y.
37. What articles of produce do you principally deal with in your business ? Principally maize.
38. I am speaking of the local produets, not of the produce you import ? Exactly.
30. About how much maize do you deal with in the course of a year ? About 400 tons pass through my
bands.
40. Do you deal with any fruit ? Yes, principally bananas, mangoes, and oranges.
41. Can you give us any idea of how many you deal with in the course of a year, or their value? Yes.
Bananas in bunches — about 8,000 a year.
42. Mangoes ? From 4*0 to 500 cases.
4:3. Where do the mangoes go to chiefly from Port Douglas? To Brisbane, Sydney, and various other
Southern towns.
44. You say you have been a farmer in 5 this district for eight years ? Yes.
45. Are you well acquainted witli the l ands all round the district ? Yes, for miles.
4fi. Is the land adapted fur the growing of maize ? Yes ; but I do not think that the climate is particu-
larly suitable.
47. By Mr. King : What is the average price of maize per bushel ? About 3s. 6d. per bushel.
45. "What is the average yield per acre on the farms? I think about twenty-live bushels.
49. Not more than twenty-live bushels ? I think n»t. It is occasionally a complete failure. In good
seasons the average is from twenty -five to forty bushels per acre, and there are exceptional cases when
it sometimes goes as high as eighty bushels pe r acre.
-50. How many crops a year do they get ? As a rule, two; but in some cases, where everything is favour-
able, you get three. The land has always been in crop, except in exceptional cases like this year, when
we have had so much drought.
51. Is the maize grown here consumed in the district, or exported to other parts ? All consumed iu this
district. We have exported nothing to speak of this year.
52. Is the cultivatiou of maize increasing in this district ? No. It has been decreasing for the past two
years.
53. What is the reason for that ? Maize is principally grown by the Chinese, and they work only with
the hoe. After the first two or three years of maize growing the grass gets iuto the ground, and as it cannot
be kept under, the maize crop is of no account. It would require to be ploughed after the first three years
to profitably grow maize.
54. Why do not the Europeans grow maize ? At the end of the three years scrubbing and burning off
all the principal stumps are still left in the ground, and it means a heavy expense to grub it. All the
land under cultivation is scrub country.
55. Then Europeans will not grow maize unless the ground is fit for the plough ? I don't say that ; but
they cannot afford the expeuse of grubbing at the rate of £15 or £20 per acre, and theyallowthe Chinese
to grow it for them by Uoo For t wo or three years longer.
56. Then Europeans won't cultivate with the hoe? They can't make a living by it; neither can the
Chinese themselves after the grass gets into the ground.
57. By Mr. Cowley : Sometimes the crop entirely fails. — What is the cause of that ? Either extreme
«lxy or extreme wet weal her.
58. Do you actually get three crops off the same soil ? Yes ; — that is, off the same ground. To 4o so
the Chinese plant fresh crops between the rows of growing maize, and as they are getting the fi rst crop
off the other is coming through the ground.
59. Have yon any land stumped and ploughed in the district ? Yes.
60. The scrub laud I mean? Yes. ATr. Montgomerie, of Mayfield, on the Mowbray, has, I think, about
IGO acres. There is also I think, about 80 acres cleared at Bnbne.
61. Do you say that of your own knowledge ? I know of two farms at Saltwater Creek, but that is
forest country, largely timbered, but it is suitable for coru growing.
62. Where the lands are ploughed, are they in the hand.? of the white farmers still? All those lands are
in the hands of white farmers.
63. You tell us that the Chinese are on the land ? Yes, but the land is in the hands of the whites.
64. How is the land ploughed — what labour is used? White labour.
65. What has become of the farm you worked for eight years ? Have you leased it to anyone ? A
portion is leased on a clearing lease to the Chinese.
66. By Mr. King .- What rental do you get for those leases ? The reutal is simply a matter of form. I
f^ot Is. an acre for live years for laud not cleared of scrub, aud during these live years the Chinese have
to fall the scrub aud burn it off, by the end of the fourth year, and all permanent improvements fall back
to me at the end of the lease.
67. Is the scrub very heavy on those farms ? Yes, very he/ivy as a rule, some are covered principally
with "lawyer vine," and very heavily timbered.
68. About what price per acre does it cost to burn off ready for planting ? If you use blacks at low
wages it will cost £10 per acre.
69. I do not mean burning every log. What is the cost of felling and burning ready for the plough,
suppose you intended to put in a crop of cane ? It cost at Bribrie £10 an acre to prepare the ground for
planting cane, and then a number of logs were left.
70. What would it cost to stump the land ready for the plough ? To fall the scrub and put it under
crop the same year it could not be done for less than from £25 to £30 per acre.
71. By Mr. Cowley: After three years' cropping, would then the cost be materially lessened? Yes;
very much.
72. How much would it cost to get it ready for the plough after the three years during which you say
you crop the land — I meau to stump the land already cleared? About £5 an acre if you employed white
labour at present rates. 73. Do
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE UOYAI, COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
73. Do you think you could stump land for £5 an acre after three years with white labour? I thiuk so.
74. Do you know of any such land having been let by eontraut by white labour ? No ; but I am judging
• from the number of l*gs to be cleared on my own land.
73. Do you know of any let by contract in the district— have you done so— to white men ? No ; I have
not.
76. Then £5 is simply an estimate; you can't speak from aetual experience? Yes ; only an estimate.
77. By Mr. King : \Vhat are the wages paid to white mea for farm work? From 30s. to £2 per week.
78. Including rations? Yes ; if you expect a man to work. Tou can get what i3 known as "a bailiff"
simply to reside on the land and comply with the clauses of the Land Act at from £1 to 30s. a week
without rations.
79. Were you farming iu this district ? Yes.
80. Did you employ any other labour besides yourself ? Yes ; but not very largely.
81. What class of labour did you employ ? Black, white, and almost whatever I could get.
82. Did you have any trouble in getting enough for your requirements ? \es.
83. By black labour do you mean aboriginal uatives ? No; I have employed the aboriginals natives on
one or two occasions.
84. Do they work in this district at all ? No ; with the exception of getting firewood for the towns-
people.
85. Then it is South Sea Island labour you employ ? Yes.
86. Where the South Sea Islanders "time expired" or "indented" direct to you? They were men
whose time had expired.
87. "What rate of wages do you pay tiiose men ? From 15s. to 25s. per week with board.
88. "Were these good men and able to work ? Yes ; the South Sea Islaud labourer is the best we can
get here.
89. Do they give you much trouble in management ? No ; none at all.
90. What wages do you pay to Chinese labourers ? £1 a week with rations.
91. Have you had any new chums lately ? Yes ; I had one or two.
92. Are they able at first to attend to the work ? Well, no ; they don't seem to stand the sun.
93. Does it affect their health? I can't say that it affects their health. They won't allow it to affect
their health ; they have too high an opinion of themselves to work so as to allow it to do so.
94. By the Chairman : When you employed kanakas at from 15s. to 2os. a week, could you have obtained
white labour ? Sometimes I eould ; not on all occasions.
95. What price would you havepaid for white labour? I would hare had to pay at the most 30s. a week,
and it would take an average of two white men to do the work of one kanaka.
96. Then is it for cheapness or otherwi se, that you employ the kanaka in preference to the white man ?
No; not cheapness, chieily. If I could get white men I would do so — but not for the exlra work I can
get out «f them ; kit because they are more easily indulged and in»re reliable, I prefer the kanaka. I
would be sure to have tie kanaka!" for a definite time, but would never be pure of the European. If a
rush takes place, or the rumour of a rush was heard, the Europeans are off, even if they had £2 or £3
coming to l.hein.
97. I understood you to say that you were acquainted with the district round your farm pretty well? Yes.
98. "What elae can the district grow besides maize, mangoes and bauauas ? It grows rie« well. I can
show you samples of locally-grown rice.
99. Can you give the Commission any information on liee growing? Yes.
100. Who grows the rice iu this district? I have to go bade to the Chinaman for that.
101. '['he Chinamen grow it ? Yes.
1.02. In quantities ? Yes.
103. To what extent ? Well, the only year that any quantity had been started was last year. I am
sorry to say it was almost a complete failure on account of the drought.
10-A. Are you ia a position to say, supposing the season had been favourable, and the usual rainfall had
oceurred as in years past, that the rice crop would then have been successful ? Yes.
105. Do you think that the growing of rice in this district has gone beyond the experimental stage? Yes.
106. By Mr. King -. What is the average yield of rice per acre? The only time it was largely grown was
last year.
107. What do you consider a fair average? A Veil, take one year with another, at least one ton of dressed
rice per acre.
108. What price ean be got for that rice? £? 10s. on the ground for undressed rice or paddy.
109. Would there not be more than one ton of paddy to the acre ? The average would be about 25 cw}.
or 30 cwt. of paddy. I have known one particular patch of seven acres which yielded 2§ tons of paddy
to the acre.
110. How many crops of rice can be taken in a year ? #nly one. Alternate crops can be grown on the
same ground.
111. By the Chairman : Do you get any frosts iu this district ? No.
1 12. By Mr. Cowley : Is rice straw at all a commercial article for forage ? Yea.
1 13. Is it. sold np here in any quantity ? We have sold it in a small way as chaff.
] l'K Then farmers look upon it as a source of revenue in addition to tho rice itself ? Yes.
115. Have you grown any yourself? No; excepting that, as I have said before, the Chinese on my
selection do so.
11(5. Is there any machinery in the district for cleaning rice ? I have one myself.
117. Is it a huller ? Yi-s; a huller, a separator, aud polisher.
118. Do you hull and cleau rice for people ? No; tho machine is only a small one, and I only dres3
what I have bought from Chinamen.
11 9. Is there any one in the district who would dress rice for the fanners and growers if they had no
mills of their own ? J would dress it for them myself if they ehose to send it. All the Chinese have
mills of their own.
120. By the Chairman : Have any Europeans tried to grow rice in this district? No; I think not. If
they liavedone so it is on a very small seale.
121. Are
THE GRSERAL CONDITION OP THE ST;»AB. TSTDUSTnT FN" QUEEtfBXAITD.
121. Are there any Europeans cultivating their land themselves in this district ? Very few.
122. Can you give any reason why ihey do not cultivate more ? Tes. Labour ia too scarce, dear,
uncertain, and unsuitable. W e cau't get the properclass of labour.
123. Have they tried to get the proper class of labour? Yes.
124. Have the farmers tried to cultivate their farms with what you call the proper labour ? How do you
mean.
125. With the on?v available labour ? Tes, certainly ; I have myself for one.
126. We gather from your evidenee that the bulk of the farms in this distriet are under cultivation by
Chinamen. What 1 desire to elicit from you, it' I can, is the reason why the Europeans do not cultivate
the land here ? For the reason I have just given you.
127. Why does it occur r The cost of labour is too great. The majority of those who settle on the land
have not much money to spare ; it takes them about £10 an acre to make the land ready before they can
get a crop in, and that means a considerable expense to start with. A fanner instead of laying out £3i0
or £100, which he cannot spare eveu if he has it, tan get a number of Chinamen to lease the ground from
him for three or four years, during which time they clear it, and then hand it over to him ready for the
plough. r PLat ia the reason why the laud is at present in the hands of Chinamen ; and although the land
is now in the hands of Chinamen, 1 do not think there will be many Chinese here in two years' time.
128. Then, are the farms on theDaintree River — the scrub lands along its banks — selected with the view
of being let to Chinamen under the terms just named ? When the lands were selected there was nothing
knowu or thought of with regard to letting them to Chinamen. That is a matter of comparatively recent
date. Everyoue wanted to utilise his own land himself — I myself, in common with others ; but sugar fell
in value, and to cap all, Griffith put a set on the black labour question and frightened the people from the
district. There would have been several mills in the district to crush the cane for the small farmers hid
it not been for the black labour scare. I know of one Melbourne syndicate that would ha ve put a mill
on the Mossrnan at thetimethat the general election put Griffith in, and the blaek labour scare frightened
them away. At that time sugar had not fallen much in value, so it was simply the labour questiou thai,
frightened them off.
129. By Mr. Cowley : What d« Chinese pay for cleared land to the landlord ? That I cannot say from
ay own knowledge. I believe that in one or two instauces the landlord obtains as much as 30s. an acre
for only cleared scrub. The Chinese won't have die land at a gift after three or four years.
130. Did farming pay you during the eight years you were en aged in it? Certainly not; I lost every
penny I had.
131. By Mr. Kina : Even when you employed kanaka labour to work it? Ail that time I was only
developing the land, and eveu with kanaka labour it would not pay. When the time came tJiat I had to
pay £L to £1 5s. a week and rations it was too dear. Labour is much dearer here than you can get iu
the South.
132. What did you grow principally yourself ? Maize; and I planted fruit trees.
133. Byj\fr. Cowley: Were you offered a Government central mill h<»re? Yes, a central mill was recom-
mended by Mr. Hodgkinson.
131. Why did you decline it ? Because we could not comply with the conditions.
1135. AVhat particular condition ? The condition that, we objected to was thut we must not employ au v-
thing but European labour in cultivating and crushing sugar.
136. Was that the *ole reason for your declining the offer ? Yes.
137. You hud no objection to mortgage your land to the Government; tho labour question was the only
reason for your ob jecting ? Yes. I would have mortgaged my land to the Government but for the
labour clause in the agreement, and as proposed I kuew the scheme would be a failure and I did not want
to mortgage myself to the Government when I k»ew in my own mind that it would be a, failure.
13S. By the Chairman : Are you able to say from your ow ukuowlcdge of the characterof the soil whether
tea, coffee, or tobacco could be grown here ? Yes.
13!). By Mr. Kiny : Has any attempt been made to do so ? Yes ; coffee could not be a better success.
It has not been grown except in an experimental way.
140. AVhat do you mean by in an experimental way ? Has there been a quarter or hatf-an-acre planted
with coffee ? Yes, about hatf-an-acre was grown on the Mossman by Dau Hart, and without any care
the trees are now perfectly healthy .and laden with berries.
141. By Mr. Ctidey : Does he pick it and clean it and prepare it for market? Yes.
142. By Mr. Kinq : Has an attempt been made to grow tobacco ? Yes, but it was only as an experi-
ment.
143. Doea it grow well ? Yes ; in some kinds of soil. I have it at my place, and it grows all over the
place like a weed.
141. As a produce merchant, you have had something to do with exporting fruit ? Yes.
145. Are the armngemcuts satisfactory ? No ; very unsatisfactory.
14C<. Explain what the growers have found fault "with in the present arrangements ? The shipping
arrangement is the difficulty. There is uo accommodation whatever for fruit, carrying, the same as there
is in the Fiji boats ; and in addition to that, Mr. Walsh, who is the agent for the company, writes across
every shipping receipt a notification that they are not responsible for ullage, which is simply au induce-
ment to the crew to pilfer, This is a great innovation. It was bad enough befoi'e, but in one iustauce
last year I sent forty-five cases of mangoes to Brisbane and thirteen arrived completely empty, and
half of the remainder were more or less damaged.
147. By the Chairman: Did you appeal for redress? No, I did not; because I thought it was more
bother than it was worth to follow it up.
148. By Mr. King : Is there aiiy great loss on those shipments — For instance, you send to au agent, and
when you get in account sales do you find that there are any reductions made on account of unsaleable
fruit? There are very heavy losses. I had a communication this week, aud find that I have lost about £50
in fruit. That was the total loss on two shipments. Want of care in transhipment is the great difficulty
we have to contend with.
149. By Mr. Cowhy : Where was the fruit shipped to ? To Sydney and Brisbane.
150. Is that simply bannuas, or other fruit ? Jananas and mangoes.
151. Were
MIXIJTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES BEFORE TTTE HOTATj COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
). Jones. 151 Were the bananas sent i oose j n bunches ? Yes; and they left here in splendid order.
132. Were the mangoes packed in cases? Yes; all carefully packed. The shipment I suffered most
an., 1889. f r om was sent by the s.s. " Cintra." .
153. Was the loss through the fruit decaying, or bad handling? It was through the fruit decaying.
15 1. Is there any suggestion for remedying this ? Yes.
155. Quicker boats? Yes. . . .
156. Is it the length of the trip that causes so much loss in shipments of fruit ? Yes ; but also the want
of special accommodation for fruit. Instead of bananas being packed up as high as this room on
top of one another, they ought to be put in layers, with battens between them, so as to prevent the
weight of those on top destroying those underneath.
157. If there were specially fitted-up boats— fast-sailing boats— would that be a great inducement to
growers to extend operations ? Yes. I think mangoes and bananas would be more cultivated, and would
be sent to Sydney.
158. In packing mangoes, do you put paper round them or simply place them in a case ? I think it is a
mistake to put paper round them. I have done so myself.
159. How did they do— did they carry better or worse ? Well, they carried right enough. I do not put
paper rouud, because it must do harm by excluding the air.
160. By Mr. King : Arc there any oranges, lemons, or limes grown in this district in any quantity ?
Yes.
161. Arc they grown in quantities for export ? Yes.
162. Do they grow well ? They grow well the first few years ; but I do not think they will be a perma-
nent success, especially the orange, as there is so much disease.
163. Do lemons or limes do any better? Limes do well ; but the lemons are subject to disease, and
languish. ,
16-1. By the Chairmcm : What kind of disease ? I am not versed in the different diseases. It attacks
the bark of the tree ; and there are borers and grubs that attack the roots of the trees, and moths that
destroy the fruit, and a leaf disease.
165. Bij Mr. Cowley : Have you any experienco in orange growing yourself? Yes.
166. Were the orange trees seedlings or grafted ? Both. I have put in trees which were seedlings, and
I have planted seedlings myself.
1G7. Which do you find have done best ? The seedlings.
168. Were the worked trees on lemon stocks or orange stocks ? I can't say for certain ; I believe they
were lemon stocks, because lemon stocks were thought better to graft on. The orange stocks only came
to be acted on lately.
149. Is the seedling tree more or less susceptible to blight than the worked tree ? It is less susceptible
than the grafted tree, but they are both open to about twelve different diseases, more especially the
grafted tree.
170. How long do the seedlings take before they bear ? They bear a little about the fourth year, but
not much.
171. Do tho worked trees bear earlier? Yes; they have fruit in the third year.
172. What is the character of the soil on which your orange trees arc grown — speaking from your own
knowledge? They were always grown on scrub soil.
173. What is the nature of the subsoil? Clayey.
174. By Mr. King : How deep is the clay from the surface? The roots do not get into the subsoil on
scrub land.
175. How deep is it ? It is from six to fifteen feet before you come to tho subsoil ; all scrub soil is in
itself clayey.
176. Is there any market for oranges, lemons, and limes ? No local market.
177. Docs it pay to send them away ? Yes ; if they are properly treated they pay very well, because the
fruit comes on before the Sydney and Brisbane fruit, and is much superior.
178. Is there any establishment here for the preserving of fruit? Yes; Jlr. Stewart has one on the
Daintrcc, and there are two others.
179. Has anyone in the district purchased a Spohn's Evaporator? Yes; Welshman, on the Daintree.has
one. He has a fruit dryer, and I think it is a Spohn's.
180. Some time ago you were speaking aboutleasing land to Chinamen, Have you ever tried leasing it
to white men instead of to Chinamen? Yes.
181. Did any white men lease it from you? No ; none.
182. Is it cleared land ? Yes.
183. Is there any place where white men could lease land, and arc there any facilities offered them for
doing so ? Yes.
181. It! they would do so would the landlord give it to them ? Certainly. The bud I refer to is cleared
land for which Chinamen were giving 30s. au acre. There is a freehold farm on the Mossmun, known .is
Thompson's farm. It is well situated, .and has forty or lit'ty;icr«s cleared. It was offered to the public,
and no one would take it at a gift for twelve months.
185. By the Ckairman : How do you account for that? I think 1 have accounted for it before. The
labour is too scarce and dear.
186. Have you any practical suggestions to offer t» the Commission by which the growth of tropical
fruit could be increased in Port Douglas ? Yes, I think so.
187. Will you kindly do so ? First, by the Government assisting us by pointing out to us by experiment —
by means of experimental farms — what are the kinds of fruit nnd other tropicalcrops most suitable for the
various soils and situations. This has been described by Jlr. McLean just recently.
188. By Mr. Cowley ; Then if an experimental farm was run in this district by the Grovcruineut would the
fanners visit it and avail themselves of tlte information ? Yea. It could be made sclf-supportiu^ or
nearly so after a time. It could be something on au humble scale at first.
189. By Mr. King : Do you know the various settlers up here? Yes.
190. Have you known many of the settlers who have gone ou t in the district round about hero ? Yes.
191. Does the climate affect their health ? No. The health of tho district is good; nothiug to com-
plain of.
192. Is
THE OENEKAL CONDITION OF THE STTGAB TNDTJ8TRT IN tr/EEN3LAND.
192. Is there any fever amongst the settlers? Not now. Originally fever was prevelant the same as in K.O.Jones,
every new settlement ; but as settlement and clearing goes on the fever seems to die away. S^**-*-^^
193. Have the settlers been troubled by the blacks at all? Tes, very much. It is one of the priucipal 10 Jan., 1889.
obstacles now in the way of settlement.
194. The depredations of the blacks are a serious hindrance, then? Tes ; to the outside settlement. I
suff ererl very heavily myself when I first went amongst them.
195. What do they generally take ; — a few rations or a little corn or anything they can get at all ? They
take everything they ean lay their hands on. My nest door neighbour was killed about three years ago
by them.
196. But do their thefts amount to anythi»2 serious ? They killed seventeen cows and three horses in
one night for me, and they repeat the operation periodically.
197. My the Chairman : Do you think from your knowledge of the dangerous character of the aboriginal
blacks, that it prejudices the people from settling here ? It is the knowledge of the countenance given
to the blacks by the Government, the want of> protection to the whites, aud the striugent rules agaiust
white men avenging themselves that prevents settlement.
198. Where are they located in this district? We have now some blaekfellows — aboriginals — on the
Saltwater Creek, between the Mossman and the Daintree.
199. Has any effort been made to employ the aboriginal natives; excepting in the towns ? Have any of
the settlers employed them ? No ; I think not. It is only recently that they have come in at all. Some
of them are employed at Bloomfleld, and they are employed on a small scale by white settlers on the
other side of Saltwater Creek.
200. Ho you know if they do their work fairly well ? I believe not.
201. When they committed those depredations, did it arise out of pure devilment, or from a want of
food ? In some instances, want of food, no doubt. But I do not think the blacks would kill seventeen
bullocks and three horses for food ; there must have been some devilment in that.
202. If those blacks had a reserve where they could always get rations, would they commit those depreda-
tions ? Tes ; I think they would even do it then. My experience is that the better they are treated
the worse return they give.
203. Can you tell us anything about the rainfall in this district? It is one of the heaviest in the colony.
201. How is it distributed? Take it as a general average you won't sec less than six weeks without rain
throughout the year.
205. Is it injurious to the farming operations here ? No.
296. Then the seasons are suitable, as a rule, for agricultural work ? Tes ; the rainfall is about the best
in the colony,
207. ty Mr. King .- Ia there much scrub land still unsettled ? Tes ; some rough country-
SOS, iy Mr. CoivUy : Is there any water communication to this scrub land ? No deep water communica-
tion.
209. By the Chairman : Are the whole of the scrub lands on the Daintreo selected ? Tes ; all the best
portions.
210. On the lands open for selection now would the blacks be dangerous? Well, if not dangerous, they
would be annoying. I am speaking now of the more secluded selections.
211. Would you recommend it as suitable for selection by newly-arrived emigrants ? No ; the blacks
would steal rations from them ; that has been the means of depopulating the Daintree.
212. Have you made any representations to the Government about it? Tes ; to the Police Department
chiefly. '
213. Have any steps been taken to afford protection? No ; very little. On one occasion I wrote to the
Chief Commissioner of Police. I was then living by myself and wrote about the blacks stealing my cattle,
and asked for protection. The Commissioner replied and said that if we outside settlers wanted police
protection we could not get it, and would have to do the best we could to protect ourselves. Now the
Government say, " you must not protect yourselves ; we will protect you." So you will see that we have
fallen between two stools.
214. By Mr. Cowley .- Do the aboriginals make any raids on Chinamen ? No ; not very much.
215. iy (he Chairman: Beyond the suggestion of the establishment of an experimental farm where tropical
fruits can be grown, hare you any other to offer us? We want more effective police protection, or
more liberty to deal with the blacks ourselves. We want cheap and reliable labour, and to be put on the
sam» footiug in that respect as other tropical countries. If we have to go into the open market for
European labour and pay 200 or 300 per cent, wore for it than coloured labour it simply means shutting
us up. It simply means locking the northern lands up altogether, or allowing coloured labour.
216. iy Mr. Cowley : Have you tried to grow cocoanut, cinchona, indiarubber tree, nutmeg, tobacco, or
cocoa? I tried cocoa, but it died with me. There are two or three trees in the district. Thereare plenty
of cocoanut trees beariug in the district.
217. Have the cocoauuts been grown for export? I think Dan Hart sent a few away.
21.8. Has nutmeg been grown or attempted to be grown here ? I believe it is growing, but do not know
for certain.
219. Joea it not grow wild in the scrub? Te.<? ; but it is not the nutmeg of commerce, but is a good
substitute for it.
220. Has any attempt been made to grow cayenne pepper in the district ? Tes; I can show you some
on my place on the Daintree.
2:»1. Has it been grown for export or as an experiment only ? As an experiment only.
222. Prom your own knowledge of small farms, could many of these things be growTi if you had reliable
labour and better means for getting the work done? 1 think we could grow almost any tr»pic-al plant.
223. Do jou, yourself, as a farmer, take in any periodical on farming, such as the Planter and
Farmer, The Queenslander, <&c? I hare the Planter and Farmer, The Queensland er, and the local papers.
221. ly the Chairmun : If au agricultural leeturer went through the distriet and explained the different
articles and the mode of treatment, and worked in conjunction with the experimental farm, would that be
a benefit to the fanners ? A lecture without practical demonstration would be of very little value. There
are few farmers who can retain much of a lecture in their heads.
225. Butj
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
E. O. Jones. 225. But supposing the Government appointed a lecturer in connection with the experimental farm, as
r A \ has been suggested, how would that act? It would have great value m itself; but what would bo ot
10 Jan., 1889. muc h more value would be to have a clear demonstration of what could be done practically. You can get
any amount of information in books, but it is difficult to carry it into effect.
226. Have you a farmers' association in the district where you meet and read papers and discuss
subjects? No; we are too much disorganised, and too scattered.
227. Have you tried to have an exhibition of produce in your district, so as to induce farmers to taice an
interest in the district, and compete against each other ? No ; the nearest is Townsville.
228. If the fivrmers, whom you say are very much scattered in this district, were to form & farmers
union, on the basis of farmers' unions in other parts of the colony, at which a great many of the subjects
mentioned to-night could be discussed, and practical good result from it— would not that be beneficial ?
Yes ; that is a thing that will be established in the course of time. At present the population being so
scattered they cannot afford to go to any central meeting place.
220. Do you not think, that if. the farmers were to spend a day occasionally in this way it would be money
and time well spent for their protection and the conservation of their own interests ? ^ es - Li a sparsely
populated district it is very difficult to put such an instit ution into working order. This district extends
over an area of thirty miles.
WEDNESDAY, 11 JANUARY, 1889.
(At Port Douglas.)
Present :
W. H. GKOOM, Est., M.L.A. ] n, E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., jn this Chaik.
Daniel Hart, called and examined :
Daniel Hart. 230. By the Chairman : What is your name? Daniel nart.
/ — — a— 231. Are you a selector in this district ? Yes.
11 Jan,, 188!). 232. "What part ? The Mossman.
2U3. How long have you been there ? Since August, 1874.
234. What is the area of your selection ? 150 acres.
235. Is it a homestead selection ? Yes.
230. Are you thoroughly acquainted with the Mossman district? Yes ; from the Johnstone up. 1 have
explored all the country, and know all the selectors.
237. Do you know what they are producing ? Yes.
238. In what condition financially are the selectors generally? For those who have Chinaman employed
on their ground it is only an existence. It is very bad on the Mossman.
239. By Mr. King : Are the selectors hard up ? Yes, very hard up. I am looking every day to be
driven off my selection by the bank. I owe the bank money and can't pay it.
240. By the Chairman : Owing to the interest you have to pay? Yea.
241. What do you produce on your selection? I have tried everything that you can mention ; my selec-
tion is more of an experimental farm than anything else. I am still trying. 1 grew maize first, beforethe
Chinamen came. It used to pay first-rate, as we got 10s. a bushel.
242. Will you describe the various things that you have experimented on on your selection? I have
tried cane principally after the corn failed, and we grew some of the finest cane in the colony. But that
was a failure, so we had to dig it up as we could not make it a- financial success with the labour at our
disposal.
243. What area of land have you under cultivation? The garden is from nine to ten acres in extent,
planted with trees.
244. Was sugnr-cane grown on those nine or ton acres ? It was distributed all over the ten acres before
I planted trees.
245. By Mr. Cowley : Did you never cultivate more than ten acres ? No.
246. "When you grew sugar-cane who did you sell it to? 1 supplied the plantations at Cairns and the
Blnonifield when they required it.
247. Then you simply grew plants? Yes.
248. Did you sell the sugar-cans for crushing? No.
249. What us the yield per acre ? Bid y« u sell by the ton or by the 1 ,000 ? 1 sold by the 1,000.
25 •. What price did* you get per 1,0#0 ? 30 s.
251. That paid you well ? Oh, yes ; it paid me well.
252. But you never grew anything for the mill? Yes, I grew for the mill, but there was no mill to send
it to.
25:i. By JUr. King : Have you leased any of your lanrl to Chinamen ? No, sir; and I hope I never will.
254. By the Chairman : Then your ten acres is an experimental orchard, and you used to supplv the people
with trees and plants ? Yes ; nearly all the fruit trees in the district, except those on Mr. Mo'ntgomerie's
farm, came from my orchard.
255. Could
THE GENEttil CONDITION OF THE SI/GJB TSDUSTRT IX QUEENSLAND.
255. Could you particularise the fruit? Yes.
25b'. How many orauge trees have you r Between 300 and 400. .
257. Do they bear? Yes, but I have beeu neglecting them, because I can't get any money for my fruit.
258. What do you mean by that ? Well, I meau that if I only get £10 for a big shipment toBrisbaue,
I think it is time to give it, up. I sent 200 cases to one person in Brisbaue a ud only got £lt in return,
as the proceeds of the whole transaction.
259. That is after uayiug all expenses ? Yes.
260. What is the freight from Port Douglas to Brisbane ? I can't tell you exactly, as it is in my book
at home.
261. What is the cause of this low price ? There were no complaints as to the quality of the oranges.
Of the fi rst forty boxes I sent down, the persons I sent them to wrote a letter to say that twelve cases
out of the forty were empty
262. After getting such poor returns, you sent no more oranges to Brisbane? No; I would not take
the trouble. I had a man all last season doing nothing but making cases.
263. Do you ship oranges to Normanton ? Yes.
264i. With what result ? One rna.u took £50 worth of oranges. I sent in my account to him and he
sent back £10, and when I sent for the balance he cleared out and loft the district.
265. By Mr. Cowley : Then those oranges were pur chased by the man ? Yes.
266. Do you send to any other port ? Yes, Rockhampton.
267. With what result ? Very good, indeed. They netted me 7s. a case after paying all my expenses.
The purchaser woidd have taken more, but the Rockharnpton fruit came in just at the time, so he wrote
to me to send no more.
265. When you sent fruit to Rockhampton and Normanton, has there been any complaint about ullage,
or the fruit arriving in bad condition ? No complaint at all, and all would have been right if I had got
my money from Normanton.
269- Do you still grow oranges ? The trees are still there, but I am neglecting them, because it does
not pay me to trouble with them. You will see some of the finest trees in the district on my farm. I
got all the plantsfroniSydsey.
270. How many oranges do you send away in a case ? Seven dozen in a fruit case.
271. If you can get 7s. a case you would get good value? Of course I would, if I could always get it.
If I could make 5s. a case it would pay.
272. What would pay you for a case of seven dozen? Well, 6s., including the case ; that is after paying
for the case. Seven shillings, after paying all expenses, would pay me.
273. By Mr. King : What else have you besides orange trees ? "Mangoes.
274. How many ? Three or four dozen trees.
275. By the Cltnirman : Do they produce fruit very prolifically ? Yes.
276. Have you tried to do anything with tliem ? I have been trying vinegar this year. They will make
good vinegar. I believe they would make wine,
277. By Mr. King : Have you sent any away ? I sent some to Brisbane to a friend of mine, and he sold
them vfry well — at I s. per doz. 1 can send mangoes to Sydney and llockhiunptou, and all intervening ports.
But I do not like the mango as a crop at all. The quantity there is now is a risk. People in Brisbane
only take one, two, or three cases chiefly for their own use. I have orders for some to go to Towosville,
and have been waiting for two or three boats to send them away. Mangoes must be packed very carefully,
even to send to Townsvilie. Mangoes ferment just the same as saccharine matter in sugAi in making rum.
I have been experimenting, and believe they would make a beautiful apirit.
278. B y Mr. Cowley : Have you attempted to make chutney aud the preserving of mangoes for market ?
No ; we only make a little chutney for our own use.
279. Were the orange trees seedlings or worked trees ? I ha.ve some of both. I have more worked
trees than seedlings.
280. Which do you find the best ? The seedlings.
281. Are they much longer in maturing ? Yes ; but take it altogether they are the best. The worked
tree is from three to four years old when we get them, and bear three years after planting them, while
the seedling only takes fire years altogether to bear.
282. Do the seedlings bear larger and better fruit? Sparsely at first, but well the second year.
283. Does the aphis and blight attack many trees ? Yes.
284. What remedy do you use ? I have a htrge syringe which I fill with kerosene, and with which I
cleanse the trees, and the insect dies. The kerosene does not kill the tree.
285. Do you suffer much from the orange blight or aphis ? I do ; and kill it with kerosene.
286. How do you do it ? It is a solution mixed with soft soap, with which I syringe the trees. If I
have not time to do that, I take a bucket of dry ash and sprinkle it over the affected part. It only comes
on the young wood.
287. How old are your trees ? Some are thirteen years old. They were seedlings.
288. Are they showing signs of decay. No; a few show signs of wearing, but the others are all right ;
they stand very well.
289. What is the cliaracter of the Boil? It-is loam or scrub land. It runs down about four feet, and
below there is a nice- sandy sub. soil.
290. Have you any clay underneath ? Yes ; but it is a lon^ way down.
291. Do your orauge trees grow well, and bear good average crops? Yes; there is another thing I would
like to say in regard to the skin disease; the bark seems to commence rotting, and the use of lime is the
remedy. I paint it with a brush, and go as far up the tree as possible ; that keeps it clean from the
scale. Lastyear I had two or three trees very bad with it, in fact I thought one was dead; but I got the
lime and washed them, and now they are all right and bearing fruit.
292. Do you only do that when you see signs of the disease ? At present ; but i£ I had time I would
whitewash every tree in the garden.
293. By (fie Chairman : Is lime-washing a preventative against scale ? A preventative against all bark
diseases.
294. By
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE UOYATj COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
Hwt - 294 BuMr. Cowley: Did you say that you got your cases made in the district ? Yes; they cost mo
1 \ In. 3d. ii ease.
, 1889. of) 3 j[ ow much will a caso hold ? Se^en dozen.
29f>. Bu the Chairimm .- What other trees have you ? I have tried cinnamon and coffee.
297. What success had vou with the cinnamon ? I believe it is the finest tree I ever saw growing.
298. By Mr. Cowley : Have you prepared any f »r the market ? No.
299. Did you prepare any at all ? Yes ; I sent some to Baron von Mueller in Melbourne, and he was
ve r y highly pleased with it.
300. Have you sold any ? No; it takes labour to look after it.
301. 1 low manv trees have You ? Onlv one.
302. Are vou satisfied that the tree will grow well? There is nothing to beat it.
30H. Row long does it take from the planting before you can strip the bark? Well, I do not know. I
never had much to do with cinnamon, but 1 believe yon can strip it in four years.
30k What do you mean by saying " If I had labour " ? 1 mean t hat 1 would require cheap labour.
305. What do you call cheap lab. ur ? You could not have anything dearer than 6s. a week and find
themselves.
300. Could a man with a family of children be able to do this— it is not laborious work ? Yes; neither
coffee nor cinnamon requires laborious work. Children could do the work well, and it would come m as
an auxilliarr in a place if a few »f these tr«es were growing.
307. How much land have you under coffee ? Not much. I only tried it here and there to see whether
it did well. I have some dozen trees near the house, and they bear well. I have tried some away from
the house where it is not so shady, and they have done very well.
308. Bit Mr. King : How much land have you planted with coif ee trees ? A quarter of an acre.
30!). What weight of coffee do you get off that quarter of an aere ? An average of about 4 lbs. of coffee
off each tree.
310. By Mr. Cowley : Not clean coffee? Yes.
311. How old are those trees ? The oliest is 12 J years only.
312. Howloug does it take for the tree to mature if you plant from the nursery, twelve months after
putting in the seed? Three years.
313 How much will you get per tree the first year? Half-a.pouud per tree.
314.. The young trees gradually increase until they become full bearing? Yes.
315 When does a tree arrive at its maximum ? In six years from planting, and from them then I
average 4 lbs. per tree.
316. {lave you sold any of the coffee ? Yes ; I have prepared it and sold it in this town for 3s. per lb.
317. Is that in the bean ? Ground, but without chicory, i could have sold more than I produced.
318. That will pay handsomely ? Yes.
31!). How h.ive you not gone in for coffee growing? Because of want of lab»ur. If we had cheap
labour I would grow pleuty of it.
320. Do those trees want much pruning? In this part of (he country they ought to be pruned once a
year, and the suckers that cime up from the bottom ought to be taken off every week.
321. Is once a year enough for pruning ? Certainly, after taking off the crop.
3:}2. Does this coffee ripen gradually and all at once, or over long periods and not all at once ? It is
ripening for tw» months. It is two mouths between the ripening of the first berries and tlie last.
323. I low may pickings do you have in a year ? Three pickings.
324. What class of labour would be suitable for growing coffee ? How much could you pay those
labourers a year, finding them in rations ? I could pay £12 a year and rations to labourers for coffee-
gi-owing.
325. Do you think that there is much land in the district that is suitable for coffee-growing ? I never
saw any place in all my travels more suitable for coffee and tea than the ranges here.
32fi. Bi/ the Chairman .- You have spent a long time in Jamaica, have you not? Yes.
327. Hy Mr Cowley : At what season of the year does coffee ripen ? In August principally.
328. Is that the dry season ? Yes.
320. Is it a favourable season for picking ? Yes.
330. Have you any machinery for preparing the coffee for market? No. I do everything with my
own fingers, and with a mortar and mill to grind roast coffee.
331. What labour have you used ? LVly own labour and kanakas. I also had some aboriginal natives
working for me.
332. How did the aboriginals work? I was never so well pleased as when I had a few aboriginals
working for me.
333- VVliat do you nay those men ? Nothing ; — simply gi ve them tucker, tobacco, and old clothes.
334. Do you consider them well worthy of what you pa id them ? They were w«rth more; they were
worth wages.
335. Are there many of these men available? They can be made available by getting one or two in and
treating them kindly, and letting them go when they like. You must not restrict them, but give them
full liberty to go and come as they please. When they go they tell others if they have been well treated,
and more are then willing to come and work. If you olotho and feed them well, I believe they would
never leavo you. I have often asked the Commissioner here for a bag of flour to help me to feed them
with, and he would not do it, and the natives went away. People, I find, give the natives a worse
character than they deserve.
336. Ilavo you suffered from the depredations of the blacks ? I have never suffered any harm from them.
I have always treated them kindly, and given them employment, if they were willing to work.
3:57. By It ie Chairman ; Did those who worked for you — did they ever prove treacherous to you? No.
I never allowed them in the house, but gave them a humpy to themselves.
338. You found that by being kind to them and giving them any little things that they asked for in the
shape of tobacco and clothes, they were ready to give you work, and were sensible of your kindness?
Yes ; and to make it more so ; I would almost go so far as to give them 2s. a week.
339. By
THE OEXERAL CONT)rTI«N OF THE SVOX.ll INDTXSTHY IN QUEENSLAND.
339. By Mr. Cowley : Thm if you could get an aboriginal to work you would not only give him tobacco,
clothes, and rations, but wages besides ? Yes.
340. What class of work do they do ? Corn hoeing and chipping.
341. Do they hoe coffee for you? No.
342. Have you used kanaka labour? Yes ; but it is very expensive when you have to give 10s. a week
for a time-expired man, and they often get as much as 12s. a week and £1 a week and board.
343. Were they under agreement to you? No; they would not enter iuto an agreement, and did just
as they liked.
344. Was that on account of the abundance of employment and the demand for them ? Yes.
34.5- Have you ev er applied to have any indented to you? I did at first, and got eight the first time I
settlei here. For the first three mouths they worked very middlingly, and I had a lot of trouble with
them, but after that they got on first-rate, and were just beginning to get iuto settled work, and I had no
trouble with them. They stopped with me twelve months, and then the partner who was with me got
into trouble, and the kanakas were on his schedule, and they were taken away from me, and 1 lost the
kanakas. They were serviceable, tractable, and did good work.
34G. What did you pay them for wages ? £6 a year and tucker,
347. What did their passage-money cost ? It was cheaper then than now.
348. What did it cost you to introduce them? I could not say exactly. Mr. Allan Gray, who was my
friend, conducted all that business for me.
349. If you could get labour of that description, could you grow coffee and make it pay ? Yes.
350. Have you employed any Chinese ? Yes, I have.
351. IIow did they turn out ? Yery badly. They work well for themselves and do a great amount of
work, but they will not do so for an employer.
3.52. How did you employ them ? By the week. They were never satisfactory.
353. What wages did yon pay them ? l5s. and £1 a week and food.
354. 3id they do as much as a kanaka? They would not do as much, they would only do a certain
quanlity of work each day.
355. By the Chairman : Has anyone else in the district grown coffee ? Yes, but not the coffee that I
grew. I grew Arabian coffee, and they tried Liberian coffee.
356. Of the two descriptions which is the best adapted for this.district ? The Arabian.
3.57. By Mr. Cowley : lu what respect does the Liberian coffee fail ? Because it does not hear anything
like the other coffee — lias not so lieav* iierop. 1 can't exa.ctly explain the difference, but the milling an j
cleaning of it is very difficult, and it lias a very thick cherry and even when you dry it with the cherry
on, it is terrihlc. But the other coffee does well.
358. Does the Liberian coffee take as much pruning as the other ? I never prune any.
359. By the Ckairmmn : Have you ever tried rice growing ? I was the first to try it here. I had two
kinds — mountain and swamp rice — and both did well.
^60. Was this an experiment ? Yen.
301. Did you know of anyone in the district who has tried swamp or hill rice? No one, hut Chinameu.
3G2. By Mr. Cowley .- Did they cultivate it for their own consumption only ? No ; they sold it to
Europeans. A party came from Cairns, up here, to purchase rice.
363. It there any market for paddy ? Yes.
361. What did they offer for it? I do not know.
365. The party from Cairns did not tell you what he was prepared to pay ? No,
366. Do you know about how much the yield of rice is per acre here ? No.
367. 1 lave you grown any arrowroot for market ? I grew West Indian arrowroot. It i s a small plant.
In the West ludies we cut it for chaff. We use it for nothing else.
36S. Have you grown and manufactured any for market? Yes.
369. What yield per acre did you get? I planted about half-a-chain of tubers and took it up last season
and got off the half-ton about 500 lbs. of arrowroot. That would have paid me nicely if I had had con-
sumption for it.
370. By the Chairman: Is there any demand for it ? Yes ; women about here (Port Douglas) gave
me Is. per lb. for it. I went into the store and asked the storeman what he would give me for 200 lbs. or
300 lbs of arrowroot, and he said, " VVe can get it from Lehey for 4d., and we cau't afford to give you any
more."
371. By Mr. GousUy Would 4d. per lb. pay ? No.
372. What would pay ? 1 can't say. If we had labourers working for nothing it would not pay. We
must have machinery and grow it on a larg« scale. Even then it would not pay. I sent some to the
Loudou Exhibition, and also to the Melbourne Exhibition.
373. By the Chairman : Have yon tried growing tobacco ? Yes.
374. How have you succeeded ? Very well.
375. Is the district c;i]iab!e of growing tobacco ? Yes.
376. Why is it not cult ivated ? On acc»unt of the labour.
377. Did you ever try to obtain the value of the tobacco leaf grown by you when dried ? I never sold
any dry tobacco leaf. People who are acq uaiuted with tobacco say they could not get a better leaf than
I now have.
378. Does cocoa grow here ? Ye* ; I sent to the Acclimatisation Society for some plants, and got twenty
cocoa plants, but they were so old and pot-bound that only three have done well. I am trying to get
some more.
379. Have you tried limes or lemons ? Yes; both the common lemon and the Lisbon lemon.
380. What success did yon meet with in growing them ? They grew well.
381. Have you a market for lemons? No. I sent some away last season. A friend of mine — 3Ir.
Harvey, of Slelbourne— recommended me to send some there, and I sent ten cases, and they brought in a
return averaging about 5s. Gd. a case.
382. Did that include freight and expenses ? No ; clear of everythiug.
383. How many were there in a case ? Nine dozen.
3S4. Then you are quite satisfi ed with the experiment you made in growing lemons and limes, and are
sure they will succeed ? Yes. 385. H ave
12
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES' EEFOHE TITE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIKE J"NTO
Daniel Hart. 3^-,. Have you tried eitrons ? Yes. . . . .
, a N ;4Ha . An a ;. cre they a success? A great success since Messrs. Russell and Co. started their faetory in
1] Jan., 1889. Brisbane, and as they defil with me I make a profit out of the eitrons.
387! .ByiVr. Gwrfey : "What price Joes the firm give you per doz ? '1 hey give me about 30s. tor a porter
case full of citrons free on board here.
388. How many would that ease held? About eight or nine dozen .
389. Is there much demand for that class of fruit, ar is it iiinited ? There is only Russell and Co. m the
market
390. What quantity would they take ? They would take two cases every week.
301. How many cases have y«u supplied altogether? Seven or eight cases altogether
392. Then when Russell ami C». were burnt out the demand censed? Yes; but I will send to them
K"Does not citron culture require very little labour ? Very little. It grows like a weed and all you
have to do i« to prune it.
394. ^re there any other articles of tropical agriculture or fruit that you grow ? Yes; Chinese truits—
th« lungimg. ,
"'. By (lie Chairman : With regard to this fruit, is there much of it ? I have one tree, ami the fruit is
sold to the Chinamen every year before it is ripe.
396. What is the money yield ? It averages about £3 a tree.
397. How manv trees could you grow to the acre ? These grow bigger than oranges. They could be
planted thit-ty feet apart. I should think forty or fifty trees to the acre.
398. By Mr. Cowley. How long did it take this tree to bear? Planted from the graft it will not take
more than three years, but from a seed it would take six years. Mine was seut to me in a pot by the
Acclimatisation Soeicty.
399. Have you succeeded with any more sorts ? No ; I have a lot of suckers from the trees, ready to
plant and send away. i(
400. Amongst any of those trees that you have, have you tried the Japanese system, called " goote,' by
which you strip o"ff a small ring of bark and cover the wound up with a. ball of earth till the yonn*
roots commence growing ? No.
401. By the Chairman: You have a thorough knowledge of the Mossman Kiver generally ? Yes; I am
well acquainted with the majority of the settlers on the river.
402. What is the average area of the selections? 1(>0 acres. 600 acres, 1,250 acres, G50 acres, and 600
acres, I know these.
403. Are these eouditional selections? Soiae are homesteads, and others conditional selections.
401. Have the original selectors residedthemselves on their selections, or done so by bailiff ? By bailiff,
principally. Pringle resides on his selection. Jones and Johnston work their own selections. They
are all paid up now.
4t5. Are all these selections made freehold now? Yes.
40(5. Do the y work them now or lease them to Chinamen ? Jone.s, Pringle, and Wilson do, and a
portion of Bribri is leased to Chinamen, also some portion of Macmakon's. In fact they are all more
or less leased to Chinamen.
407. Then in point of fact none of the original selectors are working the land themselves ? None of
them.
408. What is the general condition of the health of the Europeans on the "Mossman River ? When we first
came here it was very bad. Since the Mossman was cleared I believe it is very healthy— as healthy a
place as there is in the colony. It is very healthy now.
4#9. Is tkere any quantity of land open for selection on the Mossman ? Yes ; this coffee land that I
spoke of, and land at Cassowary Creek. That is offered for village settlement. It is grand laud, but 1
am afraid it will never be settled on.
410. Are you of opinion that if there was an experimental farm here for the growth of articles of
eommercial value, which selectors could see growing, and their mode of cultivation, with the view of
introducing them into their own seleetions, it would assist tropkial agriculture in this district ? No,
beeause we have already tried everything here. Every man since he came here — and some have been here
a long time— has been trying to find out what tropical plauts and fruits would do here. There is Mr.
Montgomerie, for instance; — you will be pleased to see his garden. I have tried everything, and I know
exactly what will pay and what will not now. I am speaking, of eourse, for myself.
411. Part of the duty of the Commission is to receive suggestions from geutlemen like yourself with the
view of promoting tropical agriculture in Port Doughis. Can you offer any suggestions by which
tropical agriculture in this district can be assisted and promoted ? No other than by cheap labour.
We have tried everything.
412. Do you think that if the coastal steamers carrying fruit from here to the Southern ports or to
Normanton took more care of the fruit than they do now, that it would be an assistance to yon? It
would be the greatest assistance to the fruit growers up here.
413. Would it also assist you to have trustworthy agents at the different ports to receive the products of
this district ? Yes ; that is the thing.
4L4. Uavo you known any selectors besides yourselves who have sustained loss through defaulting
agents ? Yes ; everybody is complaining of it.
415. Then I take it that these are two of the chief difficulties you have to contend against here— tirst, tho
loss by ullage on the steamers ; and second, defaulting agent* at the various ports? Yes ; I would not say
defaulting agents, but defaulting purchasers.
416. And poor returns from consignees down South to whom you have sent your products ? Yes.
417. By Mr. Cowley .- The Bribri estate is a sugar plantation ? It was : it is not now at work.
418. Is it closed ? Yes.
419. Can you t-ell me the character of the land— is it good or indifferent? Those parts of the land where
they put their cane in you eould uot wish for better.
+20. Can you tell me the cause of the failure, if they had good land, good crushing; machinery, and a
good mill ? The closing of the mill was owing to their getting men to mauage the mill who'did uot
know anything about it. 421. ^\Tho
Tim GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUU XV. IJfJMJSTRY. IN (iTTEEN8I<i JfD.
421. Who owned it ? The proprietress of the mill in the first phce was Mre. Parker, and she kuew Daniel Hart,
nothing about sugar. f***
422. What labour did they employ? White men and kanakas. White men for the horses and drays, 11 Je
and new-chums aud kanakas in the field.
423. Did they employ aboriginals ? One man named De Coures did, and he is satisfied with the labour.
He does nothing except with the natives. He grows a lot of bananas, and is now growing com, and all
the labour being natives.
424. Are you well acquainted with his place ? Tes ; very well.
425. How much had he under cultivation? One hundred and sixty acres is the area of his selection.
426. How much is under cultivation ? 1 could not say exactly.
427. Could you tell us about the number of aboriginals he employs ? Ten or twelve, and at other times
only four. They come and go just as they like. He has one faithful boy, whom he sends to the
mountains to bring in tlie other men when he wants them.
428. As you are well acquainted with the Mossman aud Daintree Hirers, can you tell us the character of
the soil back from thoHe rivers and between them ? All agricultural country.
429. Is the country suitable for close settlement? Tes.
430. What means of communication is there ? Mostly water.
431. At present what means of communication are there between the Daiutree ixnd Mossman and Port
Douglas i Simply boats. The " Aracoon" goes to the Daintree and Mossman.
432. Then the means of communication which the farmers have with Port Douglas is good, if they grew
produce enough ? Yes.
433. Are the bars very bad ? The Daintree bar is not very bad, except during one month of the year.
When it is blowing you have sometimes to stop inside for a day or two.
434. What is the price per ton, or per bunch, for bringing bananas from the Daintree to Port Douglas ?
I could not tell. They charge me Is. for a porter case from the Mosman, besides wharfage.
435. What would it cost to put it on board the coasting steamer ? It would cost Is. a case to put it on
board a steamer. It costs Is. to bring it to town, and 1 have to pay 2s. 6d. if I want a di-ay to go to my
place.
436. By the Chairman : What freight do they charge a bunch for bananas ? I do not know; I never
exported any.
4;i7. By Mr. Cowley : What do they charge for carrying maize ? It is, I believe, 10s. a ton for maize
from the Mossman.
438. What is the distance ? Seven miles.
439. By the Chairman .- Are you acquainted with the selectors on the Daiutree ? Yes; one or two. I
have of ton been to the •aintree, but not much to the selectors there.
440. Do you know anything about the Daintree selections ? Yes ; I was the first selector there.
441. Is the land all selected ? Yes ; all tlie available land. I mean that all the land available with river
frontages is selected.
412. In whoso hands is it? There are a few 160-acre homestead selections, but the principal portion is
held by gentlemen in Brisbane, abscutees, who never saw the place.
413. Has the land beeti turned to any use ? Yes.
444. How many Europeans are now living on the selections of the Daintree? There are Fisher, Stewart,
and about three others on the whole Daintree. These are all homestead selectors.
445. Could the whole of this available land o* the Daintree river which is in t he hands of absentee pro-
prietors be cultivated as well and as easily as yours ? Yes; it is similar soil to my own. It is the best
land that can be got.
44G. By Mr. Cowley • What do the selectors there grow ? Banamis.
447. What labour do they employ ? They work the land themselves. l (, isher employs labour, but he
gets iu one of his neighbours for a day or two or a week or two just as lie requires him. Fisher has a few
bananas.
448. Are there any kanakas or Chinese? Stewart has a kanaka or two.
449. Are the Chinese employed there ? In some cases, where the selector has a small banana patch, but
not as many as on the Mossmau.
450.. By the Chairman : For how many miles up tlie Dainti*ee is the laud selected on either side ? I
have been up about twenty miles, and it was selected all the way up.
451. And in all that distance are there only five selectors living on their selections ? Yes.
452. Are the aboriginal uatives at the present time particularly destructive to the selectors who are living
on their land? The selectors complain more than they have any cause to.
4.53. Then you think the selectors are not particularly molested ? I can't say. But I have been living
there for thirteen years, and they have never molested me.
454. Are yon of opinion that the Government ought to assist those aboriginals, uow that their laud is
taken from them, by giving them food and blankets ? If the Government had done what I wanted and
giveu them food, they would be all right.
4o5. By Mr. Cowley : If a reserve was established for aboriginals, aud a caretaker placed in charge who
would give these men food when they had no work on the farms, would it be a success ? Yes. That is
what is done in Victoria. De Coures of ten has a large number come to his place, and has to give them
food, and it is rather rough on him.
456. By the Chairman : What is the general cause of the failure oE tropical agriculture in this district ?
In the first place, there being no local consumption ; iu the second place, because wherever you send
fruit you can't get a price for it ; and thirdly, we can't grow and compete with the Southern market
because of tbe want of a cheap kind of labour — and the latter is the priucipal thing of all.
457. By Mr. Cowley : As a rule what price do you pay a white man ? 30s. a week and tucker.
John Dorkens Johnstone, called in and examined :
458. By the Chairman : You are a selector on the Mossman River? Yes. "joh^tone" 8
459. What is the area of your selection ? 640 acres. ^
460. What ii j an-j 1889i
] t
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN nEFOHW THE EOTAIi COMMISSION TO INQUIRE IIS TO
JohnDorrens 4,(39, What area have you cultivated? I ha
s under cultivation now, but I had thirty acres
under
Kanaka labour.
cultivation. But I am prepariug to grow sugar.
^ 461. How long have you been on the Mossman Kiver ? Five years.
59 - 4(>2. What is the nature of your selectiou ? It is a conditional purehase-
463. AVhen Tou had land under cultivat on what did you principally grow ? Maize.
464. What was the yield per acre ? I had none. It was a very wet season, and whan it was ready tor
gathering, I had not a dry day and it got rotten. That was the end of my maize growing.
4G5. By Mr. Cowley .- Did you only grow it one year ? Yes.
46(5. How many acres had you under crop? Thirty acres.
467. B>) ihe Chairman : Did you empUy any labtur besides your own ?
4G8. How many had you ? Ten.
469. Were they indented to yourself ? They were transferred to me.
470. What did you pay them ? £G a year and their board, clothes and tobacco, under the Government
regulations.
471. After the failure of vour maize what did yon do with them ? I set them clearing land.
472. By Mr. Cowley. With what object ? To grow sugar. My brother was talking of starting a sugar-
niill on'the Mossman, and I intended selling to him. lie was to hav« started last month.
47;3. By the Chairman : Practically up to the present time you are not cultivating the land at all ? No.
474. Have you the kanakas still with you ? No ; they left me about two years ago. I paid them off.
475. Do you intend growing sugar? Tes, I did intend to «lo so, and if my brother had made a
commencement I would have done so. When he puts up his mill I will start sugar-growing
476. By Mr Gawky: Then it is conditional on the mill being started that you grow the sugar ? Tea.
When Mr. ITodgkiuson was here mating inquiries as to the establishment of a central mill, I took no
active part in the matter, because my brother said he would start one.
477. Is your selection freehold ? Tes ; I have not received the deeds yet, but it is freehold.
478. There is then no longer any necessity for you to carry on this work to fulfil the conditions ? None.
479. By the Chairman: Have you received your certificate for the fulfilment of the conditious? Tes,
long ago ; and for all the niouey being paid up.
480. Are you pretty well acquainted with the Mossman district generally? I am.
481. Is there much cultivation carried on on the Mossman? Very little except what the Chinamen does.
I have none on my selection, or on my brother's.
482. What is the reason that Europeans do not cultivate the land? The labour required is too high in
price. I have five kanaka boys now, and I pay four of them 12s. a week, and one <£l per week, and their
rations.
483. By Mr. Cowley : What else besides rations do you give them ? Nothing else. They were just
working as servants with me.
484. Are these men employed in clearing scrub ? Tes. That is what I have been doing those last two
years.
48.5. Bi/ the Chairman: Then is the high cost of labour Ihe only reason why Europeans do not cultivate
their land ? No ; there is another thing. Tou can't get white men here to work. Tou might get thein
to work seven months out of the year. When the hot weather comes they cannot stand it, and you can't
get men to work, I myself can't stand it, and 1 would noi; expect a man to do what I could not do
myself. AVhen the thermometer stands at 120 degrees a white man cannot work.
486. What is the reason why so much land on the Mossman is leased to ChinainCn? A few selectors
expect the sugar industry to revive again, aud they are all preparing for it; and leasing it to Chinamen is
one way of preparing the land for something better than is growing.
487. Have you leased any of your land to Chinamen ? No.
4.S8. By Mr. Cavley : 1 suppose that another reason is that it really-pays to do so, because they are
getting their land cleared for nothing ? Tes. The Chinamen pay them so much per acre, just a little
more than they pay the Government for it, and they are getting their land cleared at the same time.
480. By the Chairman : Are you acquainted with the Daintree Hirer? Tes.
490. Is it selected on both sides for a considerable distance ? Yes.
491. Is the labour ques ion the reason why these selections are uot cultivated ? Well, yes, chiefly. There
are several reasons. The selectors are poor men, aud thus were not in a position to make a start by
clearing ground and growing maize ; and when the sugar mill which was there was closed they could not
get any work to do, and had to leave the district, and a good many of them gave up their selections. Some
•f thera, however, bad a little means, and they are still contented to work their selections, and they are
working them profitably.
492. How many are there on the Daintree who are working their selectious profitably ? Pour or five.
493. Then the larger selections were taken up by absentee proprietors. W hat is the reason why they
are not cultivated ? I suppose tkat the sugar iudustry was the cause of their selecting, and if they had
1o select the land now I do not think they would do so,
491. You have never yourself attempted to grow any tropical products at all ? Nothing but eane. [
planted forty acres of cane and it grew with very little trouble. That was on my brother's selection.
-195. Bif Mr. Cowley : What labour did you use in planting it ? Kanakas with one or two white men and
myself to assist.
496. What did the white men do ? Iu the summer time nothing at all.
497. AVhat were they— overseers or labourers? Labourers. I kept them chiefly fencing aud splitting
timber.
498. Did the cane do well on this selection ? Ye.<?, first-rate.
499. Did you sell it? It lias gone to waste as there are no appliances for crushing.
500. J low far is it from Brihri ? About one and a-half miles.
501. By the Chairman : Do you know anything about Bribri Plantation at all ? Tes.
502. Do you know why it failed? Because of bad appliances and bad management combined.
503. Not because the sugar-e:me would not grow ? The sugar-eauegrew splendidly.
504. Not because the price of sugar was low ? No. If they had had the cane grown and carted to the
mill and laid down for them, I do not think they would hav#made a penny out of it on account of the
bad appliances. 505. Had
THE OEXEBAIi CONDITION OF THE SUGAH IM)U8TUT IS QUEENSLAND.
5t5. Had they cheap labour also? Yes, they had ; and then they could not make it pay. Job^tone" 8
506. By Mr. Cowley : Is the manager of the plantation in the district? There is one there now.
507. Can we get information from him ? Yes ; and you tan see the machinery for yourself. ^"""\
508. By the Chairman ; Have you devoted auy attention at all to other articles outside of the growth of 11 Jan - 1889 -
cane and maize, such as tea, coffee, and oranges? No ; I have no knowledge of them myself, but I have
seen others attempt to grow coffee. On the selection adjoining mine, coffee grows very well.
5f9. Do you know Hart's? Yes ; that is the selection I mean.
510. Would you consider him a successful selector? I don't consider him a successful selector from a
monetary point of view.
511. Has he endeavoured to develop the resources of the district ? Oh, yes. He has got on in a
muddling sort of way ; he has planted fruit trees, and let them grow up, and there they have remained.
512. By Mr. Cowley : Do you believe that he is a practical man and understands what he is about? I
believe he understands a little about it. You will see when you go to his place that it ha.s not got the
attention it requires.
5L3. By the Cluiirman : If you were to plant your ground with orange trees would you accept Hart's
opinion as to the description of trees, and how to plant them ? Yes ; he lias a little practical knowledge
of fruit growing.
514. By Mr. Coiolei/ : Ave there many forfeited selections on the Mossinan ? Yes ; a few.
515. Can you tell the eause of forfeiture? The aboriginal? were the reason of two of the settlers clearing
out. At the time Barnard was murdered they got frightened and weut away. Barnard and his brother
had homestead selections adjoining each other.
516. How long ago was that ? About four years.
517. What was the cause of the other desertions; was it want of labour or bad communications? Both.
We have a wet climate here, and it is seldom that the roads are as good as now. I have seen two years
during which the roads were impassable. During those two years the longest spell of dry weather was
fifteen and a-half days. The continual showers kept the roads soft. At that time many of the Chinamen
picked their maize and had sheds to dry it in. I did not go to that trouble, and that may be one reason
why I did not save any of it.
51s. By (he Chairman: Had the murder of Barnard a deterrent effect on settlement in this district?
It had at the time, but I believe it has recovered from that now.
519. Are the aboriginal natives as troublesome now as they are alleged to have been then ? No.
520. Have they decreased in uumbers ? 1 think so. They never trouble me.
521. Have they become more used to European civilization ? Yes ; and they are more about the town
522. Do you know of any cruelty being practised to any of them ? No.
523. "W as the murder of liarmird more of a reprisal, or was it a treacherous premeditated murder ? It
was a treacherous nicely-planned murder, without any provocation on the part of the selector. They
murdered the man for plunder.
524. By Mr. Cowley : What is the general health of the white people on the river? Pretty good.
525. Although you have said before that the white men can't work in the heat, still there is very little
fever, is there not ? There has been very little during the past three years.
526. I Live those three years been exceptionally dry ? La^t year was, but the previous two years were
wet.
527. Then as a whole you consider this a healthy district for the agriculturist ? Yes ; I would sooner
live on the Mosstnan Kiver than on the Johnstone River.
528. From your five years' experience do you think that whitemen can work and do a fair day's work
here, or can they not ? Certainly not. I am positive they can not. If you wish, I will give you one
year's experience I bad six years ago.
529. What is your experience since the fever abated ? A white man can not do a fail' day's work now.
The wages you would have to pay a white man here would be fully 25 per cent dearer than it would be
about Bundaberg.
530. Can they do the work ? There are five months of the year that they cannot do the work. When
a man stoops to hoe, whether amongst cane or maize, he caunot stand the work in hot weather. On
account of the excessive heat it is as much as I can do to walk through amongst the cane.
531. By the Chairman : Then for 6vc months out of the year, you are of the opinion, white men could
not do the work that a kanaka does? They could n«t. It seenis to me that the hotter the weather
the better the kanaka can work. In the heat a white man can do nothing but drink tea, and can't eat ;
but a kanaka thinks nothing of eating lib. of meat.
532. H-aveyou seen white men attempting to work during these five hot months? 1 had men who were
working foe me try, and when it was too hot for them I did not ask them to work.
533. Do you know of your own knowledge that white men have refused to work during these fi ve months
of the year ? Yes ; when it has been too hot to work, when there was only the hoeing up of the ground
previous to planting the cane to do.
5H4. By Mr. Cowley: Supposing I. hat the land was cleared of serub and brought under the plough, can
white men work then ? fro. The weather gets so hot during five months of the rear, that 1 consider
that it would be dangerous for white men to work in the field,
535. Even if the scrub was cleared away, and the country under the plough. Yes; even if the scrub
was cleared. A very few days ago a mau was ploughing land at Bi-ibri, and had been at work a very few
minutes when, on coming to the end of a furrow, he sat down under the shade of a tree and said, ''If I
could get a man to do the work I would not do it myself." He was working for himself — he was not a
hired man — and he said that if he could get a hired man to do the work, he would not risk his own life
doing it.
536. What is the average price paid to white men ? About 25s. a week. I have a married couple, and
they get £100 a year and their rations.
537. Have you employed any aboriginals ? No.
53S. Have you employed any Chinamen ? Only in the scrub.
539. What did you pay them ? 25s. a week.
540. Have you any experience in exporting fruit ? No.
541. By
16
MIHTTES OF ETIDEXCE TJJCEJT HEFOH.Ii IKE EOTAL COMMISSION TO UfQTTIBT! EfTO
JoIinDorrens 541. By the Chairman ; When you said previously that you paid kanakas 12s. and £1 per week, do the
Johnstone. returas f rom tne i r labour pay you to give that r.\te of wages ? I am building a cottage at present, and
n reuqire the ground about it for* a garden. This bis been a dry season for clearing the ground, and that
11 Jan., 1889. [ 3 th e W ork I have employed them on.
542. Did they" take to the work ? Yes; clearing ground is the very work^they can do.
543. Was it heavily timbered ground ? Tes. it was.
544. By Mr. Cowley : At that rate of wages, how much would it cost to clear an acre ? At that rate 1
could not clear it under £9 an acre ; in fact my estimate was £9 10s. That is simply cutting down and
burning off, and does not include stumping. "There are two or three acres that cost £20 an acre, as I
stumped the whole of it.
54.3. Burning off does not clear the land; all the heavy timber is left? Yes ; some of the big logs won't
burn off.
546. Then you pay £9 an aci*e for simply cuttiug down and burning off what will bum off? Yes.
547. By the Chairman : How do you cultivate the land, by the plough or hoe ? By the hoe.
548. By Mr. Cowley : You say you pay 12s. a week and £1 a week to a kanaka ; would it pay you to give
them that for working sugar-cane? No.
549. You have had experience in growing cane ? Yes.
550. Where? In Bundaberg.
551. From your experience of growing cane in Bundaberg, would it pay you to grow caue on the Moss-
man if jou had to pay 12s. a w eek for kanakas? No, it would not. With a sugar-mill you would require
800 acres under cane to supply it. If it was all scrub land it would take from 150 to 200 kanakas to
look after it. Look what an amount of money that would be at 12s. each per week.
552. Supposing that your brother comes here and commences his mill and grows cane, what labour will
you employ ? I do not think you could get anything better than kanaka.
55:3. Would you theu make arrangements to indent the labour? Yes.
554. But you could not afford to pay the rate of wages asked by a time-expired kanaka ? No ; it would
be too expensive.
555. If you could get them at from £6 to £10 a year it would pay? Yes, at from £8 to £15 per
annum, according to the men.
556. Were you here when Bribri was placed under sugar cultivation? Yes. It is about five years ago,
about 1884. I can state a fact about white labour that has come within my own knowledge aud
experience of sixteen years. Some time ago I took a contract to clear the township of Mouxilyan
H arbour, about fifty acres. M r e were tied to time. We took five Chinamen, seven white men, and seven
kanakas. "We were working from the 1st of December till the last day of February, and the most time
during that period that any of the while men made was twenty-seven days The Chinamen averaged
about half-time — uamply, six weeks, and the kanakas did not lose one day, with the exception of one man
who in*t with an accident. They worked well. I was with them myself.
557. What price per acre did you get for clearing? £9 5s.
558. Was that piece of land— that fifty acres— swamp or ridge? It was hilly. It was a beautiful
place to work, we always had a fine breeze. The men wero working under trees, felling them, and it was
nice work for hot weather; but the white men could not work, aud wouldlie up for a fortnight, and when
they commenced work again they dropped off one by one until none were working but myself.
559. Were you the overseer ? Yes.
560. Then, all the men gave way before the blacks ? Yes, and the conditions were favourable for white
men working. It astonished me to see how the kanakasgot through the work.
561. By the Chairman ; As you are aware, this Commission before whom you are now being examined was
appointed by the Groverument to promote tropical agriculture, as welJ as to inquire into the present
depressed state of the sugar industry. Have you any suggestious which you can offer by which tropical
agriculture can be promoted in this district? It depends on the labour question entirely. That is the
only suggestion I can offer. Give the settlers cheap labour, and then they will get on.
562. When yousay cheap labour, what do vou mean ? Kanaka labour.
" No.
trouble whatever. They give no
1 yousay c
563. Have you kad any experience with Cingalese or Javanese?
56 4. Are any Javanese imported to the district ? No.
565. By Mr. Cowley .- Do the kanakas give you any trouble ?
trouble when they are treated properly.
566. If you treat them fairly they do a fair day's work ? Yes.
567. Is there much mortality amongst them? No.
568. Have you had aoy deaths a mongst your kanakas ? No ; and I have only had one sick boy.
569. By the Chairman : Do they bring their wives ? LSome of them.
570. By Mr. Cowley : If you were indenting any kanakas, would you have any objection to their bringing
their vvivtn ? Efo, none whatever. I had a kanaka and his wife, working for me once, and I gave them a
room to 1 liemselves,
.'*71. By the Chairman .- Are there any time-expired kanakas here? Yes, thirty or forty
572. Do they prefer staying here to returning to their islands ? Yes. There are some here who were
working at Brfln-i, ami they have uever had the wages due to them paid; mid they remain about the
district hoping to get their money some day.
573. Then these Bribri men are here letting themselves out to work to keep themselves until their wages
are paid to them ? Yes. Irrespective of these there are some twenty others here, and they prefer to
remain because they get good wages and are useful men.
574. By Mr. Cowley : Are they any expense to the Government ? No, none whatever.
575. Do they keep their health ? Yes, and the hotter the weather the better they seem to like it. The
only thing they ever complain of is pain in the chest in cold weather.
576. By the Chairman : Are they temperate ? The majority are ; only three or four come to the public-
house. The majority of them put their money iu the bank.
577. :\re those time-expired men in any way obnoxious to the white labouring population ? No, they
are not.
578. And do the white labouring population of Port Douglas offer any objection to the kanakas ? None
whatever. 5 79. By
TUB UENEllil CONDITION OF THE 8TJ0AU ITTOtTSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
17
579. By Mr. Cowla.y : Is the employment of kanaka labour conducive to the employment of white labour? J- D.
Certainly. I would not have employed white men if I had uoi. been employing kauakas. Kanakas like Jotmstone.
white men to hewith them. S~*- f< ^ 0m> \
589. liy the Chairman : Do you think that if there was an experimental farm here to test the capacity of U Jan., 188 9 .
the district for growing certain tropical products of commercial value, by which selectors who have taken
up laud eould see what to grow prolitably, it would be a benefit to the district? Certainly, it would
assist selectors greatly, because* it would give them many tropical fruits which they have not now got.
.181. Then you ihiuk there is a want of information as to what tropical products could be grown here ?
Yes. I have been trying to get fruit trees for two or three years, and can't get them. I hare been
trying to get allspice, inangosteeu, and nutmeg — I mean the nutmeg of commerce.
.582. Do you not kiiuw that the Acclimatisation Society of Brisbane is in the habit of distributing
plants to people ? Yos ; but only two or three trees to one person.
58:}. Du you think thai the Acclimatisation Society does not meet the requirements of a large district
like this? Nothing like it.
58i>. 11' an expti rime tit al farm were on the ground it would be able to scatter the plauts more widely?
Yes, the selector would bo able to get assistance from the farm in the sdiape of seeds and plants. The
only mangostoons and allspict [ have seen in the district arc at; Stewart's farm on the Bain tree. He has
four of oacli, which lie got from the Acclimatisation Society, and four trees are not worth planting.
M/rCHAiSL Walsu examined:
585. By the Chairman : What are you, Mr. Walsh ? I am a member of the Hrin of Walsh and Co., M. Walsh,
trading in Port Douglas, Cairns, and Ilerbertou. ^— «^v_^ — N
5H(j. l'ou aro also chairman of the Divisional Board of Port Douglas? Yes; I have been in Queensland n Ja, n ., 1889.
since 1802- — that is 27 years, and in this district siuce it was opened in 1877 — that is neatly 12 years.
Sinn: L87-l> 1 have b«cu residing in the Cook District.
587. Does your lirm act as shipping agents iu Port Douglas? Yes.
588. Are you agents for the A.U.S.N.Co. ? Yes.
5N9. Do you ship fruit for growers here to the southern colonies? Yc;s, for growers and for ourselves.
500. What freight is charged for sending an ordinary bunch of bananas from Port Douglas to Sydney?
The company's schedule freight is Is. per bunch, no matter where it is bound — to Brisbane, Townsville,
Sydney, or Melbourne. That is the ruling rate. For fruit iu cases, the charge is half the outwards
freight.
591. What is that ? The rate is 15s. per ton as far south as Mackay, 17s. Gd. per ton to Brisbane, and
20$. per ton to Sydney. That is per ton measurement.
592. Have you heard recently of any loss occurring in fruit that has been taken to the south? Yes, by
the s.s. "C intra."
593. Was this loss heavy ? I sent 316 hunches of bananas to a consignee in Melbourne. These were
my own, tor which I paid the grower Is. >kl. per buoch cash on delivery. The result was that I got a wire
from the consignee staling that the entire shipment of bananas by the " Ciutni" \v«.s rotten. Then I got a
letter from the eousigtiee saying that ITe had seen the captain of the" Cintra," and that the captain assured
him that it was the hottest trip he ever had. It was Christinas week Theollicers of ihe ship reported to
him that the bananas were greatly sunk down through ripening. The Sydney bananas were landed in
fair order, but the Melbourne bananas, having to be kept three days longer in the steamer, were utterly
spoiled when they got to Melbourne.
51H. By Mr. Cowley .- Was that an exceptional case? Yes. From previous shipments we have had fair
returns, and all this season we have had good returns ; while the Melbourne Exhibition has been open, the
demand for bananas has been very great. A demand for bananas has also been created in consequence
of the luji boats not running. There was for a time some hitch about getting coal during the coal strike,
and the Fiji boats would not j;o to Melbourne. Between June and December last, 3,233 bunches have
been sent to Melbourne, and with the exception of those sent by the " Cintra" we have had good returns.
595. By the Chairman : Bananas are the principal tropical fruit grown here? Yes; but we have large
shipments of pineapples, mangoes, oranges, limes, lemons, small shipments of granadillas, and even
passion fruit is shipped from here.
590. By Mr. Cowley : Do yuu think that it wonld be advantageous — that it would conduce to the fruit-
grower's prosperity in this district — if there were special boats for fruit, and if the fruit was properly carried,
instead ot being piled up in heaps ? Yes ; 1 believe that had the bauauas sent by the ;< Cintra" been
properly stowed away m rows, separated by battens, there would not, notwithstanding the heat, have been
sue! i a poor result.
597. 1 -low is the fruit grown on the Mossinan and Daiutree brought to Port Douglas for shipment?
All tlie bananas that come from the Daintree and Mossinan come iu boats.
598. Do the settlers bring them iu their own boats ? No ; only one or two. The Daintree Eiver bananas
aro brought in by tlio mailman who usmes in on Saturday in time for Saturday's steamer. The fruit is
damaged having to be so much handled and transhipped. To prevent handling, we got the boats to
discharge the bananas into the Lighter and not on to the wharf. SoinetinK'S, however, they are compelled
to pul the bananas on the wharf. When they aro put on to tho lighter they art packed on the deck,
excepting when (hero are a very large number, aud then we have to put them dowu below.
599. You stilted that you gave Is, id. a bunch fur bananas: is that about tho average price or is it
exceptional ? It is a medium price. 1 paid Is. lOd.a bunch for (J, UK) bunches, two yeara ago. That, was
the highest price I have paid. Tho average price tin's year has been about Is. a bunch ; they have been
sold at from Kid. to 1 s. 3d.
(>00. Then, as a rule, is there a margin of profit at that price, if tho shipment is successful, and they
are iDivrkotablo when they roach Melbourne ? Yes.
(kit. Will the loss on the last shipment influence you in auy way in respect to sending others ? I iuteud
still to go on. At this time of the yearwe have to be guided in our shipments by the southern fruit coming
into the market. The- fruit oomes iutrom Tasmania about tins time, ami there is not so much demand for
fruit from the north in Sydney t >r ilelbourne. I ascertaiued, wheu in Sydney last, when bananas would,
take best there, and it is safe to ship them up to the middle of December, but after that it is a risk.
(302. How
MINUTES OF EYIDENCE TJJUEN BEFORE THE BOYAL COMMISSION TO LSQUIEE INTO
• Wal8h - 602. How long does the slack season last ? Until «e start shipping again about May.
*~>\ 6f3. As a shipping agent, have you had any complaints from grouers as to loss ? Yes-
Jan., 1889. 604. From ufiage ? Yes.
605. Any great Toss? Yes.
606. What have been the nature of the complaints? "When my agents send in my account sales, growers
in the district ask me how my lot ha,sgoueoff, and we compare notes ; in several instances when the returns
have come in they have left the shipper in debt to the agent.
607. lias this been through the destruction of the fruit, or through defaulting agents or partners ? I
think it was owing to the natural decay of fruit from ripeness.
608. Do you send away only one kind of banana ? Really, I could not tell you. They appear to be all
one class of banana. None but the Cavendish bananas grow here.
60:3. By the Chairman .- Don't you think that the shipping company ought, to make better provision for
carrying fruit to the southern market ? I know that the company is anxious to do so, and I got a copy
of a letter from the company to the officers asking them to handle the fruit with all possible care, and
asking U s as agents to do all in our power to gee that it was safely shipped, and if the oficers or men
were seen to handle the fruit roughly to report it to the captain. But if there has to be any tranship-
ment; in Brisbane it means that the fruit has to be taken out of one ship and put into another vessel, and
there have been more complaints about transhipment, for it means ruin.
610. By Mr. Cowley : Are the bananas generally carried on deck or below ? In the " Barcoo " on deck.
She has ahorse awning and the fruit is stowed under it unless it is full, and then they are put in the hold.
In other steamers they ar« carried in the between-decks, and the hatches have gratings so as to admit the
air.
611. ~9o yon ever know of bananas being placed on deck without any awning over them? No, I never
saw them on deck except on the <; Barcoo," and she has a large wooden awning for horses, under which the
bananas are stored. All the Sidney fruit is carried on deck.
612. By the Chairman: #f c»urse you are not a practical fruit-grower yourself ? X"o,
613. You are not a selector ? Yes; but in Cairns.
614. You are pretty well acquainted with the Mossman and Daintree Eivers, and kuou the selectors who
are located there ? Yes.
615. Can you give the Commission any reason for the present depression in tropical agriculture in this
district? I can give a general opinion. I think that a great deal of the maize-growing failure is owing
to the primitive way of working the soil with the hoe. The growers just dropped the corn in the hoed
riilfjr*. and after two or three crops the soil is not pulverised and does not produce well. In several
casfs the land has been leased to Chinamen at a peppercorn rental. As to the general failure of sugar,
we have only had one sugar plantation actively at work in the district and that was the Bribri, on the
Mossman; and I believe that if that plantation had been properly managed it would have paid. But it
was mismanaged, as I know from my own knowledge.
616. What did the mismanagement consist of? The first proprietor who took it up was Mrs.
Parker, and she had several changes of management, and evory new manager when the machinery
was put up hud his own idea as to how it should be done, and all Wept making additions and alterations.
That is one of the reasons of the breaking up of the plantation. The owner being a lady, and haviug
trusted to the four managers who were there in a few years, did not make the plantation a success.
017. Is the plantation now in financial difficulties? Yea, it is in the hands of the Trustee of
Insolvency, Mr. Pearson.
618. Then the original proprietress of the plantation became insolvent? No, not thelate proprietress-
Mrs. Parker's son-indaw, Mr. Eaviell, became insolvent.
619. With what labour was the plantation worked? "With kanaka, Chinese, and Europeau lahour.
620. Then you put the non-success entirely down to mismanagement ? Yes, I do.
021. .Not to the low price of sugar? If the plantation had been worked properly it ought to have paid.
622. Why ? Because it is a splendid little piece of laud.
623. By Mr. Cowley : Is this simply a surmise on your part, as you have no practical experience in these
matters ? All surmise ; I liave no practical experience whatever.
624. By the C/tnirman .- Why is it that throughout the whole of the Daintree Eiver selections there are
only three or four residental selectors ? Principally owing to the seasons being so uncertain, and the
price obtained for the produce being hardly enough to pav for the cutting of the corn. It did not pay
the European selectors, so they let their land on lease to Chiuamen. I may tell you as chairman of the
Divisional Board that, in these new scrnb districts up here, it is a great undertaking for a settler to
carry his produce to market. From the Daintree Eiver they hav e to pay 10s. a ton for carrying corn a
total distance of two or three miles, to the river; then 10s. more per ton to take it by river to th e wharf
at Port Douglas ; — that is, altogether, from the selection to the wharf, £l per ton.
625. What would be the whole of the distance? The land carriage is two, three, and three and jf-half
miles, and the water carriage from eight to nine miles. From the Mossman it is about four miles.
626. £1 per ton of maize — would that be Od. a bushel ? Yes.
627. Then if you buy the maize on the selector's owu ground you have to pay 6d. per bushel additional,
to get it up here? Yes.
628. That affects the price of buying maize from the farmer, and you deduct it from the price you pay the
growers ? Yes.
620. By Mr Cowley : What is the average price you pay for maize per ton ? We pay from £6 to £7
per ton.
630. By the Chairman : Why do you buy by the ton? It is easier to calculate it in that way, and we
generally buy hy the ton. Up country we sell by the bushol.
631. Then the pricn you pay is about 3s. 6d. per bushel ? Yes; that is at the wharf. The farmers have
to pay Od. out of that for bringing it to the wharf.
632. You are aware that this Commission is appointed to obtain suggestions from local residents as to
how their district cau be improved in the direction of tropical agriculture. Have you any suggestions to
offer by winch this district — Port Douglas— cau be improved in regard to the growth of other articles
outside of sugar ? 1 think that tropical agriculture generally, especially those tropical fruits such as
coffee,
THE GEyEEAL CONDITION OF TILE SUGAB ENDPSTEY EN" QUEENSLAND.
coffee, tobacco, &c, could be profitably gi-own if iufortnation as to their growth and cultivation and the ^- Wfl
proper plants to use was disseminated amongst the settlers. Here they are all pioneers, and have to learn *-
b y exprrience, and it has been all experimental on all the selections. I think it would be a great benefit 11 Jan.,
if experimental farms were established iu some districts, and I believe it would do no ha:-m if a lecturer
were sent round the different agricultural settlements, arid travelling about amongst the selectors to
induce 1hem to improve their land.
633. Has the labour qucsvion anything to do with the present depressed state of the industry ? Yes. In
my opinion, T. think so. The labour (juestion has a great deal to do with tropical agriculture here, because
we have to compete with other tropical agricultural countries, where they have the privilege of cheaper
labour than we can obtain here. I bdieve in the summer time here, especially in the cane fields where I
hare seen men at work, that the temperature is too trying for Europeans. I mean by that — too trying
for thein to engage in field labour. To make a success of it I certainly think that, especially to carry it
on in a large scale, we ought to have the privilege of employing cheap labour— kanaka labour. They ought
to be confined solely to cane labour — that is, labour in the cane field.
634. Bjj Mr. Cowley : As an old resident, aud as one not engaged in agriculture, do you think that the
employmeut of coloured la hour is detrimental to the interests of the white people in this district ? I
think that kanaka labour is not detrimental, but I think the employment of Chinese, Javanese, and
Cingalese is.
633. By the Chiirman : That is. you think the white population would resent the employment of coolies,
Chinese, Javanese, and Cingalese, but not kanakas ? No, they would not if the kauaka was confined to
the cane field, and to agricultural labour only.
636. Do you know if any Javanese are employed in this district or not? Tes ; there were some at
Bloomfielcl, but none in the immediate neighbourhood of the town.
637. By Mr. Coivley .- Did you ever send any fruit to Ilerberton ? I know a selector who has taken
several loads of orauges to Hcrberton and Mount Albion, anil disposed of them satisfactorily.
638. Is there a good market for fruit there ? Yes.
639. Is it a difficult road to take thein ? No ; Cobb's coach runs twit>e a week.
640. Then they have not to be packed, but can bo carted ? Yes ; a dray load can be sold in a day in
Herberton.
641. 1b there a market for a large quantity of fruit there ? No ; not for a large quantity at present, but
youcan depend upon there being a large population there. Therearc a number of selections in thescrub
around Hcrberton. 31aize has been a great failure for some years in Ilerberton, owing to the blight.
Some of the selectors think that there is some want in the soil. It is a beautiful red soil, and they
think that what it wants is lime.
612. By the Chairman : Can yon iuf orm ns of the quantity of maize that you have exported from 1884 to
1886 ? Our company in thrnc years has exported 1,310 tons of maize from this port to Normanton,
C»oktowu, and even to Brisbaue. That would be 52,400 bushels.
613. Since 1886 has the growth of maize fallen off considerably? Yes ; and there is a greater local demand
for it.
644. That is, that the cultivation of maize has declined and the consumption increased? Yes.
645. "Why will fanners not grow maize when they know they can got afrdr price for it? I do not know.
Only Chinamen grow it. When the Chinamen have cleared the land, I think the Europeans will take it.
When the stumps have rotted aud. tlie plough can be used, the selectors will use the la.udthemselvesmore
in the future.
646. Are you obliged now to import maize? Yes, small lots have been coming in; but several hundred
tons have come here this dry season.
647. What do you charge per bushel to the consumer V 6s. a bushel. It is packed to Ilerberton, and
I knowinstances whereit has cost .£12 aton here,and £14 per ton for packing to Ilerberton; that is 13s.
a bushel at M ount Albion.
64S. Then I take it that at the present time, with the large demand for maize iu the Ilerberton district,
there is a profitable market here for the growth of maize ? Yes.
610. And it could be grown with European labour ? Yes, when they can put their plough into the land,
but a European will not do hoc work. 1 know of two lots Veing ploughed up by a selector. Pringle on
the Mossman is doing so.
650. It is, then, this distaste for hoc work on selections that causes the holder to lease his land to China-
men, on a clearing lease ? Yes; partly.
651. Is there another reasou ? There is the preat heat here in summer time.
652. Then one reason for selectors ieasiug laud to Chinamen for the cultivation of maize is the great
heat iu summer time ? Yes ; the selector gets the land worked by Chinamen, and the Chinaman crops it
for a few years, and during that time the stumps are rotting, and in a few years if the undergrowth is kept
down the selectors will be able to work it.
653. Do the labouring population, after accumulating means, ever exhibit any inclination to settle on the
land anil become their own masters? Yes ; I know several instances of bailiffs who were baililliug here,
who took up selections afterwards.
G5t. Uavc they become successful selectors ? Unfortunately, no.
655. From what cause? They, being so isolated on the Daintree, suffered from the depredations of the
blacks. I know of four or five on the Daintreewho could not make a living on account- of the depreda-
tions of the blacks. I kuow several who have teen robbed several times of everything.
656. Have any of those depredations been of recent origin ? No, about twelve or eighteen months ago. I
hav e notheard of any more recently, because there is a uativo police camp between the Mossman and the
•aintrce, and that has had a wholesome effect.
657. Do you think that the aboriginals are becoming more accustomed to Europeau civilisation? They
come into town now, and I think that makes them more cunning, and they are able to do more mischief
when in iho bush.
658. Do you think tliat the depredations of the blacks is one reason why so much land is unoccupied
on the Daintree? Yes; where young Barnard was killed, on the Daiutree, two young men, who had
selections close by, left immediately. I migiht mention another diwwbraek to the Daintree, and that is
that
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE Ti-l££N BEFORE THE ROYAL COMltlSSTON TO INQUIRE INTO
Walah. t ] iat t jj ere arc a j Qt f j ai , ge se i ec tiong, 1,280 acres each, which were bailiffed. and when the conditions
/ — - A -— ■ ~\ were complied with the owners made freeholds of them, and they are lying idle there now. They are
11 Jan., 1889. waiting for the unearned increment.
659. Are those lands held by absentee proprietors? Yes.
660. Do they reside in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane ? Principally in Queensland ; I do not know of
any outside the colony. . T T
661. Are there any selections on the Mossinau in the same'eoadition as those on the Daintree f iNo ; 1
don't think so. . ..
662. On the Mossman are the selections all held hy bona fide selectors who are working on their holdings i
Yes. , „ .
663. Then there is nothing that you can suggest to the Commission by which agriculture on the Daintree
can be in any way promoted or improved, on account of the selections being hi the hands of absentees ?
They are not all inthe bands of absentees. There are several there who work their own land. Stewart
is working very hard. They expected to get a mill but did not.
664. Did the Government offer to put up a central mill at the Mossman district ? Yes.
665. Wiy did the selectors decline it ? Several of them were agreeable to sign th« conditions ; in lac t, I
believe some of them did so. But there was •ulv £12,000 when Mac'kav had hai its whack, and it was
hardly worth coming to Port Douglas with £12,000, as they would have had to put more money on tho
Estimates. Mr. Hodgkinson said that if the settlers would sign the agreement, the additional money
required would be asked for. Put there were a few amougst the selectors to whom it was a question of
not being allowed to employ black labour, and they felt that they could not sign the agreement on those
conditions.
666. By Mr. Cowley : Do you know any of these absentee proprietors on the Daintree? Yes.
667. What I want to know is this— do you know what reason it is that they are not cultivating their
land ; is it on account of thelabour question, or whyarethey waitingfor the unearned increment ? I believe
the labour question is the great difficulty in the way of those lands being cultivated.
6G8. Have they fulfilled their conditions on these selections and are they freeholds? They have received
certificates.
6G9. What was the original price of the land? All the land on the Daintree was selected at £1 per acre,
and it must have cost the proprietors at least 30s. per acre independent of the bailiffs' fees. It has cost
them more than 30s. an acre before they got their certificates, and for that outlay they have
got no return, and obtained no benefit. They could not get 17s. 6d. an acre for the land now.
070. By the Chairman .- What is the general health of the district? Very good.
671. And on the Dainfereeand Mossman? In both places the health isverygood. When people first came
to the district the fever was bad, but now since the land was cleared the health of the district is good.
672. Does that apply to coloured, labour — kanakas — a* well as to Europeans ? Yes.
673. Would the white population of Port Douglas •bject to kanakas being employed in growing maize?
Some o f them would.
074. Then the opinion generally of the white population of Port Douglas is that there would be no
objection to employing the kauakas in the cane field? I am almost sure they would not object. There
might bo a few isolated exceptions.
67a. Then it is not the unanimous opinion ? I believe it is unanimous, with a very few exceptions.
676. Do you think that public opinion is favourable to the kanaka being employed outside of the cane
field? I think it is unfavourable.
677. By Mr. Court ey : \Yould there be any •bjection to kanakas being employed in coffee cultivation ?
Yes, I think there would, as it is work a white man can d».
678. Are Europeans anxious at 30s. a week to go and fell scrub and work amongst it ? Yes, at 30s. a week
and rations.
679. You thiuk they would take to the work? Yes, I can get plenty of Europeans to fell scrub at 30s. a
week and rattous ; but they will not hoe land and grow maize on their owu account, because it would not
pay them.
680. By the Chairman : Do you think that the climate here lias any serious effect on Europeans clearing
timber off land ? I do not. I am acquainted with timber getters, and those meu worked in the scrub for
years aud are healthy men still. Some of them have been working in the scimb for twelve years and are
Btill strong men.
681. Do you know, of your own knowledge, that Europeans would not refuse 30s. a week animations to
clear scrub? I know they would not.
6S2. By Mr. Cowley: Do not those cedar getters work in the shade? Yes, they work under the shade, but
it is very close and very trying.
6&3. My the Chairman : Do you think that the cultivation of oranges, lemons, and limes can be carried on
by European labour? Yes.
084. Profitably? Yes. It is being done now by Montgomccic and Robbins on the Mowbray, about seven
miles from town, and by J. Trezise, who takes oranges to Hurborton.
FRIDAY,
THE OENEB ATj CONDITION OF THE SUGA.B INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
FRIDAY, 11 JANUARY, 1889.
POET DOUGLAS DISTRICT.
(At Mayfleld.)
Present :
W. II. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., MX. A., in the Chair.
.Tons James Montgomekie examined :
685. B>i the Chairman : Did you a.nd your partner Mr. Robbins take up this selection ? Yes. J
686. What is the area? 160 acres.
687. Under what Act was it taken up ? Under the 1876 Act. *
688. Is it conditional, or homestead 1 It is a homestead selection. 1
689. How many acres do you have now under cultivation ? The whoLe of it except the grazing land.
Some of it is out of cultivation now and is under grass. It was in cultivation two years ago. Now
about one-ha lf \y, in cultivation aud one-half in grass,
600. By Mr. King : Has the other half been under cultivation? Yes. There areeighty acres now under
cultivation.
691. By the Chairman : What articles do you chiefly cultivate ? At first ma ize. It paid very well for
two or three years, when the ground was easily cleaned and the price was fair ; but after that it took
three times the amount of labour to clean the land, and the price went down and it would not pay at all.
The land was principally cleared by Chinamen. We worked a part ourselves, but all the scrub I let to
Chinamen on a clearing lease. They found out afterwards that rice would grow very well on the land.
Four years ago they began to grow rice, and grew it very well indeed. They had a very good return, as
much as two tons of paddy to the acre.
6h2. At the present time eighty acres are under cultivation, and are being treated entirely by yourself
and partner? No; ptirt is in the hands of two Chinamen.
693. Under what conditions? They pay me a rent. The old elearing lease has expired.
691. What do they devote their attention to ? Growing rice, maize, aud bananas, but principally to
garden produce.
695. By Mr. King: What is the average crop of maize? Some of the low-lying fields have given as
much as 70 bushels to the acre.
696. What is the average crop? About fifty bushels, if there is no blight. Last year we suffered from
the blight.
6^7. Row many crops do vou get in one year? Two crops off the same ground.
698. Bv Mr. Cmfay : Did the bl ight last year affect the yield much ? Yes.
699. What is it like? A young [ly got into the young corn, and under the sheath of the cob.
700. What was the last crop like? Six mouths ago it was i\ very good crop, and a high price was
obtained for it.
701. When was the crop blighted ? This time twelve mouths.
702. Was it all lost? No ; just patches.
703. By Mr. King : J low much did the crops go the acre ? About half a crop,
701. By th e Chairman : What are you now growing yourself on the other part of the selection ? Emit
principally — oranges, mangoes, and other fruits. We also grow oafcs for chaff. We go in for chaff;
having a chaff-cutter wo cut it up.
705. Are oats successfully grown here ? Very well indeed,
706. What average crop do you get per acre ? H tons.
707. Does it grow rank or thin ? It grows very well here, on tbe low ground it got too rank.
708. By Mr. Cowley : It is only in the winter months that you grow oats ? Yes.
709. Bi/tJte Chairman : How many eases of oranges do you grow per annum? I sold about 6,000 dozen
last year.
710. What was the average price per dozen ? I get 6d. and 5d. on the ground. It is delivered at Port
Douglas.
711. Have you had occasion to ship any of those orange.* to other parts of the colony ? I have.
712. Have you reason to complain of the treatment of the fruit on the steamers ? Not as far as I
myself am concerned, a s I only exported a small quantity for myself ; but parties I have sold them to
made great complaints, and said they were afraid to bay any more of them.
713. Whan were the nature of their complaints? That the cases were robbed.
711. My M r. Catchy -. Does the risk the buyers run in shipping affect the price paid to you ? Yes, to a
very considerable extent,
715. By the Chairman: Can you dispose of your mangoes quickly? This year they did not go off very
well. I liave sold a few, but mere have been allowed to rot on the ground.
716. Why ? .1 usb for the same reasou, that we are afraid to send them away. The mango is a fruit that
does not carry well. There is a great fault with exporters in packing mangoes — they do not understand
how to do it. I Ihink they put too many in a case. In regard to oranges they put40 or 50 dozen into a
big case and send it for a big trip, and the oranges become rotten : that is the exporters' fault. Jut
when oranges are sent in fruit cases ten dozen at a time, such is not the case.
717. I understand you to mean that if oranges could be sent safely without being pilfered on the voyage,
both n»r1h and south, that it would be a profitably gr«wu crop ? Ves.
718. By Mr. Cowley : At 6d. a dozen ? Yes, and* that would pay us very well.
719. Does that include all kinds ? Yes, oranges, citrons and lemons ; 6d. a dozen all round would pay us.
720. Are your orange trees seedling or worked trees ? I have about twenty seedlings ; all the rest
are grafted -
721. AYhich do you find doing best, the seedling or the worked tree ? I 6nd the seedlings very healthy.
72'-?. Do they bear as freely and as j;ood fruit ? They bear quite equal to the worked trees.
72:3. Arc the worked trees grafted on a lemon stock? Principally lemon; some are grafted on cumquats.
724. Did you find that those died ? Yes.
725. At about: «hat age? I think tho drought killed them ; they died off in a couple of years.
726. Do you think it safest aud best, to plant seedlings? Yes, seedlings from good oranges. I have a
lot of seedlings in now from my ovrn oranges. I planted orauge seed and the trees came up cumquats.
That was a very strange thing. There are trees that bore cumquats the first year and now they are
bearing mandarins, 727. How
MTXITTES OF EVIDENCE TAJLEN BEFOBE THE KOTAIi COJTMIBSIOy TO INQUIJ1E INTO
JJ - 727. How long does it take a seedling to bear? I have them bearing in four years from the seed.
tgomerie. There were a ( [ ozm oranges on two or three of them, and iu the fifth year they gave a full crop. Ihcy
*-^ v -^"~" > > are in the front of the house now. . , .
an., 1889. 728 . By Mr. King .- Do you grow any quantity of bananas ? I don't, but the Chinamen have about three
acres in crop. The way they are treated on the steamers prevents the grower being able to sell them.
Previous shipments have" been piled up on one another and crushed in the holds, and they "ere one mass
of filth when they got to Sydnev. They ought to have the steamers fitted with shelves the same as I have
seen in the fruit boats in America. That is the way they are carried f r«m Jamaica. By this me an-! only
two bunches of bananas are placed on top of each other so that they don't by their own weight get
crushed, and there is a free curreut of air- These shelves can be taken away when the bananas are dis-
charged down south, and laid aside, so that they don't take up much room. They ought to have them in
the steamers on this coast.
729. By Mr. Coioley .- Have you found any disease attack the trees ? Yes ; the oranges. The mangoes
are free from disease. All tbe orange tribe are subject to disease- different kinds of scale.
730. What remedy do yon use ? We wash the truuks of the trees with lime. We also take kerosene
and soap and fat, boiled up, and mix it up and put it on hot, and. we find it effectual. It is very good for
killing the scale on the leaf ; hut does not do much good to the trunk.
731. By the Chairman: Are you trouble* with the borer lure? No; the only thing we ever had the
borer in was the fi g. Just as "they were coming into fruit the borer went in above the top of the ground
and killed them.
732. Has the »range moth troubled you ? Tes j but not to any great extent. 'We try to catch them,
but that is all.
733. By Mr. Couley : Which do you find most profitable— the orange or the maudarin ? The orange
is the most profitable, because itcarries best ; but, for local consumption, the mandarin is the best.
734. Is the mandarin very prolific ? Yes — very.
735. What tree do you plant ? The Emperor. There are three kinds.
736. Do you like the thorny or the thornless ? I like the thornlcs* best. The thorny mandarin is very
good for carrying — better than the thornless ; but for local consumption the thornless is the best.
737. So far as your trees have gone yet you have not had any serious obstruction to their flourishing ?
No ; nothing.
738. And they bear regularly ? Yes.
739. By the Chairman .- Have you tried any other tropical produce of commercial value, — liave you tried
coffee ? Yes ; I have sixty trees of Liberian coffee.
740. How do they succeed ? They bear very well.
741. By Mr. Cowley : Have you made coffee from them? Yes. I have not sold any coffee, but have
sent it away.
742. How did it succeed with the people to whom you sent it ? They liked it. I did not sell it, I merely
went it as a present. I have sold the berries. I sold about 150 lbs. of berries to go to N ew G uinea, at
Od. a pound.
743. Have you triedthe .Arabian coffee? I have about ten trees, but they are very young.
744. Then you are not able to say which is the best? No. Those ten trees began bearing this year,
and they are bearing very well. 1* think that the Arabian is the best for this climate, because it is easier
to get it off the trees, aud easier to get the husk off, and easier to prepare for market.
745. Do you think it bears tbe heaviest crop ? Yes ; I should 1 hiu k it does.
740. Is it easier pruned and kept in order ? Well, we have never pruned them at all.
747. How much per tree do they bear of dry coffee ? I could not state exactly. I have taken about a
gallon of berries off one tree at one picking. That was from a Liberian tree. The cherry of the
Liberian is much larger than the Arabian.
748. By the Chairman : Speaking from your experience, would you recommend coffee as a product to be
grown by selectors ? Yes ; and I think it won!* be a pr«i table one. I planted the Liberian coffee trees
in a very sandy place, and they grew wondei-fully ; and they have never been cleaned lately.
749. Have the whole of the eighty acres in your own charge been cultivated by yourself? Yes.
750. With what labour? Part of it is in the Chinamen's hands. 1 employ a little labour. We work it
with horse labour, as we are able to use the plough. We stumped the land ourselves. We had labour
to stump it.
751. By Mr. Cowley : Wbat labour did you use in stumping ? Chinamen, mostly.
752. How did you employ them ? Some by contract and some we paid wages to.
753. How much would it cost to clear the scrub, without slumping it, iu the first instance? It must
have cost from £3 to <£4 per acre. That would be the cost for clearing it and burning it all off. That
was by contract.
754. How much would it cost to stump the ground ? It would cost'a great deal more, as the roots of
the trees here are very hard to get out.
755. By /he Chairman : Could you oifer any suggestion hy which your fruit iudustry could be in any
way assisted ? ] should like something done with those Steamiship Compauies, to make them carry the
fruit more safely, and so as to prevent this pilfering.
756. Do you think that that is at present the most serious disiulvanlage to the fruit-growing of the
district ? Most decidedly.
757. And a serious interference with the price of the product? Yes.
758- If an expen lental f arm was established in soine eeutral part of the district, -where fruit trees and
oth er articles of commercial value could be grown and practical advice given to selectors as to the best
article to plant on their land, would that be an advantage? Yes, it would.
759. You think that there is information required to be giveu to the selectors? , es. T mentioned
the matter to Mr. McLean some mouths ago.
76^. Speaking as a practical man yourself, in connection with your own industry, you yourself would
be able to take advantage of it? I think so. It would be a. great benefit to everybody.
761. By Mr. Kiny : Have you tried tobacco ? Very liule. The plant grows very well, but I have never
tried to manufacture tobacco out of it, or even to dry the leaf.
762. Do you know of any cocoa trees grown in the district? Yes; I have some of them myself,
but the " borer " — the grub- — gets into them ajid destroys them.
763. By Mr. Cottley : "What kind of grub is it ? It is the grub of some beetle. It is a big worm.
764. Ia
TTLK GENERAL CONDITION OP THE SUGAR INDUSTRY tN T QTJKENSLATTD,
ee in a manure heap ? Yerr much like it, only white with a brow n fj-
% plants. I took great cart- of them, and planted them under the shade
wing very well, but they died off one by one. I found the grub deep (77~
7GJ. Ia it the same as those you s
head. I had some very nice cocoa p
•f the bananas, and they were growin
in the roots.
765. Have you grown many lemons ? A good few of both Bengal and Lisbon. There is a good market
for the Lisbon variety ; you can sell them freely, but it is not so with the Bengal.
7GG. Have you any citrons? Yea ; I havegrown some of them. I used to get 3s. a dozen for them,
for preserving purposes, down south.
767, Do you know that there is a preserving factory in Brisbane who are willing to take all you can
grow, at a good figure ? Yes ; IVIessrs. Kussell and Co. I received a circular from them saying they
would send their traveller round to see me. Their traveller did come to Port Douglas, but he never came
here.
76S. You mentioned rice just now, — can it be grown profitably ? Yea.
769. 'With what labour ? Chinese labour, principally.
770. Could it be made to pay with European labour? I dare say it could, but there is a great deal of
trouble about it.
771. By Mr. King : "When the land is under the plough, T suppose a white man could cultivate rice as
well as maize ? Yes ; there is a great deal of trouble with it. Of course we can always sell the paddy.
The mill offers £9 per ton for paddy.
772. By Mr. Cowley -. Ifow many acres have you cultivated independent of the orchard? About twelve
acres. All the rest is being cultivated by Chinese. I and my partner cultivate it without assistance.
773. If the scrub was once cleared and stumped could white men earn a good living in tliis neighbourhood ?
Yes; if they liked to.
77-1. Is it necessary that they should have the scrub cleared and stumped in the first instance ? Yes ;
unless they have plenty of money to help them.
775. Then they must either have cheap labour or let the land to Chinamen? Yes; unless they have
money to aid them to pay for white labour. We could not have done it ourselves without leasing it to
Chinamen, and no one else would take it.
770. By Mr. King : Are there many other selectors on this river cultivating their land? There are
some up here. Mr. Gray has a farm up here, and two parties in town have land here. There is also
land cultivated by Mr. Trezise-
777. Do they cultivate anything? Yes ; maize and bananas, and he grew oats, the same as we do. He
ploughs his land.
778. Do the settlers keep their health well ? They do now. It was very trying to the first settlers ; the
scrub was just being fallen and there was a great deal of fever here, but not worse than in other districts
in the colony. I had twelve mouths of it myself.
779. Do the Chinamen suffer from the same complaint ? Not so much as we do ; it affects white people
more than it does others.
780. Is there any other description of labour iu this neighbourhood besides Chinamen and Europeans?
No, I have uot heard of any. 1 have never had kanakas working for me.
781. Did you ever try sugar? I have a few kinds of sugar growing here. It grows admirably, and the
cane is very large. There was some talk of a sugar mill being established here, on Spring Creek, about
a mile from here; but it never came to anything. We put a good deal of cane in on the strength of that.
I made the Chinamen put in cane, but they had to root it all out again.
782. By the Chairman : How far are you off Bnbri ? About thirteen miles.
783. If a mill was erected somewhere" within two or three miles from here would you grow cane? Yes.
784. By Mr. King : How many tons to the acre would the cane you tri ed here yield ? I don't know. It
was very large cane ; it was fourteen feet in length. I put in teu or twelve different kinds, and they were
considered the very best.
785. By Mr. Cowley : Have you any other trees of commercial value growing here? I have cinnamon,
cassia bark, jack-fruit, Otaheite gooseberry, Fiji apple, wharnpee, various kinds of custard apple, and
several kinds of Indian fruits of which I did not get the uames.
786. By tlte Chairman : Are they bearing fruit now ? Some of the Indian trees have never borne fruit
yet. They flowered but never gave fruit.
787. By Mr. Cowley : Are the others thriving and healthy? Yes.
788. Have you the tamariud? Yes, and they bear freely. I have never tried to sell them. I have a.
camphor laurel.
789. By Mr. King : Have you got any mangosteen ? Yes, I have two plants.
790. Are they doing well ? Yes, they are thriving very well.
791. By Mr. Cowley : How old are they ? I have had them two years. They thrive best in the shade.
792. Have you any vanilla? Yes. I also have a " Monstera deliciosa." It is thriving well, I had about
two dozen ripe fruit on it last year. This year there are about forty.
793. From your experience hcrcj do you think this is a good place for the growth of tropical trees? Yes,
decidedly- They nil thrive lic:re.
791. Don't you think that you have an exceptionally favourable bit of ground ? Well, some of it is good
and some middling. 1 do not consider it exceptionally good.
795. Is there much land in the distr ict like this ? Yes, a good deal.
796. Of the same character, with drift at the bottom ? Yes.
797. By 11ie Chairman : And ready for settlement by anybody who will take it up? Yes. I may add
that I have date palms and mulberries. There is a fruit tree here that has never borne fruit : I refer to
the loquat. It is too hot for it. It is the same with the jaearanda.
798. How many beehives have you ? Thirty.
799. Do you find the cultivation of bees profitable ? Yes. I can dispose of my honey at remunerative
prices. 1 seud it all to Herbcrton, excepting a httle which I sell here. I send it in bulk. I find it a
valuable auxiliary to my orchard. They did rather poorly last year. There are two kinds of birds that
are very destructive to the bees in the winter wheu they are weak. One called the military bird. It
i'b a very smnJl shrike. They eat the bees wholesale. The other is a bee-eater, and they eat the bees
wholesale also. 800. With
24
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TABTE5T BETOEE VUl<: E»TAL COMMISSION TO INQXTITIE INTO
Montgi
J - J - 800. With the exception that these bee-mters take the bees in the winter time, do yoti otherwise find tt a
! " profi table industry ? Tes.
» 801. By Mr. Kmq : Ts the moth bad ? ¥c never saw them till last season. They are all Italian bees.
11 Jan., 1889. It was rat her a poor season, and I thi»k it was because they were not disturbed for so long that the
moths had time to lay their eggs. They seem to lay just at the joint of the frame.
802. By the Chtirman : Then, taking the wh#le of your industries, are you satisfied with things as they
are ? Tes .
S«3. And the only improvement that can be made is in the way yon have indicated ? Yes. I should like
to see a market for the fruit.
S»d.. By Mr. Cowley : How many acres have you of an orchard ? Eight acres orchard, and twelve under the
plough — twenty in all. The Chinamen have eighty acres and the rest is under grass.
S#5. By the Chairman .- Do you keep any cows ? Yes.
816. And provide your own milk and butter ? Tes. I got a young bull down from Mesfsrs. Marshall
and Slade, «f GHengallan, Darling lowns.
SATURDAY, 12 JAN7JART , 1889.
(At Port Douglas.)
Present :
W. H. G-ItOOM, Est., M.L.A. [ H. E. KING, Esq.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Henez Sjiith examined :
H. Smith. 807- By the Chairman : T«u are a shipping agent in Port Douglas? A commission agent.
/ — _a_— - ^ 8#8. In the course of your business have y«u been in the halnt of shipping fruits to southern ports?
12 Jan., 1SS9. Tes, to both southern and northern ports.
S#9. Have you had occasion to complain of the condition of the carg« at any time ? Tes.
810. On what acctuat ? In case, fruit pillage ; and in reference t« bananas, on account of their arriving
in very bad condition.
811. Has this been continuous «r only an isolated case ? It has been continuous.
812. Have you made any complaint to the representative of the shipping company? On many occasions:.
813. With what result? I have one letter here from the agents, if you would like to see it; also the
letter to which it is a reply. I could have produced several more if f had time to get them.
814. Will you read the letters ? Yes. They are as follows : —
" Port Douglas, May 15th. 1888.
"Deae Sib,
" I am in receipt of a letter from Messrs. Burns, Philp, and Co., of Thursday Island, to whon I
have been consigning fruit, that a shipment made per ' Birksgate' on 23rd April 'arrived in a disgraceful state, all
the cases being pilfered more or less, an d one case oranges short.' Fr»m Messrs. Shanklin and LV, i\ormant»n, I
am informed 'a good deal had been pilfered.' Prom T. Webster, Croydon, who takes delivery of bis fruit at
NorLLanton, lie says ' pilferage great.'
"Last season I had similar complaints from many places. My agents at J?ock hairjpt»n said it was so unsatis-
factory receiving the fruit in such a, condition that tbey would prefer me consigning to another agent. This refers
t« shipments of •nmges, lemons, limes, mangoes, &c. Surely the risk of decay, bad markets, &c., is caotigli
without being subject to wholesale robbery. A severe lesson should be taught. There are people who appear to
think it no sin to rob fruit cases. ] do not suppose these persons would enter a man's private h«use or warehouse,
but they should remember that fruit is also tlie result of roan's toil— in the **e case when shipped by grower, and
if shipped by purchaser possibly the merchandise by which he makes a living— and that it costs money as well as
other goods.
"Among my late shipments complaints have been very great, and as all these shipments (except ome, which
was to an »rder) have been at my risk, I have suffered severe losses by this pillage.
" 1 note shipping receipts are now signed ' Not responsible for ullage or decay ;' but do you not think it
woxtld be m«re credit to the Company, and a justice due to the shippers, that measures should be taken to remedy
these aomplaimts instead •£ shielding the Company by a ida.use ignoring any responsibility ? 1 say that lately the
pilferage carried «n is a disgrace to any Compaay.
" Tours faithfully.
"HENEY SMITH.
" The Manager A.TLS.N, Company, Brisbane."
"Australasian United Steam Navigation Co., Ld.,
" Brisbane, 21st May. 1888.
"Deab Sib.
"We beg to acknowledge receipt «f y«ur favour of 15th fnst., and extremely regret to hear «f the
pillages your fruit shipments arc subjected to, but. we must mention tliat this is ihe first Wc have heard of it, no
report of the occurrences having been received from «ur agents at Thursday Island, to whom we arc now sending
a copy of your letter.
" These fruit pilla ges arc unfortunately becoming very frequent, and although in sonic instances they may
take place while the g»ods arc on the steamer, yet we believe the greater part of tlie fruit is taken cn the wharves
he fore shipment and after landing. T lie cases, too, are verv often insecure ami tot easily broke* open, and upon a
steamer carrying so many passeagera as tlie 'Birksgate ' it' is very difficult to prevent a certain ar.naiiut of pillage,
although the officers have very strict instructions to prevent it.
"T -
THE GENEHAI, CONDITION OF THE SUGA.B INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
" This matter has been prominently brought before us lately, ami wo are doing our best to deal with it
efficiently, but we must admit that it is a. very difficult thing t» bring these petty pillages home to anyone so as
to bo able to make an example. We are, however, issuing special instructions to the Captains of our fleet and hope 1
we shall not hear any more complaints.
" We are, Dear Sir,
" Yours faithfully,
"pei" The Bbitish India and Queensland Agency Co., Ltp.,
•<WM. SMELLIE,
" Managing Agent.
"Henry Smith Esq., Tort Douglas."
I may state that I have been shipping for several years fruit in large quantities, and on several occasions
I was very much surprised to find that it did not pay. I made inquiries and the agents reported that the
fruit arrived in bad order, or over ripe, or that the market was bad ; but I subsequently learned that they
bought the fruit themselves. Those remarks as to the state of tlio murket and the state of the fnnt
were sent to mn so that they could huy the fruit themselves at their nwu price. One Sim owed mc£250,
and after making out a writ against them and losing a lot of time I had to W satisfied with taking £150,
which they paid. I also lost £50 by a sbipmeut of pineapples. Since then I h;tve had very good ageuts,
and I have not the slighest dtubtof the representations miulo to me by them.
815. Who arc your agents? My agents are — at Sydney, Mr. John Bridge; Thursday Island, Messrs.
Burns, Pbilp and Co.; Brisbane, Mr. W. Blackford; Melbourne, W. Siddeley and Co. Ido not doubt any
of them, and know that the representations they make on anything sent to them are the truth. In other
cases I thought that the agents might he representing matters so as to get their own price, but now I
have no cause to think so for one moment, and, in fact, I do not think so. I wrote to the company and
sent them the following extract from the Queenslander of 12th May, 1888, entitled " Shipping Bananas
for Market :" —
A New York journal gives the following interesting particulars regarding the trade in West Indian
"bananas :— One firm now employs three steamships, which piy between New York and Jamaica, and are used
so'ely for the importation of fruit, chiefly bananas. These steamers were built expressly for this business, and
are constructed with countless ventilators and numerous moveable decks. The fruit i* packed in a rather
peculiar way. The hunches are stood on end, and two layers are thus spread over the bottom of the -vessel's
hold, when a moveable deck is fitted over them. Then two more layers of the fruit are laid down, and so on
until tJic cargo is complete. A vessel carries from £,00* to 18.#*0 bunches per trip.
"The middlemen in the banana, business purchase their stock at the wharves as soon as the ressel
begins to unload. They buy from 100 to 1,5*0 busches at a time, and cart them immediately to the cellars,
where they ar« ripened The banana reaches this country in an extremely green condition. Fpnn reaching
these cellars the bunches are hung on h»oks su-pencUd in rows along the ceiling. In the centre of the cellar
is a gas or oil stove, which is generally s» regulated as to preserve a temperature of 60 or 70 degrees Fahj. Here
the fruit ripens gradually until it is ready for the retailers.
"Sometimes, however, when the demand is large for the ripened food, the cellar is heated to 75deg..
and sometimes even to SOdog., but at this temperature the banana is apt to 'cook,'_ as it is called, and lose its
flavour. In general the temperature of the cellar is varied as the conditiou of the fruit demands. If the fruit is
chilled • high temperature is imperative.
" The banana must he cursed as carefully as a child. Any sudden change of temperature or exposure to
inclement weather is very sure to produce a bad erect. The fruit may be ripened in twenty-four hours from the
time «f its arrival, but it is much better li a longer time is takcu.
"In the transportation of this fruit very great care is used. The hunches are First carefully folded in
paper bags, and then packed in patent heated cars. These cars contain oil stoves, and arc fitted with patent
ventilators which preserve an even temperature about the fruit."
This I sent to the company to show that the thing could be done properly. The shipping facilities are
much better elsewhere. 1 recommended that they shonld make a skeleton framework which could be
easily taken down, and by means of which all the fruit could be carried without being damaged. Bananas
at present couhlbe shipped hi great quantities from here, and if these fraweswere used would never suffer
any loss. At present the banauas are packed in a great pile and the great weight crushes those which are
undermost. I believe these frames could be put up very simply. .At present a good deal of loss is
occasioned by changing steamers and transhipping The fruit in Urisbaue or Sydney. Bananas are shipped
nearly grown, and not too much grown, and we endeavour to ship them so that they will be nearly ripe on
arrival at their destination. But by the tune they are being transhipped they are too ripe for all this hand-
ling. They get knocked about from the ship to the wharf and from the wharf hack to another ship ai.d are
positively destroyed. Steamers are advertised to go direct to Melbourne and we ship fruit by them, only
to find that the lU'nmgeuients have been altered oui the fruit has to be transhipped either in Brisbaue or
Sydney. I htive a letter to prove it. If these steamers were run right through to Melbourne without any
transhipment, except iu the case of a calamity which no one can prevent, it would be the greatest benefit
to us. But at present they promise to clo so but do not keep their word. I do not think they have any
right to do such a thing.
81 6. Then you think that a great deal of the injury done to bananas is the result of frequent traiship-
ment? Yes.
817. By Mr. King .- The company, from what you say, ship the bananas here and say they will take them
to Melbourne, but when they get as far as Sydney they do not do so but tranship them into another
steamer which takes them to Melbourne ? Yes. They have a perfect right to do as they like with their
own vessels, but when they advertise that they have three steamers running direct to Melbourne, we
expect that such an arrangement will be carried out. I would not send to Melbourne if I thought any
transhipment was to take place. I might, perhaps, do so in cold weather, but not in summer. We might
ship to Brisbane, but that is a poor market.
818. By the Chairman : The effect of your business relations in this matter is that the loss on fruit at
present seriously affects the price you pay to the grower ? Yes. By the " Cintra," last trip, not a
single bunch of a consignment 1 shipped was landed sound in Melbourne. I had a letter to that effect
from Mr. Siddley. I seat 19(5 bunches. I believe that a good deal of the loss was owing to bad stowage.
81!). Have you to paY freight on fruit here before you ship it V Yes. Previously we used to pay half
the freight at this end, but during the past twelve mouths we have had to pay the whole of it. In the case
of oranges, lemons, mangoes, &c, it is disgraceful the amount of pillage that takes place. A man residing
MINUTES OP ETrDENCE TAKEN HEFOKE THE KOTATi COMMISSION TO 1NQTTIEE INTO
»• in Port Don -las shipped two or three cases of fruit to his brother at Cooktown. It happened tbat his
~\ brother, wln. n |iad been at Townsville, was returning by the mime steamer on which the fruit was «hippea
89- and he saw his own ease of fruit being pilfered. 1 intend to take a trip myself some day aui Una out
about this sovt of thing. . f
820. Would fruit-growing be made a profitable industry in Port Douglas if there were proper means or
shipping fruit to the different ports in the south ? Yes. Au offer was made by a southern fi rm to send a
steamer up here once every three weeks, and run direct to Sydney and Melbourne and carry xruit but
they wanted a guarantee of a certain quantity being shipped in Port Douglas and Cairns and i*e eouid not
supply it. One difficulty is getting the fruit to the port of shipment. Ouv accommodation is too small;
we have no facilities for bringing the fruit down the rivers. Wc would have to have the fruit accumulat-
ing here, waiting for the direct steamer, several days beforehand. If we had to do that to &U up the
steamers here we might just as well hare it on board the steamers. We would only save two days by the
direct steamer. I believe that the fruit is better in the steamer than ou the wharf of the port <>t starting.
I believe there is no serious loss by stoppage at Townsville and other places, because there is no handling
or transhipment. They are bettor five or sii days extra on the voyage than in the store house- That
shows that other people think there is something in the trade and that tins company does not see it. lhe
freight from this place and Cairns must be over £150 a week on bananas only, tou could easily find
that out from Mr. Walsh here.
S2L Would more land be put under cultivation if there were better facilities for taking the fruit to the other
colouies ? Tes ; m uch more land would be cultivated in a very short time. We have a slight advantage
over Fiji, having a large bunch. In Fiji they protect the industry, and carefully handle the fruit.
There is not mU ch done in sugar and cof ee here. Something ought to be done in reference to this
pillage of fruit.
John Trezise examined:
!. 822. By the Clun'rman : You are a farmer and selector in this district ? Yes.
8^3. How long have you been here? Nine years,
39. 824. What is the extent of your selection ? 160 acres.
825. Is it a homestead or a conditional purchase? A homestead.
826. How much of it have you cultivated 1 I have cultivated about sixty acres of it, but it is mostly out
of cultivation now, as it. does not pay.
827. What have you principally grown ? Oranges. I grew a good many bananas, but could not make
them pay ; also maize and oats.
828. What was your average crop per acre of maize? For the brat two years, forty b ushels ; but the
grass got bad in "the fields and I could uot keep it clean, and the yield fell to twenty-five bushels to the
acre.
829. Why did you not keep the land clear of grass ? ] could not make it pay to do so.
830. What price did you get for your maize ? About £7 per ton.
83.1. Then you are now growing oranges only ? Oranges and oats. I have about six or seven acres of
oats this year.
832. What is your return from the oats ? If I get a good season about two tons to the acre, or with a
middling season one and a-half tons to the acre.
833. Ha ve you a good market for it ? Yes.
8!$L With regard to the oranges, how many young trees have you ? About 500.
835. What is your average return from them ? Lust year I got about -1,000 dozen, but of course they
are not all bearing. Some of them are young trees. About 300 are bearing.
830. What do you get per dozen for them? I take mine to Herberton and get 2s. and 2s. 6d. per dozen
for them. I took about half of them to Herbei ton.
837. What labour do you employ in cultivation ? Myself and the boys. You can get nothing but Chinese
here, and we have some difficulty in getting them.
838. Practically you work Jour homestead by yourself and family? Yes.
839. How does the climate affect your health ? The climate i* very good as far as we are concerned.
840. And you are able to ioyour work on your farm without any bad effects ? Yes, and my children also.
841. Then practically you are satisfied with the district, the climate, and the results of your operations?
Yes, with the oranges.
842. You said you grew bananas ? Yes, I did, but they did not pay on account of bad shipment — thatis,
principally by being knocked about in shipment. Sometimes I got good returns, but sometimes I would be
in debt by the shipment. Last shipment I was us. in debt.
843. Have you shipped any oranges? Yes ; by the " Burdcdcin."
841. Were they shipped properly ? Yes ; 1 had no complaints. They landed in good condition. I have
sent l.hcm by the company's boats to Townsville, and when they got there lhe cases were half empty. The
" Burdekin" does not bcloug to the company, but to Apliu, Browu and Co. 1 sent four dozen mangoes to
TovVYisvillc. They arrived in good condition.
845. Have you mang» trees on your selection ? ' Yes, about forty trees, but I do not like them. They
don't stand much handling. If y«u can't sell them a s soon as they ripen you ha.ve to throw them away.
846. From your nine years' experience do you considerthis district favourable for a European population ?
Yes ; 1 do. .
847. Suppose your farm had beeu devoted to sugar-cane growing, would you and your family have carried
on the work ? 1 don't think so. If we had had the whole of our cultivated land under cane, I would
have had to get more labour. But the stumps are nearly all rotted out now and I can plough a,nd harrow,
and can therefore do much more work than with the hoc. In a very few more years all the stumps willbeout!
848. By Mr. King: Where is your selection ? It is ou a tributary of the Mowbrav, above Mont-
gomeric, on Spring Creek.
849. Are you above Allan Gray? Yes.
850. Have you tned other crops— tobacco ? No; a good many people have tried tobacco, but it has been
a failure. A man named Turner had an acre u.ider tobacco, and it did not succeed.
851. How
TITE OEJTEEAL CONDITION OF THE SU*A.B IN'DTJST'BT TTS QUEENSLAND.
851. How was that ? I do not know ; I saw the crop once and it looked very well. He did not try any J- Praise,
more, as he said he could not make it pny, because it required too much hand labour. t ^
8-32. B>! the Chairman : Have you anything that you can suggest by which the i'ruit trade can in any way 13 Jan., 188a.
be assisted? Yes ; it could be assisted a great deal if we could get steamers properly fitted up so as to
carry bananas and all fruit, after being* put on board here carefully enough, to prevent half of the
shipment being destroyed before it reached its destination. It is a great loss to Port Douglas the way
fruit is shipped. Tou may send fruit to Brisbane, and out of ten cases you will have only five left.
S^S. How many of your family are engfiged in garden work ? One boy of thirteen years and two ,
littler boys aged ten and eleven years. We do not require a great deal of labour.
85i. If there was an experimental farm in this district where tropical arlieliss of commercial value that
could be grown on your selection were shown to you and their cultivation explained, would it be of any
bcnefii. to vou ? Tea ; it would be a great advantage to all the selectors in this district, and especially
to t ie youiig sons who are growing up. We cannot afford to experiment ourselves, and if anything was
tried on that experimental farm and shown that it wou[d prove successful, then we would go in for it and
plant it.
8.35. Are your orange trees seedlings or"worked trees ? The first trees were all worked trees.
856. Which do yon consider the best ? I can hardly tell you, because the seedlings take such a long
time to bear properly. My seedlings are only six years old, and they are not bearing properly yet. But
they are all fine trees. They do not bear pr#perly till they are eight or nine- years old.
857. Do you find any of your worked trees dying ? No; I have not lost odb yet.
858. Are they grafted on orange or lemon stock ? Mostly on lemon ; a few on orange stock.
859. How do Hartmann's trees do here ? No better thau the lemon stock tree, and I hardly think so
well. I see no difference in them, and hardly think the orange stock so good as the lemon stock.
They do not grow so quickly.
8(30. As far as tropical agriculture in this district is concerned — outside of sugar-cane— there is no
reason to doubt that Europeans could veiy well do it ? Tes.
861. You mentioned that selectors could make a good living? Yes ; I have done well. A man must
work, he must not lie down. I have six to keep besides myself.
862. By Mr. King : Have not a good many homestead selectors given it up? Not out about us. But
on the Mossmau and Daintree a good many have given up.
863. By the Chairman : Have y»u had any reason assigued why they gave it up ? No.
864. Is the land good ? Yes ; the people went in for corn-growing at a time when it was bringing
from 6s. to 7*. a bushel ; but when it came down to 3s. 6d. it would not pay, and that caused a good
many homestead selectors to give it up. The oranges have kept me ; I have made more out of them.
865. By Mr. King .- Do they suffer much from the flying foxes here ? Yes ; the soft fruit suffers, but
we do not grow much of it. We can't grow peaches here. I have never seen them take oranges here.
Bukebt E»lin«ton examined :
866. Bij the Chairman : You arc Police Magistrate and Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages at E. Eglington.
Port Douglas ? Yes. ^-^JV-—
867. Do you keep complete returns of the Port Douglas district? The only returns we have are those \i j an ., msi : .
showing certificale of death, which is forwarded to the .Registrar- General. The particulars of death are not
kept here. There are also the number of deaths that occurred in the district, and the number of births.
We have nothing to do with marriages, only deaths and births. I can give you the total number of
deaths, but not any particulars as to the cau;je of death. There is no record of it.
868. What is the general health of the residents of Port Douglas district ? Since I have been here, that
is for the past seven months, it has been very good. There is rather more fever here than away from the
coast, but that is common to all northern ports. The birth-rate is far in excess of the death-rate. The
births in 1888 were 40 and the deaths only 17.
bG9. Are you also Inspector of Polynesians ? Yes.
870. Are there many employed in this district ? When I came here there were no boys under agree-
ment iu the district. Now there are boys at work uuder the agreement prescribed by the Act. There
were twenty-six boys sent to Bribri Plantation. Their agreement expired on 3lst December, 18S7. I
found when I came here that these boys were employed throughout the district doing odd jobs for the
selectors, and some of them were working for Chinese cutting scrub. The Chinese would contract for
clearing and burning off land, and would agaiu sublet the contract to kanakas, who would clear the scrub
for them.
871. Were the boys paid their wages when they left Bribri ? No ; the boys were not paid for a con- '
siderable arrears of wages due to them, some of them being due from £14 to £21. The boys, not having
been paid, decline to lcvave the district, and they think that by going awuy they forfeit their chance. I
have tried to id v-iye them to go to other districts, or even to enter into fresh agreements here with those
willing to employ them ; but in every case they have objected to it, and say "first me must be paid for
Bribri, and 1hen me will sec what me will do." I reported the matter to the officer in charge of the
department at Brisbane, and called his atteution to the way the boys were employed, and gave him
my opinion that such employment was not in accordance with the Act, and was illegal unless on agree-
ment. I thought that under the special circumstances of those boys waiting to be paid their wa^es, it
was better that they should take any employmeut than that they should live about town and o-et into
bad ways and drink. That state of things was in existence when I came here. The boys were employed
about the town, and in several instances were employed in occupations that I did not approve of, but I
did not feel justified in taking action against any one person, unless 1 did so against the others who had
good employment for the hoys on selections. I particularly object to their taking any occupation in a
public-house ; still 1 can't see m v way to stop it altogether. There are boys holding exemption tickets
in the district, and they Ivvve more liberty,
872. By 3tr. King : Js tliere any prospect of the Bribri boys being paid ? The plantation is in liquida-
tion, and until it is fiold I do not see any prospect of the boys being paid. The plantation was advertised
for sale, but I don't know when it will be sold. The boys are still unpaid, even though the insolvent has
got
28
MINTTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
E. Egiiugton. got his cerHfieate. All I can do is to communicate with the office Mow. The department instructed
S me to try to get the boys to Cairns, Ingham, or Gerald ton. There is no law by which I can force the
12 Jan., 1889. boys to go. The bo.ys say " We not go till we get wages Bribri." They take contract work, and earn
wages here. They will not remain very long in one employment. _
873. By the Chairman : Are the Polynesians healthy who are here? lea; but they get into bad habits
in town.
874. Are they accompanied by their wives? Very few of them.
875. As a rule you consider the district quite healthy for Europeans? I do ; I have not been here
during a wet season, which is the most unhealthy time of the year. I have had a slight attack of fever
since I have been here, but it was not very severe.
David Peteii Thomas tendered the following evidence
D. P. Thomas. 876, By the Chairman .- Y«u are a merchant in Port Douglas ? Yes.
/ " \ 877. By M r. King : Do you own land in the district ? I have land that has been transferred to me but
12 Jan., 1889. has n»t yet been registered.
878. How much? About live hundred acres.
879. Where is it situated ? #n the Mossman River and Saltwater Creek. I also own 1,280 acres on
the Johnstoue Uiver.
880. Have you been cultivating any of the land iu this district ? A large portion has been cultivated —
about 200 acres.
881. Is it under cultivation now ? Only a portion oi it. We had a bailiff on the 1,280 acres on the
Johnstone River until just lately. The land is now as it were freehold. The land here has about forty
acres under fruit, such as oranges, peaches, bananas, lemons, limes, and various other fruits.
882. Have you made any attempt to grow any other tropical product, such as tobacco, coffee, indigo,
and cocoa ? M o.
883. Just state what you want to give in evidence with regard to the land on the Johnstone River ?
1 would be sorry to see the country swarmed with black labour ; but really I am under the impression
that with the present labour available it would be impossible to work the sugar industry, or any other
industry in the district — that is, with white labour. When I say white labour I mean anything else but
coloured labour. White labour is not reliable.
881- BytJie Chairman t When you say "any other industry" would you apply that to farming generally
in this district? I mean that to refer to agricultural industries — to anything connected with farming.
I really believe it is impossible for a white man to do a. fair day's work on a fair day's wage iu the scrub
iu northern Queensland or in this district
885. W»uld yon apply your remark to the homestead selector who had taken land up and managed it
with his wife and family? The homestead selector who tried to do so would work under tremendous
difficulties, and would do much "better if lie had coloured labour to aid liim. It would not pay him to
employ white labour. That is my opinitn of the North from my own experience. I have been
twenty-two years north of Brisbane, and for fourteen years in this district and iu the North. My opinion
is that no white man can work in the scrub or clear land or work so aa to do half the work that a kanaka
can do. Then there is another matter, and that is the uncertainty of keeping those men at work. A
rush may break out, and those unfortunate fellows who have white men in their employ will be left
without a single soul as all the men will be off to the diggings — he will be left just during his crushing, and
he will have his crops rot before he can reap any benefit from them. There is no reliance to be placed
on white labour in this district.
8BG. Would not the argument about the discovery of a goldfield causing many men to leave their
employment apply to large centres of population all over the world? That is different from an agricultural
district. I rim not an advocate for black labour, but -m\ advocate for cheJip labour. If you ask a man to
wnrk for you for a year you have to pay him £3 or £4 a week. He has to be fed, and it will cost £3 or
£1 a week to feed liim and pay his wages. A man will work when he likes or not, just as he pleases. If
a diggings broke out uo doubt he would clear out and leave his employer in the lurch.
887. By Mr. King : Have yon cleared the land or done auything on the Johnstone River? Yes; we have
part of it under crop. We cleared enough of it to enable us to get our certificate of fulfilment of con-
ditions, but then we determined to bailiff it and hold it until more favourable times return so as to enable
us to put it under cultivation.
888. By lite Chairman ; On what \v«rk you did you got your certificate of fulfilment of conditions ? Yes.
We have paid our nine years' rent, and up to the present we are not reaping a penny benefit out of it.
889. By Mr. King ; Have you put any crops in it yel ? Yes.
800. What crops did you put in ? I really can't say. I have not seen the land jet. I took up the land
for the purpose of skirting a sugar plantation "n it, and when I found that labour was so very hard to get
I thought it best to secure it as a freehold ami hold it.
891. By the Chairman .- Did you select the Johnstone River land yourself, or was it selected for you? I
paid an agent to select it. 1 never saw the land, but before I put an axe into it I received an offer of £3
an acre for it.
892. Even the selection of the land has been a good speculation ? It may turn out to be. At present I
might not get cost price for it.
893. A re you of opinion that as far as the Port Douglas district is concerned tropical agriculture cannot
be carried on by a European population ? I am sure it caunot be done by white labour— that is, at the
present rate of wages.
894. But do you not make an exception in such a case as the homestead selection taken up by Mr.
Montgomerie? 1 will explain myself as far as ~S\r. Montgomerie is concerned. Montgomerie and
Bobbins took up the land, and are the owne rs of the selection. They having taken the laud, teased it for
four or five years to Chinamen to clear it off, and put it under cultivation. They cleared a small portion
tnemselves, just about the site of thehomestend — that thdy cultivated and planted. The rest was all done
by leasing it to the Chinamen. It would not hnve paid thvm to employ white men to do it.
895. But both Montgomerie and Robbins do the work now? That I doubt. At present it is let to
Chinamen. 890. We
THE GENERAL CONDITIO?? OB' THE SUGAR LJTDUSTIIT IN QUEENSLAND.
596, We have their assurance that they do it ; that they keep clean all the orchard round their house ; ^
and they showed us the land that they had just ploughed, and were juBt waiting for the raui to put oat3 ^
in. They assured us that ihey were capable of doing it, and that any other white man was capable of
doing it? At the same time, the 160 acres is not attended to by them ; they do not do the work on the
whole of it.
597. Are you in favour of coloured labour being employed in other agricultural industries in the district
apart from the cane-field ? I would be. I will explain. 1 would be iu favour of every homestead
selector being allowed cheap labour as well as the conditional selector.
898. You have not employed any coloured labour yourself? 1 have never employed on any plantation, or
on any selection, a coloured man, nor did I ever employ a Chinaman in any work connected with our
business.
$99. In advocating the extension of cheap coloured labour to general agrieulture, do you do so iu the
interests of the white population ? Whatever I have said I have said— as L always do—in the interests
of the white population. I hare had a long experience in the North, and 1 consider that it is absolutely
necessary that we should have cheap labour to work our lands at a profit.
MONDAY, 14 JANUARY, 1889.
CAIRNS KSTllier.
(At The Pyramid Plantation.)
W. II. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq., M.L.A.
A. S. COWLEY, Es*., M.L.A.
W. H. GRO«M, Esq, Chairman.
WruMAAi Langdox examined :
900. By the Chairman : You are manager of the Pyramid Plantation ? Yes. W. Lsmgdon.
901. How long have you been manager? About twenty months. ^— ^
902. Had you previous experience in sugar plantations ? Yes. 14, Jan., 1889.
903. For how long? I was mauager of Mourilyau Plantation for four years ; I was manager of Innid-
fail ; and have had general expei ienee independent of that.
904'. What is the extent of this plantation? There are about3, LOO acres. I am not quite sure as to the
exact extent.
905. Who were the original proprietors ? I cannot say exactly ; I suppose Loridan and Co.
906. Who are the nominal ownets now? The Bank of Australasia.
907. By Mr. King ; What capital has been expended on this plantation ? Do you mean since I've been
here ?
908. No; altogether? I believe about £130,000. I believe that it was the original company that spent
the money.
905). What area have you under cane now ? About 670 acres.
910. How many acres did you crush last year ? About 547 acres.
911. What amount of sugar did you make ? About 900 tons.
912. Was that white sugar? No ; just the ordinary product of a mill of this sort. There would be
perhaps, 65 or 70 per cent, of white sugar — perhaps 70 per cent.
913. What do vou do with the molasses ? We workit into low-class sugar as far as we can go.
914. By Mr. Cowley : What do you do with the residue? Jt is of no value. It might be of value to a
distillery, but not to us. We throw it awav.
915. My Mr. Xing How much do you throw away? I can hardly tell, because our lo.v-elass sugar is
not yet worked up. We have 80 tons of low sugar in the mill.
916. By Mr. Cowley : You mean that you have not centrifugaled your low-class sugar yet, and can't tell
itfhat molasses you will have ? Yes.
917. Do you use it as horse feed at all ? Yes.
918. Is there any sale for it in the district ? None whatever.
919. By Mr. King : What labour have you on the Plantation ? We have now 212 kanakas, about 24
Japanese, and about 25 Europeans.
920. By Mr. Cowley : What do your Europeans include ? They include everybody— bullock-drivers,
h»rse-driv ers, gangers, and labourers, and we have a sugar boiler. Besides those we have nechanics^
fitters, engineers, carpenter*, and men in the mill.
921. By Mr. King : What wages do the Europeans get ? Mechanics, get 50s. a week, at first, with
rations and lodgings. In cases where a man has a family he is allowed double rations. Horsemen,
bullock-di*ivers, and draymen get from 3.5s. to £2 a week and ratioas and lodgings.
922. Do you have more Europeans employed during the crushing season ? Yes. Last season we had up
to sixty, I think.
923. What are the wages of the Javanese ? An ordinary field labourer gets £1 9s. 2d. a month.
924. And Polynesians, do they get £6 a year ? No, some of them get £8 and £9, but 1 think they will
average somewhere about £8.
925. By Mr. Goioley : Is that for indented boys? Yes.
926. Have you any free boys? Yes, one.
927. What wages do you pay him ? 12s. a week.
928. By
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEEOE.E THE HOTAL COMMISSION TO INQT/ZRE INTO
.Langdon. 928. By Mr. King : What do you consider the best class of labour iu the field ? The kanaka, no doubt.
~ 9-'9. Are they better than the Javanese ? Yes.
., 1S*!).9:}#. Have you had any Europeans employed «n the field ? I\ot on this plantation, but I have bad them
Ploughing and harrowing? Oh, yes, of course I have had them ploughing and
in other places.
031. By Mr. Cowle,
harrowing on this plan tab"
\vhen it is all stumped— to work with the
plough and harrow' all over the plantation, do you tlunk"you will be able to employ a larger proportion of
1 ot the field work done ? Yes, I flunk so, because there will be more plough
932. By Mr. Kinq : When the plantation is sufficiently old-
European labour to fjet much c
and harrow work and cultivation generally.
933. What is the proportion of acres to oue hand in this field, labour as it is carried on now ? How many
acres do you calculate that one boy will work ? It would have a lot to do with the season. In
regard to the past and present seasou it would be very hard to tell, because I do uot think that one boy
couk keep one acre clean, but as a rule from two and a half to three acres to the boy.
931. How many acres do you think that a white man would be able to work, if the land was in such a
condition that it could be worked with a horse and plough ? Do you mean if the laud was cleared and
stumped ?
935. Yes, so that you could use horse labour ? I should not like to srty. It would be a very hard matter
to say, My experience has been confined during the past season to a man from Mackay, who brought
up three teams of his own, and he said that on land such as this he could not make wages anything like
what- he got in Mackay. So if he could not tell, I'm sure 1 could not.
93ti. Do you not think that one man with a horse and implements c:Ould work twenty acres through the
season ? " I do not think so. He might do it in Mackay where the place has been undercultivation so long,
and where in the first place the growth is not so rapid as it is here. It is quit* a different place
altogether.
937. By Mr. Cowley ; Even suppose that you had the laud under the plough, could a white man do the
work from the time of' planting ? He could not.
938. From your experience in the North, would he not, after the land had bsen scarified, have to hoe
round the i-ane ? Of course. I have two splendid scarifiers, but they do not do the work as effectively
as the hand hoe. If you use the scarifier here you can't get round the plant, and must have hand labour
to follow and work round the plant.
93<). Do you trash the cane here? We have never had a chance to trash. There are two or three
reasons why I would do it. It ripens the cane, and facilitates the means of cutting it and saves it for
another.
940. What do you mean by saying that you never had a chance to trash ? We have never had the
labour to spare.
911. By Mr. King .- Do you know what it cost for clearing this land ? No I do not; but I know what
it cost to clear land similar to this.
942. What did it cost ? It cost from £6 to £7 10s. per acre to fall it and burn it off, without taking
the stumps out. For that the contractor must fallal] the scrub and timber and clear it off up to a certain
sine. It is generally supposed that they are allowed to let lie on the field timber exceeding from 8 to 10
inches through. All uuder that must be burnt off.
943. By Mr. Cowley : And does that cost £ii an acre ? I have paid up to £8 on the Johnstone River,
and even up to £8 10s.
944. By Mr. King .- What would it c*st to stump it? Well, there is a case in point that I heajd of in
the Cardwell Court in which a few acres of land had cost about £33 an acre to stump.
945. By Mr. Cowley: Have you experienced any difficulty in gcttiug labour to work t be plantation ?
Yes. Of course the difficulty now is" to get vessels to go round to the islands. We tried to get a vessel,
and the owners wanted £30 a head-
946. What have you paid? We have paid up to £25. That is independent of other charges for
importing the men. From £23 to £25.
947. And the capitation fee in addition? Yes.
948. What is that now? £2.
949. By Mr. Kiny : How do the Polynesians keep their health on the plantation ; — do you find any
unusual mortality ? .No, I find them exceedingly healthy.
950. By Mr. Cowley ; Do you pay the boys their wages every six months ? We pay the money to the
Government every six months, but the boys do not get their money until the expiration of their time.
951. You mean to say that you pay the Polynesian Protector the money ? Yes.
952. What does he do with the money ? I suppose he puts it into the bank. I do not know what be
ioes positively.
953. Do you know if the boys get iiterest on it at the end of the three years ? I do not think so.
954. By Air. Kiny. What is the nature of the coinplnims from which the kanakas suffer ; have you had
any deaths on the plantation ? I have had only two deaths sintie 1 came here ubout twenty months ago,
and one of these deaths was a boy 1 laid an objection against taking,
955. When he was landed from the ship ? Y«s.
950. B y Mr. Cowlry : What was the nature of your objection ? The Polynesian Inspector was out hero
some time previous to the last shipment of boys, and lie found fault with two boys who appeared to have
skin disease, and I told him that those boys had beeu passed by himself and allowed to land ; ujud I told
him that they should never have been allowed to land. Then when 1he last lot of boys arrived 1 went to
town myself and went on board the ship with him and souie officers, and saw the boys passed round. 1
saw two or three who had worked with me before. 1 noticed one boy especially who, when at Mourilyan
with me, bad never done a day's work. I asked that boy to turn up his trousers aud he showed a very bad
sore on his shin. That boy was sent to the hospital at Cairna.
957. Did you refuse to take the boy when you saw the wound ? No, but I refused the two others. I did
notob jectto this boy very much because I thought the wound might heal up. The other two are in our
hospital uow and have never done a day's work siuce they landed.
958. By Mr. King „■ Did you object to them ? Yes, but the Polynesian Inspector said he liad nothing
to do with me — that he only dealt with the bank. 959, By
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SIT GAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
959. By Mr. Cowley : But you said that one boy died ? That was of a previous lot of boys, though passed W. Lan
by this same Polynesian Inspector. ^"~*^ v
960. By Mr. King : \V hat was the nature of the complaint that you made against the boys who are now 14 Jan.,
in the hospital ? I could not tell you exactly, except that they were very sick, and one had a large ulcer on
his skin. They are still in the hospital aud have never done a day's work on the plantation.
961. By the Chairmm : Who is the Polynesian Inspector in this district? Major Fanning.
962. Was he at Port Douglas before he came here ? Yes.
963. By Mr. Cowley .• When you say that a boy was seut to the hospital with a sore leg was that done ft
your expense or at the expense of the ship ? At the expense of the ship, but he would have been passed
if I had not objected.
964. Have you applied to have those boys returned to the islands ? I have written to Maijor Fanning to
that effect, but have had no reply.
065. How long ago ? I can't say, but can show bv my letter book. It will be about two mouths ago.
966. By the Chairman: Were- the Javanese y»u .have indented by yourself ? No; they were indented
by the Pyramid Sugar Company.
967. Has the experiment of employing them proved a success ? Not here.
968. Would you be iuclineil to give them an extension of their time ? In a few eases I would; that is
to say, there are a few I would re-engage, but the majority of them I would not.
969. You would not object to take another shipment of Javanese ? That is another matter. I haire had
some very good shipments, but they are not so good as the kanakas. I would take Javanese in
preference to Chmese or Giugalese, if the labour was so scarce that we couid get no kanakas.
970. Have you ever employed white labour in the Meld hoeing, the same as the kanakas we saw this
morning? Not here, but in other places.
971. What has been the result ? They were au utter failure, as far as field work is concerned.
972. What was the cause of failure? I believe the climate principally. Some men came from the
Clarence and entered into a contract for cutting cane, but they did not fulfil their contract. That is a
fact within my own knowledge. This happened here.
973. Bi/ Mr. Cowley .- How mauy men were there in a gang ? Eight in a gang.
974. What did you offer them per ton ? 2s. 8d.
975. Was that to eut and load? . To cut only.
97G. What was vour average weight of cane to the acre ? Well, about 26 tons per a-cre of cane.
977. Was this on hilly land or on Hat land ? On hilly knd.
978. Was it exposed to the breeze ? Yes.
979. Did they make it pay ? Did they earn good wages? They never gave it a fair trial ; they went and
tried it for an hour or two and then knocked off.
980. Why ? 1 think it was too hot for them.
981. What time of the year was it ? About September, the latter end of the month.
982. By the Chairman: Have you employed any white men at all on the pjantations in field work —
newly arrived emigrants, for example? No, not here. I have tried thein in other places.
983. With what result? Well, the result was very bad. Nearly all, with two or three exceptions, came
up and paid their expenses — that is, they refunded the expense that the company was put to in bringing
them out— and got their agreement* cancelled.
984. But did the men attempt to work in the field ? Oh yes ; they attempted to. You will find that
this is correct when you get to Mourilyan.
985. Then it was not from any want of strength or health that, they decliucd to do the work ; it was
simply climatic reasons? Yes. #f course, ou the Johusttne lliver there was a great deal of sickness
and fever. These men were not laid up with fever, but they were weakened by it.
986. Then, as far as the Pyramid plantation is concerned, it has always been worked, since you have been
here, with coloured labour? Yea, Chinese principally. It was only last month that we had the last
shipment of kanakas. The oldest of our kanaka boys has only been seven months on the plantation.
987. Was the employment of Chinese a success ? No, it can never be a success with the high price we
have to pay them. If you put Chinese on a contract they will work well enough to earn a living for
themselves, and if they earn that they do not care about working auy more. They will carry out their
contract, simply because they have to. We make a provision that they must do it or suffer a loss.
988. Then you would not employ Chinese by day labour ? No, unless we had no other labour to take
their place I would never dream of it.
989. By Mr. Ki?iy : What wages did the Chinese get who were employed here ? Twenty-six shillings a
week, and they had to find themselves.
990. By Mr. Cowley: When you were speaking about the men whom you had working in the field on the
Johnstone Itiver, were you manager of Mourilyan plantation at the time ? Yes ; and they were working
under my orders.
991. Does a doctor from townregularly attend your kanakas up here,? Yes, for which we pay him £100
a year.
992. Does the doctor see those two sick boys regularly ? Oh, yes.
993. Does he condemn them as being unfit for work ? He says that one is fit to go to work a little ; in
fact, that he would be better to do a little work, and we do turn him out sometimes. The other is
completely laid up. The doctor says he never should have been passed, though the doctor himself passed
him. The doctor says it was a mistake passing him.
994. Have you had many cases of this description in your experience ? Never before. I think that in
all cases, either the manager of a plantation or his representative should always be present when boys are
being taken off the ships to see what class of boys they are getting, aud it is not likely he is going to pass
two or three boys who are totally uufi.t to be landed from the ship, especially considering the cost of
bringing them here.
995. You said that you had to incur an expense at the rate of £25 a head for those boys, independent of
the capitation fee. Is that correct ? Yes ; and there is a lodgment of £6 for their return passage at the
end of their time on which we lose interest,
996. Then these boys have been hercsix mouths and found at your cost? No ; they were " Roderick Dhn"
boys, and they have been here six months this month. 997. Since
32
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAJCEN BEFORE THE ItOVAL COMMISSION TO XNQUTEE INTO
W.Langdon. 097. Since their arrival they have been fed at the cost of the estate ? Yes.
z^""* — A — -~~\ 998. And you pay wages to those men just the same as if they were at work ? Tes ; they get the same
14 Jan., 1889. food, tobacco, soap, clothts, and wnges.
999. Does the Polynesian Protector come to the estate to receive the money, or do you send it to him ?
I send him a cheque, he does not pay the money on the plantation.
1000. At the expiration of the three years do they get paid on the plantation or do they go to town to
get their money ? They go to towo.
1001. Do the boys object to that ? They object to it strongly. So much so, that they caute to me and
asked leave to go and see " The Government." as they call hiui. I said no, that I would explain as much as
I could to them. But notwithstanding that, two of them went to town and asked why they were not
being paid.
1002. Does this give you any trouble in the management of these men ? Yes, a great deal. Of course
they are discontented and go to work very sullenly at times, aud that is not to be wondered at.
1003. You have always sent a cheque to the Polynesian Protector regularly every six montlis since you
have been here ; there has been no default ? Yes ; there has been no default.
1001. What is the annual expenditure of this plantation? Last year it wns very heavy, on account of our
not having any kanaka labour. We were thrown into about £22,000 expenditure last year. A little more
than that.
1005. Does that include permanent improvements ? It included about £2,000 for permanent improve-
ments.
1000. Is the whole of this money, or the bulk of it, circulated in the district? A great deal of it is — in
fact, we have been paying from £1,500 to £2,0t0 a month, and the Chinese take the great bulk of it, and
the test has been spent in the district. #ur rations came to about £300 a month. Our European wages
came to something over £200 a month, and our Javanese to about £3.5 a month. Then there are incidental
and general expenses that I could not enumerate now. Of course the kanaka's rations stand in with the
others, the whole cost for rations being, as 1 have said, £300 a month. The wages of the kanakas average
from £7 10s. to £8 a year, and as there are 212 kanakas, that is about £ 1,700 a year, or about £140 a
mouth.
1007. By the Chairman : When you say that a great deal of this £2.000 per month expenditure goes into
the bands of the Chinese, how does it go into their hands ? It did so, but it does not do so now. That
was when I had no kanakas. Suppose that you take off 800 toDs of cane a week. That is 3s. 6d. a ton
to start with for cutting and loading. Then you pay mea iu the mill 26s. a week, and then you have to
pay uages to men working the horses and drays. I had Europeans last year, and because' I would not
raise their wages above £1 2s. 6d., which they are getting, every man jack went out.
1608. By Mr. Cowley : Did you get any others ? Yes, Chinese.
1009. Is that a rare occurrence ? It happened twice last crushing season that the white men struck for
higher wages.
1010. By Mr. King Where is the machinery brought from that you manufacture with? Most of it was
made in England.
1011. Have you any that is eolsnial made ? #h yes, a set of clariiiers, from Messrs. Walker and Co.,
Maryborough,
1012. Do you have to make repairs and additions to your machinery every year ? Yes, evety year.
1013. I suppose these repairs are made hy Queensland manufacturers ? In all cases the repairs are made
of Queensland material by Queensland mechanics, unless it is very important, such as a cheek piece.
101 lr. How much do you spend 1u your annual ova-haul, after you stop crushing, so as to put the mill
and machinery into proper repair? That would be very hard to* say.
10L5. II ow many hundreds of pounds does it take? In the first place, we will start with the labour.
There is an engineer, two fitters, and a labourer — that is what we have at present. It will take those
men about fourteen weeks to complete the work.
1016. You have an overhaul every year. Can you tell me how much the annual overhaul of this sugar
plantation will come to on an average ? Eor last year I could tell you. This year we have not commenced
to overhaul, and I can't say what it will be because 1 have not gone into it. Suppose it wanted a new
boiler or anything like that.
1017. Take last year, then ? Well, 1 think the annual outlay will cost about £500 on an average.
1018. By Mr. Coif ley : How many mechanics do you keep all the year round? A blacksmith, two carpenters,
an engineer, and a fitter ; that is, five all the year round.
1019. Do you know if the kanakas speud the whole of their wages in the district, or do they take it home
with them? They do not get paid here ; in the other districts they generally spend it in the district.
1020- Then, iu dependent of the money that yon send away for stores, the bulk of your annual expenditure
is circulated in the district,? Yea.
1021. By Mr. King : Have you to cart your sugar to town to ship ? There is Swallow's Wharf which
we use, or we take it to "Redbank.
1022. What is the cost of cartage? — I suppose you employ carriers to do that? K"o, we employ our own
men, and tho cost is about 9s. per ton, with our own teams.
1023. By Mr. Cowley : These men bring back your own stores ? Yes.
1021. By Mr. Kiny : What kind of seasons have tho tw« last been for sUgar iu this district ? 1887 was a
fair season ; it was not good. This last season has been a very bad one— tho worst I ever s a w in Queens-
land.
1025. By the -Chairman: Tou say that £130,000 has beeu invested in this estate before you came to it?
That is what I have been told. I am n«t certain.
1026. Is the estate paying the cost of its annual outlay and the interest on the capital invested? No.
1027. Would tho land at present under cultivation, supposing you had an ordinary yield of sugar, pav?
Yes; if we had kanaka labour ;— to carry out the work satistadonlv. we would want 250 kanakas on the
place. Then it would, I daresay, pay expenses, no more.
1028. By Mr. King : Would it pay the interest on capital also ? I do not think so.
1029. By the Chairman .- Does the £130,000 represent the whole of the cleared laud and the buildings on
the land, the mill, and all machinery? Yes.
1030. Does
TEE GENEttAL CON-DTTWy OF THE St7GA.Il rN T DT7STBT IN QtJEEXSLAJiD.
1030. Does it include the whole plant ? No. it dors not include the whole of it. beca,use I have sinee W.Langdon.
added portions of new machinery, such as clarifiers, costing about £3,000, since I came here.
1031. B if Mr. Cowley .- When ycu say the estate would not pay interest and expenses, you mean the 14 Jan., 1889.
interest on the £130,000 previously expended ? Of course.
1032. Then Tou think that if the plantation was now taken at a fair valuation it would pay working
expenses and" interest with kanaka labour ? Yes -. if sugar was to remain at its present price — nothing
under that would pay. That is, as yon say, if the plaee was taken at a fair valuation.
10:i3. By the Chairman .- According to the experience yon have had I re, the c ause of the present depres-
sion in the sugar industry on this estate arises froin the labour question and the low price of sugar com-
bined? Tes ; of course we may have bad seasons, but that has nothing to <lo with it.
103*. By Mr. King: The last was a bad season, but you got 1*- tons to the aere; what would it be in a
good season? In a good seasou an area like this sliould give a return of 2i tons to the acre.
1035. By Mr. Omelet/ : You arrive at that conclusion from your past experience? Yes.
1U36. Have you had any large area that has given as large a yield ? Tes.
1037. Could you from your memory tell us the an a? Yes ; about 4-00 acres.
1038. What did that give you on an average? Al out two and a-half tons.
10.39. Was that scrub land of a similar description to Ihis? Yes; but it has never done it since.
1010. Have you hud any disease in Ike cane? Ye;;,
llll. Can you toil us the nature of the disease? The grub.
1042. Did tho grub destroy any quantity of cane, or did it only retard the growth ? It destroyed a
large area of cam \
1013. Did it destroy all kinds alike, or only one particular variety ? It took all eane, more especially in
one block, where there were a lot of varieties plained. It treated them all alike
1041. About what season of the yeardocs the grub show itself first ? About February or March.
104}. Is it worst in any particular kind of soil, or is it equally bad in all soils ? Lt treats all soil alike
on the Johnstone liiver, and here it is just the same.
1046. Have you done anything to try to prevent the grub attacking the cane, or to eradicate it? Yes.
Whenever I see the cane affected by the grub I run a ring round it aud destroy all the eane in the ring,
and replant it.
1017. Does that prevenl it spreading? Does that prevent its ravages for that year? Yes. We may
find others in other parts of the field, but never to any greatextent. I do not know what it may be this
1048. Does it come in virgin soil ? Yes.
1019. Do you find that cultivation has any deterrent effect ? Ploughed land is not so much affected,
and the more the land is agitated the less it is troubled with the grub.
1050. Then your experience is that the grab iswor<e on uncultivated land than on ploughed land ? Yes.
There is a reason for that, and it is beeause the oil timber gets destroyed after a while, ani there is no
more living for the grub, aud they must go to the next best thing, anil that is cane.
1051. 1 lave you noticed if the birds prey on this grub ? Yes. I have noticed that after the plough has
turned the land over the birds have followed and picked up the grubs.
1052. When the grubs aro exposed to the air do you find that the birds eut them? Yes ; I noticed that
in Mackny,
1058. What is the best kind of bird? I lia.ve not noticed the birds destroy this grub here.
1051. Does that arise from the scarcity of birds, or do you not have them here ? We do not have them
here.
1055. Could you tell me about the amount of your yearly loss from grubs — this year or last year ? I
could not give you the acreage, because the field is very much affected.
1050. Do yo n find tliein amongst the ratoons? Yes ; worse in the ratoons.
1()57. Does the grub affect the second erops ? Well, this is the seeond season, and I can't tell you.
1058. Do tbev destroy the root? Vcs; they do, and it is necessary to re-plant. The grub destroys the
stool of the cane altogether.
1059. Are the grubs showing this season ? ~So- not yet ; it is rather early.
1000. Have you 1 ried any remedy for preventing them ? I have not tried any preventive — I have only
tried extermination. I have employed Chinamen tti follow the plough and pick the grubs up.
1061. Do you fiud that they increase every year? Well, lust year was the first itine I had them here.
1002. Have you employed any aboriginals here? None ; and I have never tried to induce them to work.
10(313. Rave they committed any depredations here ? Yes.
1001. In what shape? In firing the cane chiefly, and they have also speared some stock.
1065, Has there been any loss iu human life through the aboriginals ? Not since T have been here.
1066. Can you estimate the damage they did to your cane last; year? I should think £300 or £400
worth fully.
10(37. "Were any steps taken by the authorities to stop it ? The troopers came out. I reported tho
matter 1o the oflteor in charge of the n/itivc police, and he came out and went out round the district.
10G8. B)i ike Chairman : Du you find any objection raised on the pjirt of Europeaus to work side by side
with kanakas ou this plantation? They will not do it.
1009. Is the presence of the kanaka objectionable to the Europeaus employed here? Last year I was
shon; of Huropeans and liad to put on kanakas as drivers to drive the cane in, and when I did so the
Europeans left. Then I put on all Chinese.
1070. By Mr. King : But do the Europeans object to the kanakas doiug field work ? No.
1071. Tno Europeans do not want to do that ? They will not do it.
1072. By the Vhnirmmi: Thfen, if the kanakas were confined to field work the Europeans would not
object ? No ; and that is my experience of other places besides this.
1073. B.i/ Mr. Cowley: Do you think that if you lost your .South Sea Islanders to-morrow vou could carry
•n this estate profitably ? No, of course not. We would be the same as last year, thousands of pounds
out; and we would have to shut up. It b even now a question whether or not we will carry en on
aceount of the great loss in the past.
1*74. .And the result or dosing would be loss of employment to all tho white people ou the estate? Yes.
1075 By Mr. Kimj : I suppose, Mr. Laugdou, that if this plantation eoukl be carried on for some years
34
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOJ1E THE B«TAL COMMISSION To INQUIRE INTO
W. Langdon. longer, and brought under the plough, it would be worked very much more cheaply — that is, if you could
get the stumps all out, the same as ou a farm ? Yes; but the working of au ordinary farm is so much
14 Jan. ,1880. different.
107G. Could you do it with a lower percentage of coloured labour ? Yes ; if the land could be ploughed,
harrowed, and generally cultivated we could do with much less labour. It would not be much easier or
much more economical to work the plantation.
1077. By Mr. Coivley : Would it enable you to cut and carry the cane to the mill any cheaper ? I don't
thiuk so.
1078. By Mr. King .- But would it not enable you to employ machinery, such as the cane harvester which
has just been invented ? No ; I have not heard anything about it.
1079. By the Chairman: Have you thought of any suggestions ytui can offer to the Commission by
winch the sugar industry can be benefited ?— It is one of the objects of our inquiry to find out from
gentlemen connected with sugar plantations if they can offer or make my suggestions by which the
industry can be improved ? It could be improved in many ways. To start with: the value of kanaka
labour is very excessive — that is, the cost of importing ;t, and if it was made more reliable the plantations
would be worked to better advantage; — if the cost could be reduced and the labour made more reliable,
is my chief suggestion. The low price of sugar has nothing to do with it.
1080. By Mr. Cowley: You say "reliable." — I suppose you mean more easily obtained? Yes.
1081. It is very good when you have it? I do not think tlmt kanaka labour will clash with Europeans.
The more kanakas we employ the more Europeans we will want ; — we can't 'carry on without them.
During the crushing season most mills have from 30 to GO Europeans employed. On many other estates
there are many more employed, as many as from 90 to 100. There are places turn out 60.. 70, or SO
tons of sugar a week. All these mills must have drivers, and these are ail Europeans. I think that the
restriction should be taken off kanakas as far as firearms are concerned. They do not use their fu-eanm
ou the plantation. If they cannot get a gun here they will go elsewhere where they can get it. "When
the boys go home again they cau purchase guns, and the money is lost which otherwise would be spent iu
Queensland.
1082. Do you thiuk that because of the Government disallowing the boys to take back guus and
ammunition there is a difficulty in obtaining boys to work ? Yes ; that is the great outcry.
1083. And yet you say they can obtain them from other places ? Yes ; they can do so easily.
1084. By ihe Chairman : Do you know that of your own knowledge ? Yes ; I could rouud 100 boys up
now and they would tell you that.
1085. Where do they get them? Ou the Island*, from French, German, and .American traders. ¥e
always take particular notice that the boys who have rifles keep them. We take them from them on
arrival and give them back to them when they go away.
1080. B<j Mr. Cowley Have you found the kanaka docile, tractable, and easily governed ? Yes.
1087. Is it customary for a deceased kanaka's relatives and friends to obtain the mouey paid to the
.Polynesian inspector and due to their deceased friend at the time of his death ? No. In no case have
they been paid to my knowledge.
1088. Have you ever made application for this money ou behalE of a deceased kanaka's friend? Yes.
1089. "Was it refused ? Ye.?.
"L090. In the event of an islander dying and you owing him money can you pay it to his relatives, or must
you pay it to the inspector? It must be paid to the inspector.
1001. Is that; insisted on by the inspector ? Yes.
1092. By thr. Chairman : Hive you known a deceased kauaka's friend to make application for their
relative's money ? Yes.
1093. Did they complain because they could not obtain it ? Yes ; very much.
1094. Have you heard of other instances of a like character ? Yes; but iu u> case have the friends of
the deceased been paid.
1095. Then you think that the surviv iug relations regard that as au injustice? Yes.
1096. By Mr. Coivley : Has it ever led to evil consequences ? Not to iny knowledge.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. It. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in tiik Chair.
Thomas Eult*n Swallow examined :
T. F. Swallow. 1007. By tlus Chairman : What experience have you hail in the cultivation of sugar here ? I have been
— — s here for the last six years.
15 Jan., 1889. 1098. Had you any previous experience before you came here ? No.
1099. "What is the name of this estate ? Hambleton.
1100. What is the total area ? About 0,000 acres.
1101. How much is under cultivation of sugar ? 900 acres.
1102. liow much sugar is produced in the course of a season? Well, last year, about 1,100 tons.
1103. How much molasses ? 1 could not state that very well
1104. What do you do uith it ? Send it to Melbourne, principally.
TUESDAY, 15 JAN'CAliY. 1880.
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
(At Hambleton Plantation.)
Present :
W. II. GROOM, Esq, M.L.A. | 1 1. E. KING,
THE GENERAL CONDITION »T THE SUGAB INDU9TBY IN QUEENSLAND.
1105. Can you give us an approximate idea of the amount of capital invested in this estate ? I can gi-r-e T - F -
it for the whole estate, including fruit and sugar— it is =6180,000. CT
1106. What rate of interest does it return on the capital invested ? It does not return interest on the lo «'
iuTestment.
1107. None at all ? No.
1108. What ! no return on the original outlay ? That is what I mean.
Ilt9. What is the annual expenditure ? Last year i t was £23,500.
1110. What is the labour employed on the estate chiefly ? Kanakas, Chinese, and whites.
1111. Can you give us an idea of the number of each ? Yes. We have now 176 kauakas, 29 Chinamen,
32 whites — seven or eight of these are on contract work but are included.
1112. What are the rates of wages paid to each class of labour ? The lowest wage we pay at present is
42s. a week, and the men keep themselves. Those are white men.
1113. What are the rates ot wages paid to kanakas, Javanese, and Chiuese? We pay our kanakas
down to 15s. per week per head.
llli. As wages ? No, actual cost. Their wages vary ; some get £0, some £7, audothers £8 a year.
11 1->. Can you strike an average ? About £0 5s.
111(3. What do the Javanese receive? I'roin £1 a week to 2:1s. Wo give them £1 a week and provide
them with meat and they hoard themselves.
1117. And the Chinese ? 25s. a week is the lowest, and they li nd themselves.
1118. "What description of labour have you found most suitable for Held work iu the cultivation of sugar ?
Kanaka.
1119. Have you tried the tirnployineut of European labour iu field work? No. 1 have never had a
chance of getting them ; — they have never offered themselves for that work. We tried to get some of
them to work on the field, but they said that it was work only fit for a nigger.
1120. Do you thiuk that if the land was cleared and all the stuuips taken out of it so that the plough
could work in between the rows of cane, that European labour could be more profitably employed on it
then ? As far as we have ploughed this year it was all done by white men ; we have had none of our
ploughing done by coloured labour.
1121. Theu coloured labour ou this plantation is strictly confined to field work amongst the cane ? Yes.
We could not trouble to teach them anything else.
1122. If there was a consfaut stream of European labour pouring into Cairns, would that labour be suit-
able for you ? No ; judging from what we have seeu of them, not at all suitable. They have employed
them on other plantations.
1123. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ou the plantation ? We
have 176 kanakas and have 900 acres under crops.
1124. Is that number suliieieut to work the plantation? Oh, no.
1125. How many acres are allowed to each kanaka ? Kanaka labour is very expensive up here, and we
are compelled to do the work with as few as we possibly can. By doing this the proprietors save Tuoney
in the lirst place but lose it iu the second, because we do not get the quantity of sugar we would get if
we had more hands. But we are not prepared to go further iuto it as it is so expensive.
112U. By Mr. King : What area of land am one kanaka cultivate? That is rather diCcult to say,
because the kanakas come here- when the land is all planted.
1127. Ifow many kanakas wouli keep the place going as it is at present and do it properly? How
many kanakas ought you to have ? 1 should say 300.
H2b. That is about three acres to the kanaka? Yes.
1129. By (he Chairman: Now, having had experience with European labour, could you say how many
Europeans would be required to cultivate 900 acres of sugar ? Well, I can only tell you what I know
about Europeans. I went into Cairns on one occasion to see some Europeans. But Mr. Loradin
of the Pyramid Plantation took them, and after trying them they all deserted with the exception of one.
1130. By Mr. King.- Do ;you think that if your land was in a condition that you could use agricultural
machinery on it that Europeans would then be able to cultivate i t ? They could do some of it. Butldo not
thinkthey could do the trashing and hoeing T and there is always some bankiug to do after ploughing. White
men do all our ploughing now. We plough between all our rows of caue unless it is plant cane, and
that work is all done by white men.
1131. Do the blacks employed in field work suffer in health? No.
1132. Is the climate adapted for them ? Yes.
1133. Do yon think that field work would affect the health of Europeans : _if they were employed in it?
Yes; there is no doubt about it.
1131. How? It affects our men here — our overseers — who are accustomed to it.
11:35. Iu what way do they suffer ? They complain of fever.
11:36. What is the cost per acre of clearing and burning off in the scrub land here ? It would average
about £3 10s. per acre here.
1137. Is that by contract! or by day labour? By eoutract. The burning off up here is an additional
expense. It might cost £3 an acre to bum it off ; it all depends on the weather.
113\S. Was it done by white or coloured labour ? All by Chinese.
1139. What, would be the cost of stumping it and making it fit for the plough? We have ploughed about
•100 acres this ye;ir, but we left in all the trees that were very hard, such as the bean-tree and silky
oak. We did it by day work.
1140. What is about the value of your machinery at the mill ? £33,000.
1141. About how much of it is English and how much colonial manufacture? About £8,000 colonial.
1112. Manufactured in the colony? Tes.
11-13. At whose foundry? J. Walker and Co., Maryborough, and at Maekav, and a good deal from
Townsville; in fact, the- colonial- made machinery must have cost more than £8,000.
114*. Do you effect your owu repairs in this establishment ? Yes ; as much aa we can.
1145. What is the avtrs,^ coist a year of repairs to your machinery ? I canseareely say.
114G. How mudi do you exjioiiu in your annual overhaul? It would go iuto frain £700 to £800. Of
course there aie always improvements to be made — new ideas coming out.
1147. By
MINUTES OF ETTPEXCE TAKEN BEFORE THE BOYAI, COMMISSION TO INQUIK8 INTO
Swallow. 1147. By the Chairman: When you say that tLe estate is not at present paying the interest on tho
— — \ capital invested in it, how d vou account for that ? Because our labour [ s so expensive.
Jan., 1880. 1148. Isthcrenootliercau.se'? We have had hail years. The past two years have been bad, and \<e
have suffered from the drought and the grub.
1149. Had the lo* price of sugar an \tking to do with it ? Yc.<5-
1150. Then there really has been a combination of circumstances? Yes. We have been unfortunate
during the past two rears.
11.51. Can you offer the Commission any suggestions as to how the sugar industry can be improved? 1 es;
if our labour was cheaper and we had reciprocity.
1152. By Mr. Rincj ■ Does reciprocity mean an increased price for sugar? It means that we would not
hare to compete with the bounty-fed sugars.
1153. That means a rise in sugar? Yes.
1154. By the Chairman: Where is the £23,000 of annual expenditure generally spent? We spend
£18,#00 a year in wages alone.
1155. Then do the various tradesmen and mechanics of the district receive any advantage from that
expenditure? Yes. I Cannot say exactly how much, bur, I made up a return the other day— about a
mouth ago— for one of the papers to prove tihat we spent £1,500 a mouth in Cairns amongst the local
people. The rest of the money is all spent in the colony.
1156. If you had good seasons, cheap labour, aud a reciprocity treaty witli the other colonies, so as to
avoid competition with the bounty-fed sugars, then you think that the estate would pay interest on the
invested tapital ? Yes ; it would.
1157. Have you any difficulty with the men you employ now ? Which class ?
1158. The kanakas ? No ; we have no trouble with them.
115!). Are you satisfied with your experiment in the employment of Javanese ? We have employed very
few. We do not keep them on in our slack season. We have only £>ix working now ; we prefer kanakas.
1160. Did you indent them originally? Yes*.
1161. Then, in py in t of fact,you can saythat.Tavanese are not suited for plantation work? I cannot say that —
we are not in a position to judge, we have had such a few. We have never ^nnt- on with tliem because
we are quite satisfied with the kanaka labour, and we do not want to experiment.
1162. liy Mr. Cowley : What varieties of cane doyougrow here ? J'riucipally the clieribou, rose bamboo,
and ra^poc.
116:1. Which do vou consider the best ? The rose hamboo.
1164. Are any of those varieties diseased? No.
1165. J lave you suffered from the damages of the grub at all? Yes.
116G. Does it attack any cane in particular ? Well, it did not attack the eheribon, or very slightly.
1167. Did it attack all the varieties ? Yes.
1168. Is it worse on the old plant or the new? #n the old plant.
116lf). Do you find that cultivated land — land that has been ploughed and scarified — is as liable to the grub?
No ; but we thought that that was because that laud was planted with red caue, and they do not seem to
care for that ; they seem to go more for the other.
1170. Then the whole of the ploughed land was planted with cheribon cane ? The majority of it was.
Jt is not tliis year.
1171. Did you suffer much last year fron: the grub ? Yes ; a good deal.
1172. Did you try auy remedy ? Yes.
1173. Will you tell us what it was, and the effect ? We tried dry lime, and lime and water, and carbolic
acid aud water ; but thev had no effect at all.
1174. Did they totally destroy the cane- — did they eat the root ? What they attack they destroy, and we
had to start crushing earlier than we otherwise would so as to save the cane.
1175. Did it affect the ratoon crops ? We did not try it ; we took out all that was affected and replanted
the land.
1 17t». Do you trash your cane, and how often ? Yes ; once or twiee a year. I think.
1177. Do you believe trashing is beneficial? Yes; more especially in red cane.
1178. Could you trll us your average yield of cane per acre ? Taking last year, which was a bad vcar. it
was a little over IS tons to the acre. That includes "plauts and mtoous, and is an average of the
whole estate.
1179. Is your plant of the very latest design, and does it combine all the latest improvements ? Yes.
1180. Does it include double crushing ? Y'es.
118.1. "What process do you use? #ur own,
1182. Is that a secret process ? No ; it is patented.
1183. Is it a sulphur process ? Yes ; sulphur — what we call " finings." It eousists of magnesia and
•titer ehemiculs.
1184. lias any other mill adopted it? No.
118.5, By Mr. King : What quantity of sugar would you have expected to take off tho same land in a
good season ? At the beginning of the year it was most promising.
1186. What, did you expect to get at the beginning of the year ? 1 gave an estimate of 1,700 tons.
1187. By Mr. Cowley : Do you find this process of yours cheaper than the charcoal process ? Yes.
1188. Do you fin! that you yet as large a percentage of sugar from tho juice? Yes-, I would not go
in for it if we c.oiid not get more than from ehsiToonl.
1189. Do you keep an analytical chemist during the season ? Yes.
1100. Do you use the polarieeope to test the juice? No ; mi ilid. but wc scut it away.
1191. How many tons of cane does it take to' make a ton of sugar ? A little under 12 tous. There was
a lot of cane routen last year owing to the grub.
1192. Then with better cane the percentage of sugar would bp greater ? Yes.
1193. Have you ever made a ton of sugar from less than 12 tons of cane ? Yes; I have onlv taken tho
average for the past season.
1194. Could you tell us the percentage of molas-Hs- ? No ; but T eouhl liml on( anil let von know.
119.5. What is the cost of the islanders, including their parage money? We got a quotation from the
south a day or two ago of £25.
1196. »oes
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP TUF, ai'Oitt rNTl OSTHT IN QFEKNSI.VND.
1 IOC. Does that include tho capitation fee? No.
111)7. Are you fulldianded now with kanakas? No ^
119R. I Live )'ou applied for others ? Yea ; we luive a shipment due now. 1!
llfli). If thia passage money were considerably less, would you extend your cultivation ? Yes.
1200. l.»o tho kanaka* on the estate commit any crimes? We had a boy who killed a -woman once; but it
was held to be no crime and he pot off.
1201. Was |i» tried iunlacipiitted? Yes ; there was another hoy implicated, and both were acquitted.
1201'. A re they addicted to drunkenness at till ? No.
1203. Do theyagrot! with (he whil es on the estate ? Very well We have never liad any troublebctween
tlio blacks and (ho whiter.
1201. Pol ho whiles object to work with them ? No. The white inen rather prefer to have them working
\dth them.
1205. Even when you pay high rules of passage money, have you much trouble in obtaining South Se"
Islanders ?— Cany mi gel 'a* many as you want ? We have a great deal of trouble, and cannot get as tnany
as wo wuut. Wo lake a ship or two shipments, and haw to stand or fall by that. We charter our own
ships.
1200. By Mr. King ; Thouyou donotpay .£25 perboy,buf youhire iiship? No; not exactly dial. We have
to pay G25 per boy and tak'e th« whole shipment,
1207. By Mr. Cowley • Then you havo always tn pay £'2,~) a head? No; al times wo have paid £23 per
boy to tho ship.
120S, Do you got many women amongst them? No; not many.
1200. Pu tb* vfomen work well ? Very well
1210. Aits they any trouble at all? No.
1211. Do you object to take women ? — Do you ever issue instructions to the recruiting agent not to take
wonieu ? No.
1 1 12, Have you no objection to them ? No ; only that they have families
1213. Does the medical attendant come out regularly? Yes.
12 14. What is the st ate of their health generally ? Very good.
1215. What ia the death rato ? Last year it was 5 per cent. ; and for tho past six vearsit was 5-\ per
cent, per annum for the six years.
1210. Ynu say that you have (tylOO acres of land— how much is agricultural land ? 1 do not know that I
would bo radii in saying that we have 0,000 acres of land, because some of it has not been confirmed.
1217. It bus beun selected, and you arc fulfilling the conditions? Yes. We are only working two
selections; tho others wo are not working because* t)ie black* are too numerous.
121S. Is it all agricultural land ? The most of it is agricultural land.
1219. Is this land purchased or selected in tiie same way ? Selected.
1220. As you have so much laud, would you be willing to loaae tho spare land to white farmers if they
would undertake lo cultivate it ?, Yes.
1221. Would you be prepared to assist them in ;uiy way ? Yes.
1222. And to encourage them? Yes.
122:}. In what way? Wowoukl advance them money on work done, at so much per cent.
122t. (-an you got these men to come and take the laud ? 1 do not think so. You might got Chinamen.
1225. I mean white fanners? No; \vc had »no white fanner, and lie took up laud from us. You could
sen him if you wished ; ho is mirking on the plantation uow. Alter working it for twelvo months he
could not give us a penny. We even put a house up for him.
1220. Did he give any reason for his failure? ife said he could not work the place.
1227. Ts lie working \tith you fov wages now ? Yes. ILe is a carpenter.
122S. Y'ou say you have ihirty-two white men working uow? Yes; we employ ovor fifty during the
crushing
1220. You say that the. \wges for white men are 42s. a week — is that just for mechanics? We
have one man new who gets 1 ts. n day ; lie is .abricklayer.
1230. He is only a temporary man? Well, our carpenters get £3 5s. a week and a house.
1231. What do the engineers and bhicksmiihs get':' The first engineer used to get £4 a week, ami the
others — six in number — are- getting £'3 a week — iu fact, I can tell you from the paper iu my hand
exactly how much eacli man gets : — One gets 70s. a week ; one 05s. a week ; four men get GOs. a week
each ; one gets oas. ; six got 50s. a week each; one gets 45s. ; two get 42s, lid. a week each ; three men get
12s. a week each : one (die bricklayer) gets S4s. a week. Then the managers, they have to be added.
That is the labourers only. ,
12M2. Jiy Mr. Khiff : Do thesi* men get rations ? No ; they get houses.
1233. Bjf Mr. (Wiry : Have you over tried purchasing plants from Cither districts in the North ? Yes ;
last year. We can scarcely cell how they will turn out as it was a bad year; but 1 think it will succeed
well, and it is d«*sii*ablc for plauters to do it. I have arranged to do it uuxt rear.
1231. You say that one reason for tho non-success of the plantation has boeu tho t : alt in the price of
sugar? Yes.
12!J5, If the labour employed had fallen in proportion would you have bei'ii ablo to make it pay ? I
think so. A\ c could have gone along then.
1230. Is not nit coloured labour much more expensive ne,^ thau it was some years ago? Yes.
12H7. Is that presumably owing to the difficulty of obtaining thorn ? T suppose so.
1238. {{>/ Mr. King: You were saving just now, in talking about farmers, that vou would encourage
them to take laud. What price would you bo prepared to give those farmers for their cane? I could
not say that without order ; but I should think from 9s. to 10s. a ton. That is, I believe, the low est we
would give for cane
1230. Y'oii have no forest land under cane ? A very little up here, just enough to see how the cano will
grow on it.
1240. Has any of your land been long enough under c.iue to show signs of tili nistion ? We took out
cam- I 'si \ ear.
1241. \V lly ? The grub attacked the cane ami it failed.
1242. Did
38
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOHE THE ItOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
T. F. Swallow. 1242. Did you find any signs of exhaustion in the land ? Jfo. *
^-^n 1243. I suppose that all the capital invested on this place belongs to the firm— that it is the capital of the
15 Jan., 1889. firm ? Yes. .
1244. Suppose that, half of the capital had been borrowed capital on which you had to pay interest, would
you find great dificulty in carrying on? Yes ; great difficulty.
1245. Arc you aware if there is a great deal of borrowed money invested in some of the plantations.''
Yes ; a great deal, I believe.
1246. Do you know what rate of interest is charged on money borrowed on sugar plantations ? No ; I
could not say.
1247. By Mr. Cowley Have you manured the land at all? No. We bttvc mixed the refuse from our
process with the irrigation water, and irrigated with it.
1248. How much have you irrigated ? About 300 or 400 acres.
1219. Was the result beneficial ? Yes, I think bo ; but it was very hard to tell, because the year was so
desperately bad. Some blocks went better than the others, and somo of those were not irrigated.
1250. Do you pity the kanakas their wages crcry six months ? No ; we pay their mouey to the Polynesian
inspector every six months.
1251. What docs he do with the money ? Puts it into the bank.
1252. Do the boys get the interest ? Yes ; they get their principal and interest at the end of three
years.
1253. Have you had any complaints from the islaudcrs about not getting their wages ? No ; one or two
may have asked for them, and said that at other places they got their money when they wanted it.
1254. Then the islanders are perfectly satisfied with the existing arrangements ? 1 think so. They
never trouble us for money.
1255. By Mr. King .- Does the Polynesian inspector come out here to see them paid ? Yes ; at the end
of the three years.
125(5. Docs he ever come out here to have a look round the plantation ? Yes.
1257. Bi/ the Chairman: Have any of these islanders who have died had any wages to their credit?
Yes.
1258. What has become of it ? Of course they did not get it, and their friends did not get it.
1259. His any discontentment been shown by the friends of deceased kanakas on account of not
getting that money ? Yes.
12(50. Then you think that the deceased's relatives ought to get it? Yes ; because the system of the
Government keeping the money does harm to ihe planters employing the men.
1261. Have the men ever entrusted any of their money to you for safe keeping ? Yes ; I have about
£50 now. 1 always book it. They like to have their own wages and leave it with me. A boy died
recently, and lie had given £(5 to the Polynesian inspector. On the boy's death his relatives asked the
inspector for the £6, but never got it. That was money that the boy hud brought back fr«m the island,
and was not wages due to him.
12(52. You said that last year you irrigated 400 acres of sugar-cane. Where did you get the water from ?
From the hills nt the back.
12013. The hrm has utilised the natural fall for their wants andfur the purposes of the plantation ? Yes.
12G4. How much has it cost to bring the water supply for the plantation into the state of perfection
in which it is now ? A six-inch pipe brings it in a distance of 1-J miles.
1205. The whole establishment is supplied with water from that source, also the houses, gardens, &c.
Is there a sufficient supply to irrigate portions of the plantation, if necessary ? Yes; we can irrigate with
the waste water. There is not sufficient to irrigate the whole of the plantation. We find that the 400
acres arc plenty to irrigate in a dry season.
1266. Still if it were not for this very fine water supply that you have utilised, you would have to use
other means for obtaining water here ? Yes.
1267. By Mr. Cowley .- Do you know if the islanders spend all their money in this district, before thcy
go home ? Yes ; every penny. Some of them may take a very little bark witli them ; other districts get
the benefit of nearly the whole of the wages paid the islanders.
1268. Have you suffered much from the depredations of the blacks ? No.
] 269. Have they ever fired any of your cane ? No.
1270. Have you many horses here? Yes, seventy.
1271. Do you feed them with corn or oats ? With oats.
1272. Why ? Because we find that oats are the best.
1273. Do you always feed with oats ? Yes, always.
1274. Are tlie horses colonial bred or imported? Coltinial toed. *
1275. Do you kill your own meat on the plantation ? No, it is supplied by the local butcher.
William: Henbt Swallow examined :
W. H. 1276. By the Chairman : Arc you one of the proprietors of this plantation ? No, only one of the sons of
Swallow, one of the proprietors.
^ 1277. Do you manage the fruit cultivation here ? Yes.
15 Jan., 1889. 1278. Will you kindly enumerate the number £ind kind of fruits grown on this estate? Yes : we havo
100 acres of bananas ; I am giving you the statement roughly — 1 can't state exactly the number of acres.
There are also 20 acres of pine-apples, 20 acres of fruit-trees ; 2,000 orange-trees, 1,000 lemon-trees, 500
citron-trees, about 40# coffee-trees, 500 limes. 2 acres of pea-nuts (ground nuts), 4 acres of ginger. We
arc growing about an acre of rosellas. Ten acres of mangoes, — 1 can't tell you the number of 'trees, we
have so many. Then there are about 3 acres of different kinds of things. Then there are about 150
cocoa-nut trees, if not more.
1279. Thcu arc you of opinion that fruit-growing of the description you have now enumerated can be
made a profitable industry ? Not the way we are situated at present.
1280. What are the drawbacks? Well, the carriage and time it requires to take them to the different
ports ; the bad treatment they receive on board the different ships; and it seems to me (of course I have
not had a chance of seeing any of these things) that fruit being a perishable article it docs not get a
chance to arrive in sound condition in market, and because it is perishable the agents to whom it is sent
combine to keep down the prices rather than to assist the growers. 1281. Then
THE GETfEBAL CONDITION OF THE SVGAI1 IJTD0STET TN QUEENSLAND.
39
1251. Then if proper facilities were afforded in the directions you have intimated, you think that fruit- g^jj*
growing would hecome a profitable industry here? I think it would.
1252. By Mr. Kino .- Do nil the trees you have enumerated thrive and grow well ? Tes. There are
others I could mention, but we have dropped them. In reference to the combination of agents I spoke 13 *' an -'
of before, I may mention that I mean that when there is no demund for fruit it is not because such is
actually the case, but because the middlemen will not help us.
1283. By Mr. Cowley : Are the trees all bearing ? No, the great ma jority of them arc not, and won't be
till next year, and some of them for years after.
1284. What trees have borne ? Oranges, lomons, citrons, coffee, peanuts, bananas, ginger, rosellas, and
limes — limes are one of the best fruits in the district ; also mangoes.
12Si>. Have you shipped any of these kinds? Tes, all kinds.
12S(>. Are you continually shipping ? Tes.
1287. Where do you principally send them to ? All fruits except mangoes we send to Melbourne. We
sent some mangoes to Brisbane, but the shipment was unsatisfactory, and we would not do so again.
- 12S8. ] lave you had ;iny great loss on any of your shipments ? Tes. During December I had a big
loss. On the 11th December we sent by the i! Julimba " to Melbourne 1(50 cases bananas, being an
average of nineteen or two7i1y dozen to a ease; 140 cases pineapples, containing two dozen to the ease ;
eight eases of mangoes, eonl niiiiag twenty dozen iu a case. On the 18th December ve sent by the
" Cintra " 103 cases bananas, containing nineteen to twenty dozen in the case; sixty-four cases pineapples,
containing an average of two dozen to the case ; and two cases of cranadillas. I got a, letter from my
father on the subject in which be enclosed me a copy of a letter which he had sent to the Melbourne
agents of the A.TJ.S.JS'. Co., which letter I place at the disposal of the Commissiou. That letter is as
follows : —
"Dbab Sins,
"Our firm at Cairns shipped us by s.s. 'Bulimba,' on the 11th inst., 318 casesof fruit. Thecases were
made expressly for c arrying fruit, havingopenings on the top and bottom to admit of the air getting to the fruit.
Your oifieer* of the 'Bulimba' had these cases put down uudcr the hatches and packed as closely together as
possible (the same as ordinary merchandise would be packed), thus losing the advantage oE the cases having
op 'uings left for the air to cct at the f ruit. The 'Bulimba' had scareely any cargo, and of course there was
plenty of room to stuck the c;i?es in a proper way. We also find thai the wliole of our shipment of fruit ^vas kept
down uudcr the hatches the whole of the v«yage from Cairns to Melbourne, although on the same voyage, a large
quantity of cases of fruit w ere. taken on board at Sydney and brought to Melbourne on deck. The result of the
treatment our f ruit received was that it was almost completely destroyed, very little of which being of use and the
greater quantity had to he carted from your steamer to the manure depit.
"Had our fruit arrived in good order, which it would but for the treatment above stated, it would have sold
at 8s. per case, which would amount to £127 4s. As the blame is entirely yoms. in all fairness you should pay ua
for our loss. Wc here mention that, this is n«t the first time we have been similarly treated.
•• Yours faithfully,
"SWALLOW AND DEBIT AM.
" MessTa. William Siddelcy and Co., agents for the Australasian United Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., Melbourne.
"P,S. — We will send our claim in a few days, less the amount our agent, Mr. Daff, gets for what he is trying
to sell out of the shipment.— S. & D. "
I also got a letter from my righthand man — that is a friend of mine, whom I always call my righthand
man— who went dowu in the "Bulimba." In that letter he says, " I am very sorry to tell you that nearly
all the fruit in the ' Dulimba' is bad — the bananas, mangoes, and most of the pineapples ; you could not
believe the condition if you did not see it ; and of the shipment by the ' Cintra' — the steamer after the
one I left by — all the fruit is in a worse condition, if possible ; and we are not the only people, for of 700
bunches of bananas all 1 saw coming out of the steamers were just as bad. Tour father has written very
strongly to the company about it. The whole of the fruit by the ' Bulimba* was packed down below in
the hold, although there Mas plenty o f room o n deck. All the fruit taken i n from Brisbane t o Sydney
was packed on deck." We seut 31 cases of mangoes to Brisbane to our agents there, on which they
write, " We have had no end of troufcle with the mangoes, and we certainly would not recommend any
further shipments. We tried all the fruiterers, wholesale and retail, and they would not look at them.
They say that plenty are offering at absurdly low prices. We have managed to sell ten or fifteen cases
amongst our own friends and ha#e not quitted the balance. To-day we have had the cases repacked, and
are doing our best to sell, as the fruit is getting over ripe." In a further letter he writes, " The mangoes
were repacked and we sold the balance to-day by auction. 1 have not the account sales, but they will
reach about 6s." There were twenty dozen in each case.
1289. B y Mr. Coidey Have you any idea how the loss was occasioned in the Melbourne shipment ?
Tea, the bad treatment only that they had onboard ship. Ftr a time we shipped an average of 200 cases
of bauanas a week, and they all arrived in splendid condition, but that was when we were shipping sugar
and I eouhl get the bananas straight on to the ship.
1290. Do you always ship bananas in cases ? No, we used to ship in bunches until the rough treatment
they got made us give it up. It is impossible to ship any other way than in cases. We make the cases
on thu ground.
1291. What do the cases cost? Is. 4d. a case.
1292 Do you get any return for that ? We sell them to Swallow and A riel, in Port Melbourne, for Is. a
case.
1293. Then you lose 4d a case ? Tes.
1294. By the Chairman : Is the timber out of which the eases are made sawn from your own trees ? Tes.
I might explain that no one would give us Is. a case for thecases except Swallow and Ariel, who use them
for their own trade. We make thi'in a certain size to suit their trade.
1295. 2Sy Jilr. Cowley: What oranges do you find do best with you— seedlings or grafted? Well, I
believe in the seedlings myself. I think they bear quite as quickly, if not more quickly, but whether or
Dot diey last longer I have not had the experience to say.
12i)G. Are all your trees healthy ? Tes.
121)7. Have the_\ t ver snff ered from any disease ? Just the blight.
129S. Have yon an.}- remedy for it? Tes; v>e give them kerosene and soapsuds and ashes.
12D9. i\0W do you employ the ash ? AVe put it in the kerosene and soapsuds.
1300. Do
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOBE TflE HOYATj COMMISSION TO ESfQTTCBE JNTO
1300. Dr. vott find that this kills the blight without injuring the tree iu any way ? Yes.
1301. How old are vonr oldest trees ? Five \ cars.
1302. How long have they been in bearing? Two years ; this will be the third year.
389 - 130,1 Could you tell us nbout the average number of dozen ripe fruit y»u take from a five or four-year-
old tree ? No, hut I conU find out.
130- 1. What is the nature «f the soil in which your trees are grown? Both scrub and forest land. \\ e
have got some in scrub laud, and some on the side of hills.
1305. Is it rich soil ? Yes, very rich.
130fi. Stiff or friable ? Friable.
1307. What is the nature of the subsoil ? It is volcanic right down. The soil is a great depth.
1308. Which soil do you think best, scrub or forest ? Weil, the only trees that are bearing yet are on
serub laud. 1 think they would do just as well on the side of the bills oil forest laud. Those on the
forest land look just as healthy for young trees. It is very good soil where they are .
1309. Does this apply to all your fruits ? Oh, uo. The great mnjority. in fact all the fruits with the
the exception of those few orange trees, grow much better in scrub land. In the matter of bananas it is
useless to attempt to grow them on forest land.
1310. What labour do you principally iise iu the cultivation of your fruit trees ? Chinamen and kanakas.
1311. Which do you prefer? Well, for weeding aud working amongst the bananas I prefer kanakas;
and for weeding of all sorts amongst oranges I prefer kanakas; but if it is a matter of planting, then I
prefer the Chinameu. The reason is that the kanakas have not bad the experience, but 1 have no doubt
they could be taught, aud would be quite as good as the Chinameu.
1312. Have you ever tried it with, white men ? Tes ; we have tried gardening with white men.
1313. With what result ? We could never do any good with them at all. We were continually changing,
and had to give it up.
131- 1. By Mr. King : What was the reason for the changing ? The men said they could uot do the work,
aud they did not take any interest in the work. They said it was too hot and that tkey were not well.
If I went down suddenly at any time I used to fiud them resting aud smoking. In fact, I, would not
take charge of the fruit at all if I had to do it with white labour.
1315. Are you engaged in the preservation of fruit as well ? Yes.
1310. By the Chairman: Will you state what fru itsyou have preserved and by what process ? We preserve
bananas by drying them with hot air, and also' by clarifying them with sugar. Also lemons, citrons,
and orange peel, ginger — preserved in syrup. As a matter of fact the lemon and orange peel is not
candied, it is preserved in syrup. We also preserve eumquafs.
1317. How do you prepare aud pack the preserved bananas you make ? We peel the bananas and split
them by cutting them down the centre, and dry them by a hot :iir process, according to the ripeness of
the banana, from four to live liours. We then semi them ijowu in bulk to Melbourne for our people there to
put up in packages of 1 lb. each. We have another kiud which we call preserved bananas. These are
boiled in syrup and then put on a tray to allow the syrup to drain off, after which they are dusted over
with a little powdered sugar, and then put up in 1 lb. packets. Both these packages are put up in specially
prepared paper and wrapped up on the outside with tinfoil.
1318. Have you fouud the return,? from the sale of this fruit (bananas) sufficiently remunerative to
justify the continuance of the industry? Yes; so much so that we are putting up a large building aud
a large evaporator so that we may go iuto it on a bigger scale.
1319. From your past experience of this industry of 4ryiug bananas by this process just named, do you
think that there is an unlimited market for the sale of tho preserved and dried fruit ? Out of Queens-
land, yes. I think it is a market that has got to be made. I think there will be an unlimited market.
1320. Have you found any disinclination on the part of Brisbane buyers to purchase northern fruits?
Actually, we have not ourselves. This is the first shipment we have triod ; but from what our neigh-
bours have tried and from our owu little experience, I would say so.
1321. Do you think that this arises from want of knowledge of the tropical fruits grown in this district
or from some other cause? I think it is from another c<-u:se.
1322. Would you state what you think is that cause? I thiuk that, fruit being such a perishable article we
do not get a fair chance with the middle man. The buyer knows that we must part with it or lose it.
and the fruit ha? to be sold at a sacn'h'ce.
1323. Outside of Queensland you are of opinion that fruit preserving, as has been described by you, is
likely to become a profitable industiy ? Yes.
1324. And at the present time you are quite satisfied with your returns from it ? Yes.
1325. By J[[r. Cowley : Is all the labour in couuection with fruit drying done hy hand, or have you auy
machinery? We have one small machine at present, and will use that till we get our new evaporator.
1326. I mean for peeling and slicing? They are all sliced and peeled hy band.
1 327. 1 lave you beard of Spon's evaporator ? \ r es.
132S. Have you tried it ? No, we havenot tried it.
1329. liavc you seen it at work? Nd, but my lluther has. and my rightband inaa has. \Yc are using an
American machine at present. The machine we use was the IilmI; of the kind invented. Spou's was made
afterwards.
1830. Is the machine that you are building your own design or an American ono ? Our own design.
IS31. How many bananas will this new evaporator dry per day? 200 bunches of an average of twelve
dozen to the bunch.
1332. Could you tell us whnt is the loss of weight per pound iu drying tho bananas ? It takes on an
average seven bananas to make 1 lb. of dried bauauas. I never weighed ripe bananas ; there must be a
great loss in weight,
1333. Byf/ie Chairman : What will be the cost of erecting the new works, buildings and all? .About
£350.
133k By Mr. Cowley: Does that include dressing and fitting? No; that would be another £25.
Between £350 and £400 would cover the whole undertaking.
1335. By (he Chairman : In addition to the drying of the bananas by the process you name, you intend to
go into making candied fruits and lemon, orange and citron peel ? Yes. <Uso into mating chutney,
preserving ginger,aud candied pineapple, and generally to make a8 much use of the northern fruits as we
possibly can. 1330. Are
THE OETTERAIj C02TDITI0N OP THE Sl/GAIl INDTTSTEY IN QUKF/N's 1 \ yv.
■11
1336. Arc you of opinion that the fruit industry of this district can be very largely improved by having w .
better facilities f or shipping to the southern ports? Yes. Suppose the Government were to subsidise wa OB -
the mail boats that agreed not to carry cargo, and reduce the time they have for bringing the mails, so as C^^*"""^
to induce them to have better and faster boats which would only carry mails, passengers, and fruits,. 10 Jlin ■ lhb< "
that would help us. They should also fit up those boat3 so as to carry truit. I think that with such a
state of things, and if we were allowed to have the labour that we are now using, a very profitable
market could be found for the northern fruits in the southern ports. Ton have to remember that
the people down south require to be educated up to a lot of the fruits grown here, but there is not the
slightest doubt that they would be. There are lots of places in Victoria where the people never see a
Manama, and ilo not know what a banana is. I have been in country district's where you would not see a
banana in tvvelvg months. There is a big trade in those places for dried bananas and pineapples.
1337. Have you tiny further suggestion to offer us uow by which you think the fruit industry can be
assisted P If better facilities were afforded for taking fruits, not ouly to Brisbane, but to all parts in
Australia south of Townsville, it wonld help up. It would be a great help also if we did not suffer
so much at the hands of Ijie middlemen. Some of tkese men now lutve the monopoly of the fruit trade
in Brisbane. I was told in ono letter that thirty-one cases «f fruit were too much to send to Brisbane
at oie time. If the Governments of the other colonies were to take the duty off fruit it would do the
thing at once ; but the great trouble is the shipping.
133S. By Mr. Cowley : Then you think that reciprocity in fruits would be benelicial ? It would bo the
making of Northern Queensland as regards the fruit trade, and I lo»k on the fruit trade as being
the great trade up here.
1339. By Mr. Groom ; Better than sugar ? Bather. I may state that frui grows principally, I may say
only on scrub lands, and on scrub land the grass and weeds grow so fast and thickly that it takes a lot of
labour to keep them down. In fairly even country under bananas one man could Dot keep more than four
acres going ; while down in the creeks, which is the best place for bananas, be could not do more than
three acres. And as they do not average more than 30* bunches to one acre, you can easily see that unless
we have cheap labour the thing would never pay. We send them to Melbourne, and then for good
bananas -\?e do not get more than 5s. a bunch, and that is after paying Is. duty and 1 s. freight, leaving us
3s. each. Now, perhaps out of every three shipments two shipments are rotten and taken to the manure
heap. That has been our experience of fruit. In addition to the" Buljtmba" or "Cintra" shipments I have
sent other two, on the 22nd December and one on 5th January, but I do not know how they hare turned
out.
1310. By Mr. Cowley. "When you say that one man can keep four acres of bananas going, isthat to keep
it in a perfect state of cultivation ? I mean to keep it as it ought to be kept, because if neglected, instead
of getting twelve and fifteen dozen ta the bunch we only get sis or eight dozen.
1341. Would that man be able to do everything in connection with these four acres — cutting down the
old trees and cutting all the bunches? I am ouly speaking of when the thing is actually started — when
you have got; the bananas in full growing order. That mea*s lighter work — simply keeping the weeds
out of the ground, keeping the tree9 iu order, and in cutting the bunches. He could also cut the trees
down — iu fact, one man could do the whole thing on four acres.
1342. B y lhe i Chairman : "What would you consider a fair price to thes growers for a buuch of bananas
with twelve dozen on it ? The grower gets about: Is. Gd.
13'13. By Mr. Cowley .- "Will you be in a position to purchase fruit for preserving or for exporting ? Tes.
1344. Would you be prepared to lease the land to farmers to grow fruit for you if they could not get
land of their own ? Tes.
13 45. #n easy terms ? On fair terms.
1346. Would you purchase all the fruit they grew ? Tes, of certain kinds.
1347. Tou w r ould stipulate what they were to grow ? Tes.
Denotes Dilj/mj examined :
1348. By the Chiirman : What are you ? I am a carpenter. D - Jm ° n -
1349. Have you been a farmer ? I have been for a time on a selection here. ^^""^ A ^*— " >
13-50. Were you a farmer before you came here ? .No, I was working for my father who was a farmer. 15 J fln > l 88S
1351. Tou leased some land from Messrs. Swallow and Bcrham ? Tes.
13.">2. What did you grow? I planted corn the first year, and the second ye- arcoru and sweet potatoes.
1353. How many acres had you ? 30 acres.
1354. How many did you cultivate ? 23 acres.
1355. What labour did you use? I had two white labourers foreight months and then I had Chinese.
135G. How long were you in total occupation of the land ? About eighteen months.
1357. What sort of crops did you get 'I Very bad crops.
1358. AVas the season favourable? No; during the first year I had 8 acres of corn, and I did not get
m«ro than half -a-ton off the whole lot.
13,59. What did you got during th« second year ? I got about G tons of corn off 15 acres; the remainder
I had in sweet potatoes.
13G0. What yield did you get from your sweet potatoes ? T got 15 tons to the acre.
1361. What was the cause of the light crop the second year ? I could not aay; the season seemed to be fair.
There was sulficient rain for the time, but I don't believe th« corn got time to ripen.
1362. Did you keep the corn free from weeds ? Tes.
1303. 1 low many cobs were there generally to tbe stalk? Two and sometimes three. Some of them
seemed pretty small, but some of them a very good size.
1364. What reut did you pay ? I was supposed to pay £l an acre after the first year. I have paid no
rent at all.
1365. When did you leave it ? Four months ago.
1366. By Mr. Citrlnj .- Is this laud under the plough ? No; if it had been under the plough I would
have made a better hand of it.
1367. Was it scrub ? Yes ; scrub that had been fallen about two years when I got it, but I had to clear it
over again.
1368. W hat price did you get for your corn ? About 4s. a bushel.
1369. What prici' per ton did you get for your aweet potatoes? 30b. 1370. Had
42 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES" BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
D. Dillon. 1370. Had you to deliver them for that ? No ; the firm fetched them in.
/ — — -n 1,371. Did you sell all your produce to the firm? The most of it. I sold a few tous of eom
as Jan., 1S89. outside. n m , .
1372 What did you Par to the white men and Chinese who worked for you ? Ine two white men 1 had
were friends of mV own, and when thev left I did not care to get any more, and I tried Chmamen and
found that they were worse. T tried them for a time on day wages—for a time by piecework.
1373. Were those two white men friends or partners ? Friends, not partners.
1374. What wages did vou pay? 45s. a week and they found theinselres.
1375. Then thev got everything and you got nothing ? Yes.
1:J76. Difl you make anvt'hing out of it at all ? 1 lost about £'200 by the transaction.
1377. Did you work hard yourself f.;hewh»le of the time; actual manual labour? No. I was working
a good part of the time here at my trade as a carpenter. I left; those men to look after it themselves. 1
hail a brother who looked after it; ho was one of the two labourers, and he naturally looked after my
intoivxsts.
1378. Ton think that the men were industrious nil the time, and did not neglect their work? They
worked very well. . .
1379. Is it fairly ^ood soil ? Pretty good soil. It is very good if you get plenty of ram, but in dry
weather it is vi j ry bad.
1380. Is the land now under crop ? No, not now.
1381. Did you try to grow sugar for the mill ? I planted a little sugar and it turned out pretty well.
But I did not make any agreement with the mill, as I considered that I had lost enough, and so I gave
it hest.
l'-iS2. By the Chairman : Now. you do not thiuk the principle of leasing out blocks of land would answer
here ? No. I do not think it is a good principle at all. It might be good if you had a good market for
your produce and could use the plough.
1383. If the land was prepared for cultivation by the plough, would that do? Yes; but even then if
yon do not get a good season you would not get anything out of it.
L'384. B y Mr. Gotcley .- From what you know of the couutry, do you think you could grow cane to pay at
9s. a ton ? I believe J could : it would depend on the season.
1385. "Would you be willing to take a piece of laud aud try ? I would be willing to try if the land was
my own, but not if I hud to rent it.
TUESDAY, 15 JANUARY, 1889.
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
(At Cairns.)
W. II- *ROO>l, Esq., M.L.A. | 11. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GR##M, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Robert Francis Walker examined :
K. F. Walker. l;}80- By the Chairman : What business are you carrying on ? I am a farmer, and have been mostly in
Toowoomba and here. I was farming in Toowuombafor tw enty-seven years, and I have been five years
15 Jan., 1889. here. I came up here to start sugar.
1387. What is the area of your selection ? 1,280 acres.
1888. Have you got any of it under cultivation ? Yes ; I had some under cane, but I burnt it off
because we had no means of crushing it — -I did not think it worth while going on with it. Since then I
have heen trying different things — oats and rice. The oats grow very well. I grow a little tobacco, but
the price of labour destroys all. The rice did very well. I have at present ten tons of paddy in the place.
If there was a market for it I eould grow any quantity of it.
1389. Are you carrying on any cultivation now? Yes; ] have about twenty -five acres under corn, and
I have rice. If there were any roads to my selection 1 could soon get 300 or 400 acres of rice in, and as
for the labour 1 would get machinery. There are three kinds of rife.
1391). What grows well in this district? All those products I have mentioned grow well in this district.
1391. Have yon tried coffee? I have s»me cioft'ee plants now growing.
1392. How do they grow? The Liberian I don't think is worth growing, but the other if.
1393. Does Arabian coffee grow well with you ? Yes.
13:)4. Have you tried indigo ? IS! ot here ; I did on the Downs. In fact, I have not been able to get the
seed here, or 1 would have tried it.
1395. Have you tried fruit trees? I have different kinds of fruit trees in now.
1390, What kind of trees have you ? At present I have mangoes, and different kinds of custard
apples, jack-fruit, Indian plums, and peaches, but the latter are no use in this climate. I have oranges
and limes, and all the citron tribe. They grow well on good land, provided they have plenty of drainage.
Unless they are well drained the trees die at the end of eight or nine years— we have such heavy falls of
rain all through the summer.
1397. Have you any bananas and pineapples ? Yes • any quantity. Also Brazil nuts. I could hardly
enumerate what I have. I have all sorts of spice ; I have allspiee and cinnamon. Ciuua.mou grows as
well here as it does in Ceylon. I have some nutmegs, but unf ortuuately when the hot weather came they
died. They will not grow without shade. It is the same with cocoa.
1398. Dave you tried cocoa ? Yes, but when I went South my people neglected to shade them, and
they died. They need shade especially when young. I tried lucerne but it failed. 1399. Could
Tin; gexebax couition op tub sugab i^usttiy in queensiutd.
1399. Could all these fruits, except peaches, be grown in the district with proper cultivation? Yes, K. F. 1
with proper cultivation and proper situation. We have tried to grow them in the field where there was
no draiuage, and it is a perfect farce to do so. 15 Jai
1400. Are you able to make money out of the cultivation of these products ? Not the least. I have lost
money. We could make money if we h:id roads and bridges. For want of bridges we can't get over
the creeks. We can't cross the Mulgrave River or the Behama Creek for five months in the year for
want of a bridge.
1401. Will you state the reasons why you think that the cultivation of these products is not profitable ?
The want of labour and the want of bridges, with me. The want of labour is the cause with most people.
There is another cause. A lot of people have taken up selections and merely hold them and keep the
bond fidt; selectors from settling down in the district, and labour, in consequence, will not come jnto a
neighbourhood when there are only one or two resident selectors.
1402. Have you shipped any fruit from Cairns ? Tes ; bauanas to the- Southern colonies. Some went
to Melbourne n.ncl some to Brisbane. But the expenses eat up your profits. If the Mulgrave Eiver was
snagged, we could enrry our stuff to the mouth of the river by boat and get it away direct.
1403. Have yon hud auy loss by shipping fruit ? The balance was on the wrong side of the ledger.
1404. Have you had cause to complain of the shipping arrangements ? They destroy our fruit. They
destroy the half of it bv the way they throw it out. They sling fifteen or sixteen bunches together from
under "the hatches of the titeamer on to the deck and to tlie wharf, and half the bananas drop off into the
hold.
140.5. By J\Ir. King : What description of labour have you employed ? Mostly European and Chinese.
I have nevor had a blackfellow yet.
1406. What wages do you pay Europeans ? £1 a-week, and sometimes 30.s. and rations.
1407. By the Chairman : Even at those wages could you make your farm pay ? Tes, if they would
work. They don't work. Sometimes you may get an odd man to work. A man who will take a month
to hoe an acre of land will not do much.
1408. From your knowledge of the district after being in it five years, and from your knowledge of the
fruit-growing industries here, what suggestions can you make for the benefit of that iudustry ? "Well,
my idea is that if the harbour was opened and ship<i could come right up to the wharf, and if they took
more care in loading and discharging the produce and fruit, something might be made out of it. But at
the present time, as long as the ships have got (as they tell us) the stalk of a bunch of bananas to deliver
they do not care. The agents have told me that plainly.
1409. By Mr. Cowley : You said that the Mulgrave wants a bridge ? Yes.
1410. Have you made any applications to the Divisional Board for n bridge ? I as a member of the
Divisional Board 'have tried, but there has always been opposition.
1411. If as the Board sufficient means at their disposal to put bridges there ? No, they have not.
1412. Have you had any estimate of the eost of a bridge ? No. I think one would cost £2,000.
141.3. Has not a depuiat Ion from your Board waited on the Government and aaked for a bridge? Yes; a
self-constituted deputation did, but not by the authority of the Board.
1414. By fhe Chn'rmnn : What would be most preferable to the district, snagging the river or pnttiug a
bridge aerons? I think putting abridge across would be the most convenient at the present time.
1415. By Mr. Kin//: You said that a considerable quantity of" laud was locked up by being held by
absentee settlers. What is the proportion of the land held by them ? Two-thirds of what is taken up.
I know of 200 or 3tX) common bananas plautedo na. piece of Ian i:l, uud that was counted as moneyeipended
in improvement. As soon as they get their certificate they let it all go back to scrub again.
1416*. Is the whole of the frontage of the Mulgrave where it is navigable selected ? No.
1417. Is all the good land selected ? No.
141. S. Is it open to selection ? Some portions of it are.
1419. How many selections do yon suppose there are on the frontage of the river? There are several
selections which have been taken up by parties who had no meaus. They took them up, and after hold-
ing them for a year they gave them up.
1420. Hoiv many settlers are there who are cultivating land on the Mulerrave River? With the
exception of myself there really are not any. They are only going through the form of doing so.
1421. What is the average wage of a European labourer in this district ? Labourers on plantations,
farms, and selections, £1 a week and rations. Thut is about it, 1 think.
14^2. What wages do the Divisional Board pay to their labourers ? 9b. a day. It is too much for all
they do.
1423. Iy Hie Chairman : Are not a good many of the selectors on the Mulgrave packers ? No ; only a
few.
1424. ty Mr. Cowley : Why do you net grow sugar ? Because we have no mill to crush it.
1425. How far are you from the Pyramid Plantation : In a straight line five miles ; but to get to it we
would have to go nine miles. We have a good position for a cent ral mill.
1426. You said that paddy would pay you to grow it if you could And a market. Is there not a market
in Cairns ? Only a limited market.
1427. Is there not a rice mill there, the owner of which will buy all that can be bought? There is only
one, and when there is only one mill in a district theyhavt> it all their own way.
1428. At what price per ton would it pay you to grow patlJy? £8.
1429. Do you employ any labour now ? No ; not just now.
1430. How many acres have you under crop now including fruit trees ? Twenty-five or twenty-six acres.
We have a lot of scrub land cleared. I have got two acres grubbed fit for the plough at a cost of £24 for
the two acres. We could grow ginger, and I could supply any quantity at Id. per lb.
1431. Have you great difficulty in obtaiuiug labour? Yes ; when the rice was growing we could not get
labour. 1 had elev en acres of rice, and 1 had to work it with one man and myself.
1482. foil could not obtaiu labour at 30s. a week and ratious? No.
1433. You say that a ge»d many of the selections are abandoned here? Yes.
1434. Did uot the selectors abandon them after a fair trial, like yourself ? Many of them never went to
1 "'""B on the selections at all, but gave them uj.
1435. If
t,4
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE IIOYAT, COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
R. F. Walker. ] j.3.5. |f t h e y were there what could they grow at a profit ?— Yon say you have lost money ; do you not
/ — ^-^-^ think it would be the- s:une with them ? Yes; l think so. If there were a lot of them working their land
15 Jan., 1839. it would induce labour to come to the neighbourhood.
1-436. If the whole of those men were cultivating their land, is there anything they could grow at tho
present price of labour th.at would pay them for their trouble ? No.
1437 By Mr. Kint/ -. If you grew cane for a central mill, at what price per ton could you afford to sell
it ? I would be glad to take 8s. if the mill was near at hand. That is, 8a. cut and put »n trucks.
143S. By2ir. Cowley : Do vou meau that you could grow, cut, and deliver cane on trucks at 8s. per ton ?
Yes ; I could do better at that than at growing wheat at Toowuomtvi.
1439. Have you had aDy experience in growing sugar cane v Yes; in Brisbane.
1440. And selling it ? No; I left that to others.
1441. Did you grow much th- re ? F»rty-five acres.
1412. How was it that it did not pay the grower ? Sugar got low in price, and. it did not pay.
1443, Did that affect your price ? It was in Connection with the mill that I was.
1441. Then you were 'mrunifartitrin^ it? Yes ; I had nothing to do with the working of the concern.
1445. Was not the labour much cheaper down there ? Yes.
1446. And the land all under the plough ? Yes.
1447. What wage.s did vou pay there for g«o«i white men ? 15s. and £ 1 a week, and they were good
men, and did a fair day's work. That was simply because they knew that others would get their job if
thev did not work.
1418. Is living cheaper down there than up here ? Not a great deal. The only tiling I find dearer i 8
sugar. I find that I could b?r r sugar at Tonwoomba for a less price than I can here.
1449. By the Chairman : 3o you not think that the high wages paid by the Divisional Board, and the
high wages paid at Townsville and Herberton, hus something to do with the labour here ? Possibly
it has.
1450. Do yon know any men who prefer to work 111 that way rather than go on a farm ? Two or three;
i ii more. Board work is not generally day work ; it is very often contract work, but there are times
when they employ some men by day work.
1451. Have you employed any newly arrived emigrants ? Yes; but 1 have such a lot of trouble to get
them. I had to send to Towusville and depeud on the agents, and did not know whether I was getting a
farmer or a weaver.
1452. By Mr. Kiny : How did they shape? They work very well, except that they are very fond of
breaking tools. Very often, instead of getting a fanner, you get a man who does not know anything
about a farm. That sort of man is very little use.
145IJ. Those y«u have had have not been a success ? Out of ten I had, two were. Thtse are the
only good men I ever had. They were f ai ming men.
1*54. How long did these two men remain with you? Their full time. Then they wanted to go away
somewhero else.
1455. J low bug was their agreement ? For six months.
H30. Did the Government pay their passage to Cairns for you? Yes; but now they won't do that.
"We huve now to employ an agent to get immigrant labour. I was told I would have to pay their fare
up here.
1457. How did they keep their health ; — did they suffer from sickness ? I never saw any of them sick
yet. Where we live it is a very healthy place.
14.58. By Mr. Cowley : Have yon leased any of your land to Chinamen ? No.
1459. By the Chairman : You said that thebad roads had something to do wuth the difficulty of cultivating
your land ; do you mean in addition to the want of bridges? If we had the bridges that is all we
want. The roads would really not be half so bad if we had the bridges. But when we are sixteen weeks
without being able to g<'t a dray to Cairns it is bad.
1460. By JSlr. King : Have the aboriginals given you any trouble? No, not me; only a little thieving.
1461. Did you ever employ them ? No. I understand that on the llussell many people employ them
falling scrub, and they do their work very wtll. But Ihey steal the food. When I first went there they
troubled the horses a good deal, wounding and spearing them. I dispersed them once and I had
no more bother with the horses. I may add, before closing my eviden t, that I have to-day sold my
paddy, which I had to keep for seven months, at £9 a ton delivered at Rt'dbank.
Thomas Mackay examined :
T. Mackay. 1462. By the Chairman : Where do you reside ? I reside principally on the Mulgrave road, and
/ —^x J -— ^ occasionally on the Bussell.
15 Jan., \mi 1463. Have you a selection there ? Yea ; 32* acres.
1464. How much have you cultivated? At different times about sixty a -res.
1465. What is the principal crop you. grtw ? I grow inaist, oats, sweet potatoes, and English potatoes.
I have pretty well tried everything.
1466. What has been theuverage crop of maize per aero? The first tiro*. I put maia© in I had no crops
at all; it was a complete failure The land we sowed was too new and too rich. On the same field there
is maize now and it is looking well.
1467. By Mr. Kiny .- AVhat was your average per acre when you had a d-op ? Twentv.fi. re bushels.
14(58. By the Chairman : W hat is the average of oats per acre ? Two tous per acre of oaten ha v.
140!). Have you a good market? Yes; I get 10s. a c-wt.
1470. What sort of crop did you have of English potatoes ? Two to thr-e tons j I got 10s. a cwt.
1471. Do you grow any fruit trees ? I lvwe got a few orange trees, but not many.
1472. Then you confine your attention to agriculture more th:vn to garden produce ? Y"es.
1473. 3o the returns you receive from your selection satisfy you as an iuvestmeut? I would consider it
payable.
1474. AVhat labour do you employ? Mostly white men.
1475. What wages do you pay them ? I have a man at £90 a year and liave to find him. Ru is married.
147G. Does his wife do anything ? Yes; she cooka and he works ou the farm. 1477. Have
TltlO BKarBSJtXi COXDITION OF THK SL'GAli IXDl'STKT I (J Ql' KKNM.AN H.
1477. Have you any other labour besides that? Yes; occasionally I have other labour. I have a China- T. Maduy.
1178. Altogether '1° y° u work your selection by white labour ? Mostly; sometimes I employ a Chinaman. 15 Jan., 1889.
1470. Aud the result so far s.-tisfies you ? 1 am not perfectly satisfied, hut still [consider it payable.
We started on a small scale and are gradually increasing o'jr arci. It will not be such a small area when
we get our laud cleared.
14S0. By Mr. King : Tlow far are you from town ? Twelve miles from here (Cairns).
1481. What means have you for bringing in your produce to town? We have good roads; but we always
sell it on the ground, and we almost always have a go«d market.
1482. Are there any more selectors like you in the same locality ? Xo one is growing anything.
ViiiH. What is the reason ? The most of the people who took up land never took it up for agricultural
purposes.
1484 Tor what purpose, then ? I could not tell j some for timber, and som« for cattle, and so on. Iam
pretty well the only one who has started farming on the inlet. All my neighbours have started very
recently.
1485, By the. Chairman : As you nre aware, this Commission is appuinted to find out if there is any way by
an you
.'■ff.-i
uld be improved if*
of the
which the sugar industry ;md tropical agriculture ♦eneially can he assisted or
us any suggestion whereby your agricultural pursuits cau be improved? \
I could get reasonable labour. The wages I am paying are lrtgluTtlum niinost any other part of the "world.
143b*. When you say reasonable labour, do you mean white labour ? I cuuld ait'ord to give a good
number of white men £i0 a year and rations.
1487 Then if you could get white labour, you would not object to puy £40 a year and board ? No.
1488. Then at present you cannot find that clas» of labour in the district ? IN a
14S9. Do you not think that the other opportunities of obtaining higher wages has something to do with the
scarcity of labour ? I suppose it Iims. We have no E ropeau labour corning in here direct. At present
as soon as 1 get a man and get him into the way of working the harm he leaves.
1490. Have you applied for newly arrived immigrants ? I have never got the chance.
1491. Jf an immigration depot was started in Cairns, and a certain uuuiber of immigrants were sent to
this port, would they be absorbed by labour being offered them ? Yes ; that would help me very much,
and help others too. If 1 could get reasonable labour it would help mo.
1492. You have not grown fruit in sufficient quantities to send to market? No.
149:3. Is any of your land cultivated by Chinese ? Yes ; the Chinese have twenty acres of my land.
1494. Have any other selectors done the same ? Yes; my neighbours have.
1495. Is any quantity of land cultivated by Chinamen in your neighbourhood ? Yes ; altogether over 200
acres.
1496. What crops do the Chinese grow principally ? I may say altogether maize. Nothingelse, except
a few sweet potatoes for their own use.
1497. What do you consider an average crop of maize? I would sny 25 bushels.
1498. Do you find the climate affect the health of yourself and other Europeuus at all ? I have been in
Northern 'Queensland for seventeen years, and nine years in Cairns. The climate is good, but I cannot
do the same amount of work that I could in the south, and the men I employ cannot. Even the korses
cauiiot do the same amount of work.
1499. Huve you ;uny objection to tell us what the Chiuamen pay as reut for your hind ? The ypay now
£1 per acre per annum; but I do not force them. If they have a bad year I do not press them. 1 con-
sider that they cannot make it pay the rent in my district.
1500. By Mr. King : Which is your district ? The Inlet. A Chinaman will pay £1 a year for land and
work it for himself ; but they will uot take land when they can get good wages.
1501. By the Chairman .- Is it good agricultural land ? I picked it out nine years ago. Itwa>sthe very
best in the district. 1 have pretty well the pick of the whole Inlet. There i;» one thing agaiust it. It
is strong land, and nothing will do better than sugar cane. We have very heavy rains at times. We had
50 inches in one week. Nothing will stand that except sugar cane. Onee you put sugar in here you
may be sure of a crop no matter how dry the season is. But with anything else you have a risk. You
may put in a crop and it may not be a good one; a great deal depends ou the rains and droughts. Ii
growing an agric ultural crop a light soil is the best, but here nearly all the land is strong laud.
1502. If there was a central mill in this district would youthen put your laud under cultivation for
sugar ? Yes; I would commence and grow caneanclsellit at 5s. atou,if 1 could sell it on the ground.
I would very soou have all my land under cane.
100:3. By Mr. Cowley .- You say that ,you have had sixty acres uuder cultivation from time to time.
llow many have you now under actual cultivation ? I have fifteen acres, but 1 have another fifteeu acres
getting ready for crop two months from now.
1504. Is your land scrub or forest land ? Mixed.
150.5. The land under cultivation? Mostly scrub.
150(1 Who cleared it ? I did.
1507. Your ownself ? Yes.
15#8. Did you stump it all by yourself ? Yes. I paid for it and I helped the labour myself. I have
always employed labour.
1509. Was it stumped hy contract ? No; by weekly labour.
1510. "Who wcro the men who assisted you to do this ? Men I employed — mostly Europeans.
1511. Couhlyou tell us what it cost per acre to clearthe land— to stump it m<i clear it? My forest
laud was utv light, nearly all plain ; that would cost about £4 an acre to clear it ready for the plough.
The scrub land was ordinary avemge scrub, pretty heavy, and that would cost about £5 an aci-eto put it
under crop first with the hoe, not the plough — that is falling and burning off.
1512. "What labour have you now besides this married couple? At the; present time a Chinaman. The
week before last I had a ploughman, and as soon as he left 1 got in a Chinaman.
1.51.3. Then it takes three of you to work the fifteen acres you k-ive under crop? No; certainly not.
I have done n otlirugto that myself; besides, as I aaul, auotliM fifteen acre* are being got ready. They
have beeu sowing that fifteen acres and it is finished now, and I will go on to the other laud.
1514, Then
46
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAJCEN BEFORE TJIE ltOTAL COMMISSION TO INQ.UIBE ES'TO
T. Mackay. 1514 Tlien are those thirty acres that you are dealing with all stumped ? Yes, all under the plouglv
r — -a-^~>» 15 15. What price do you yet for com per bushel ? From 3s. 6d. to 4s. That is the average price, lhat
15 Jan., 1889- is at my door.
1516. Is tbe land let to Chinamen at £1 an acre cleared by your labour, or have they to dear it?
They clear the most of it. I did let them forty acres cleared and ready for cultivation, but they have
given it up because it did not pay them.
1517. How mauy white men have you employed at one time? Generally two or three at the most.
1518. Do they work satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily? I have got good men. I would not keep a bad
man a day. I have generally had good hardworking men. When I did get a bad an I sent him
away at ouce.
1519. What wages did you pay these men as a rule? For a new chum £L a week, and for others
who have been louger in the district 30s. a week and their rations. The new chums, after their six
months is up. always demand 30s.
1.520. Will these men work with the hoe all day long? iTcs; ; at present they do the horse-ploughing.
I was cultivating bv the hoe for two or three years, ami then 1 had a white man hoeing.
1521. Did the white man hoe, or had you to get a Chinaman? The vfhito man worked well for me.
1522. How many Chinamen have you employed at one time ? I might have hail two, but nevermore.
1523. What did they do? Did they do the hnrd work, or did they all work share and share alike?
The Chinamen only did hoc work — nothing else.
1524. How many crops of maize ca.u you take off the land in oue year? My land would take off
more than one crop in one year. It would grow a wet-season ei'op.
1525. What do you call strong laud ? Sail with a large percentage of clay. That is the character
of mine. It is first-class .volcanic soil.
1526. What experience have you in growing sugar? A few years ago I put in ten or a dozen sorts
of sugar cane to see how they wouli grow, and I had no bad cane at all.
1527. And that leads you to come to the conclusion that you would be willing to grow eane with
white labour and the plough at os. a ton? Yes.
152S. Is that 5s. a tou cut, or standing iu the field ? Standing in the field.
15".:9. After all those years you have been in the district, and taking into consideration the time you have
been here, and the money you have expeuded, has it been a success ? The corn alone lias not been a
success.
1530. What other business had you ? I had a couple of horses on the road, and made money by selling
land. We had a lot to learn here. We were in a new climate. I had been used to farming in a tem-
perate climate, and we had a lot to learn, and though it may not have been a success up to the present, I
eould make it a success now if I had white labour at a reasonable rate.
1531. And yet Chinaman had to give up the land without paying any rent. The Chinamen could uot
make it pay. The Chinaman paid me some rent, but I did not force them for the rest.
John ALLi.N Metcalfe examined :
J.A.Metcdfe. 1532. Bi/ Ihe Chairman You are a selector on the Barron River ? Yes. I have taken up land, but the
r — — a— — ^ land is not open to selection. I have taken possession of the ground, and have ;just began to cultivate it.
15 Jan., 1880. 1533. What experience have you had? I have had experience on the Mulgrave aud Russell River*.
] 534. Will you state your experience when on the Mulgrave ? M_f iirst experience was when I had
Dr. Paoli's selection of 1.280 acres, which was given to mo gratis. £2,000 was spent on it in buildiugs,
aud an attempt made to cultivate tobacco. I attempted three crops of toVacco and lost each one, and
then gave it up.
1531a By Mr. King: What was the cause of the loss of those tobacco crops? Priucipally excessive
wet in the fields. One crop was washed into the earth by a hailstorm.
1535. Btj the Chairman : What other crops did you grow besides t»bacco ? After that I took a contract
for falling scrub and clearing laud. I also wanted to gain all Ihe experience I could. I attempted maize
an«l tobacco, and eveu vegetables, such asca rots, turnips, and cabbage. I was successful with the maize
and the carrots and turnips, but everything elst; failed like the tobacco.
1536. What labour did you employ ? Principally black labour; a few white meu.
1.387. What sort of black labour? Time-expired kanakas, and aboriginals.
1538. What wages did you pay the time-expired kauakas ? £1 a week aud I found them.
1539. How did you remunerate the aboriginals? By giving them very good tucker, tobacco, and clothing.
1540. Did vou make it pay ? Well, I made it pay because I had good contracts. 1 could never have made
it pay ou the Bussed River by simple cultivation.
1541. I want to know whether you made the agricultural pursuits iu which you were engaged pay? No.
1542. Why dicl they not pay ? No market and want of communication.
151.3. What do you mean by " waut of cnaimunicalaion " ? Although the selection it* on the Russell River
only one boat comes up once a month, arid we had a long way to take the things even then; and there waseither
very little water in the river or else it was Hooded. Then there was no market; when I sent the things
down. We could liardlv send the things to Cairns. The vessel only called at the Russell River on her
trip (o Townsville, and therefore goods for Cairns hail to be carried iirst to Towniiville then back to Cairns
before they were discharged.
1544. Have you grown anything besides what you have stated ? Maize. I could haVesold it well if I had
had communication with this place — -Cairns.
1545. Have you grown any fruit trees? I have planted fruit trees iu other places for other people by
contract.
15 fe6. By Mr. King : You nre well acquainted with the Mulgrave and Russell Rivers ? Yes.
1547^ Are the selections on the Mulgrave and Russell River all occupied? No; they are practically
1543. What proportion ai-e abandoned ? Every one on which the necessary improvements have been made.
All the improiemenlft were m.ideon Dr. Paoli's selection and he had a ma'n ou it.
15±9. On all the land made freehold the occupation has et a rtl? Ves, aud the scrub groan up a^aiu and
the fruit trees are buried. 15*50. By
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUOAIl INDTTS'fRY IN QUEENSLAND.
1550. By the Chairman : When you say that you have fciken contracts for planting trees for other people, J. A. Me
have they been for the improvements of selections ? Yes . . ^
1551. Then these contracts have been carried out. and certificates of fulfilment of conditious obtained, 1» Jan.,
and then the selectors have abandoned their land? Yes. They did uot exactly abandon their land, but
residence ceased.
1552. Are they absentee proprietors ? Nearly all.
1553. Where do they principally reside ? I have entered into contracts with people residing in Brisbane
and in New South "Wales, and one man resides sometimes here and sometimes down south.
1554. W hat is the average area of the selections ? 1,2M0 acres.
1555. Then piratically you have had n« experience of your own in agriculture in this district except what
you have stated ? I have been trying the experience of settling down myself on the upper Barron, and
that is where I am located now. I have taken Fiend leave — lliat i.s why I am so oager to have the land
thrown open for selection. It is upon forest land, and I am sure it will turn out better tlian the scrub-
155(5. By Mr. Cotde.y : You say that on Dr. Paoli's land £2,000 had been spcut when it was handed over
to you for nothing? Yes.
1557. Had it been cultivated with the plough ? No; all with the hoe.
1558. Then the £2,000 was spent in building and clearing? Tes ; and on the failure of the tobacco
crops. He got a certain amount of money out of the crops.
1559. Did you ever gather any of the tobacco ? Only a few pounds.
1560. Then you can give us no experience as to the value of tlie tobacco ? I consider that it was of no
value at all. It was too full of water.
1561. Bo you not think that that would change as tho land was cropped ? No ; not unless you got a
much smaller rainfall. It could never be a success on low lands with .aheavy rainfall. Tobacco does not
want a heavy rainfall.
1562. Why did you start it ? Because I was told by people, who thought they knew, lh:it tobacco was
bound to succeed well there, and so it would in a season the same as we are having now, which is
exceptional.
1563. You say you employ both white men, aboriginals, and kanakas ? Yes.
1564. Did the white men give you any satisfaction? Not ihe slightest. Tln-re waa always something
the matter with them — they \tere discontented.
1565. What wages did you pay the white men ? From £1 to £2 a week and tueker, and men with those
high wages thus were not satisfactory. I never had any stick to me but one, aud I have him now.
1566. Have you employed many whites ? Perhaps a dozen in all.
1507. You said that you had employed aboriginals — were they satisfactory? Tes; so far I always got on
well with them.
1568. Were they worth the food, clothing, and tobacco that you gave them ? Yes ; certainly.
1569. Did you have many of those men? I have had as many as fifteen working for me at one time, with
only myself and one white man.
15/0. Did they t'ver tliievo or did they molest you, or do yon any harm ? Not me personally. They
have never taken the value of Is.
1571. ("an you obtain my of these men now ? They will not leave their own immediate neighbourhood.
1572. J.s uotTtwntJvillc a better market for produce than this place? It depends upon what the produce is.
1573. Jror any of tlie produce that you grow? There is a large market, but you ca n sell maiee at a
better price here than in Tuwunville.
1574. I lave any of the absentee proprietors rented their land to anyone ? No, no one will rent their land
from them.
1575. Then they are losing interest on their investment ? Yes.
157<(i. By (he Chairman : 1J ave they tried to rent it? #h, yes.
1577. By Mr, Cowley: Are they deriving any benefit from tlieir laud at; present? No; except
increased value.
1578. What rent, would they ask for a 1,280 acre selection ? Well, one man offered a 1,280 acre selec-
tion at a rent of £1 a year far the lot. There was a little humpy on it, and twenty-five or twenty-six
acres were cleared and fiftetm aires planted with fruit trees, but they had only just been planted.
1579. Was that a freehold ? It will be made freehold immediately ; the conditions were all fulfilled.
1580. What was the nature of the fruit trees ? They were tbe citron tribe.
1581. Would they bring in a speedy return ? Tbey would bear iu two years.
1582. How many years could you obtain the land for ? I do not know. I never entertained the
thought for one moment, because I knew I could not get a living on it.
1583. By ihe Chairman -. But if the proprietor has become an absentee, who looks after the trees ? No
one. I might also add that 1 know of cases where trees were not only planted on one place, but were
taken up and planted on another place.
15S4. Then these trees have done double duty, the same as the fencing used to do on the lowns ? Yes.
1585. B i/ Mr, Cowley: Are you the man who carried out the contract iu that ease? No, I never used
trees twice.
1586. By the (Jhttirman : And have these trees been charged as improvements on both properties ? Tes.
May I be permitted to make a remark or two about kanaka labour?
1587. Yes, certainly? If tlie sugar planters are to be allowed to recruit kanakas and import kanakas, I
want a Government dep6t for kanakas to be established at Cairns to enable large and small selectors to
come into town and get boys when they want them. When a vessel comes iu on behalf of the Govern-
ment with kanakas it should be advertised, so that the sunall selector could come in and get them the same
as planters aud fanners, and engage them for twelve months or two years at an increase on the sugar
planter's price, which is £6 a year. A selector should be entitled to two, three, four, or five kanakas in
accordance to the size of his selection, at say £10 a year, autl, of eourse. board.
158S. Practically you advoeate free trade in kanakas either for planters or selectors ? No, no; only to
be used on the land, iv>t as servants or in any domestic pursuits. .All agriculturists, and they alone
should have kanakas.
1589. By
48 ansuTEs of ettdesce taeen befobe the hotai, commission to in-quihe ittto
J.A.Metcaifc. i^gfl. By Mr. Cos-ley : Are you not aware that selectors have just the same facilities for obtaining t
f ^ kanakas as the planters have'? Yes. but thc-y can't afford to pay a vessel to bring them in. I would
15 Jan., lfSa glad to get six kanakas and give them £10 a year each. I have now to give kanakas £1 a week, as there
is a sort of union amongst them.
1590. Do you not know that all small farmers can. by applying to the Government, engage kanakas
exactly in the same way as the planters ? I do not know that.
1591. Men on the Herbert River do so? Indeed!
1592. Do you want them for tropical agriculture ? Yes, certainly ; only to be used on a farm.
1593. Are you aware that the system you now propose in regard to kanakas is in direct contravention of
the Polynesian Act ? You said we could do so now
155)4. >'o ; you must make application before the vessel leaves, and a bond has to be entered into. I
adviseyouto buy the Polynesian Act. There is nothing to prevent you getting men the same as the
planter ? That is, if I apply before the vessel sails.
Aethur Mears examined :
A. Mears. 159,5. B>, the Clmirman : Where do you reside ? Herberton.
f — — ^ 1590. Canyou furnish us with the area of land under crops there ? AVell, I can't give the exact areas.
15 J3n., 1889. 1 sent an urgent wire to Herberton t»-day, and I received the following statistical information : —
" Herberton, loth January, 1889.
"To A. Mears, Cairns:
" During the past year 20land applications were approved of, area 16.000 acres. Since the besrinningof
selection tare about &>,00i> acres have been selected, of iwhich approximately) {50,000 are occupied. The following
average results have been obtained :— Maize, fV»m ill to 60 bushels tot lie acre; oats (all cut forhay). from 1 to 4 tons
per acre ; potatoes, from H tons to 12 tons per acre ; lucerne, five crops can be cut in one year— it grows luxuriantly
and yields immense crops." A trial crop of wheat went 12 bushels to the acre; Emit— grapes, oranges, nectarines,
cherries, plums, mulberries, peaches, Ac— all succeed aud are now bearing fine crops. The only difficulty in the
way of hay-making is the moisture of the season at the time of cutting. Point out to the Commissioners that the
land between the Evelyn and Carrin*ton. and from Evelyn south, is all fitted for close settlement, and is well
watered by permanent'stre ams, and it only requires to be thrown open to attract a large population.
"(Signed) J. 11. GHEEiN'."
Pie is the editor of the Herherton Advertiser. Part of this information is obtained from last year's
returns. I might explain in reference to the average maize yields, which is put down at from 10 to 6t
bushels, that it has been the experience of selectors that when the laud is first put uuder cultivatiou it
does not produce a good crop for a season or two. At fi rst the maize runs to stalk 12 or 14 feet high.
The land is too rich in the first place. After the land has been cropped once or twice, they get better
returns than for their first crop.
1597. Have the selectors a tolerably fan- market for their produce ? Yes.
1598. What would they get per pound for grapes ? Is. Gel. At present time the grapes are very heavy.
This is the finest crop they have had.
1599. What is the area under grapes ? It is impossible to say.
1000. How long have they been planted ? During the past three or four years.
1001. How loug have you been in Herberton yourself ? Five years.
1602. Have you seen any of these crops growing ? Yes ; at Carrington, five miles from Herberton, I have
seen sugarcane and wheat grow side by side.
1(503. In the winter time do you Lave any frosts at Herberton ? Yes, in Herberton itself ; but the scrub
land is about four or six miles from Herberton. There is a range to be crossed, and it is soutli of
Herberton where the large area of agricultural land is situated.
1604. At present are the farmers able to dispose of. their produce in the immediate neighbourhood of
where it is grown? Some of them sell some of their produce to Chinamen, and the Chinamen hawk it
.round town. Europeans seem to have an objection to taking their produce round from house to house.
1605. Is that the case with grapes? Yes.
1006. In what way do you think the Commission could assist the selectors in Herberton? I think the
greatest didieulties the selectors suffer under at present, and which they complain of most, are the depre-
ihitioiis ot the blacks and the want of better means of communication between Herberton aud Cairns.
The railway will give them this communication, and that is what the selectors are anxiously waiting for
at present. The selectors who have taken up land in the midst of the scrub find it very difficult to get
iuto the main ro<-ds that communicate with Herberton. It is ouly by cutting a track that they are able
to reach the inai a road.
1607. By Mr. Co-ehy : Foil say that there are 90,000 a-cres taken up ? Yes.
100S. Does the Board not levy rates ? Yes.
1609. Then what doe.-* the Divisional Board do with the money ? Do they make roads ? Yes ; but the
Tinaroo Division is a very large one. The nmount of the rate last y ear was between £900 and £1,000,
which with the Government endowment represents! £:i,000. But you must net, forget the nature of the
country, which makes road-making very costly. The district is very mountainous, aud parts of the road
arc washed ;nvay every wet season ; and it is a considerable expense to keep the roads open for traffic.
1(510. Do tlx; selectors work their selections theiwselvos or least) them to Chinese? Some work the whole
of the selections themselves, others wnrk a part and lease a part to Ohinamou. A selector takes up ItiO
acres of wemb laud, clears the scrub off about twenty acres on which he resides and cultivates, and he then
sublets a porti'on of his selection to Chinamen on a eleuriu.r lease at a small rental of Is. per acre per
attuum. the Chinamen lutv? ng to clear the Lti id. At the expiration of the lease the land reverts to the
original holder, by which time taeis In a position to culfivato it himself. The greatest difficulty which I
tjnti k the settlers have to contend with is the depredations of the aboriginals. It is positively impos-
sible for a selector to leave his place even for a tow hours without the chance of the blacks coming in and
robbing him of everything they can lay hold of . An instance happened last Tuesday. A youug man
came from the south and took up a selection at the back of a township about nine miles from Herberton.
lie arrived from Port Douglas yesterday week. 1 le brought up a considerable quautity of goods which
he wanted on his selection. He put all the goods into his hou.se, fastened it up, and came iuto town on
Tuesday
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP THE SUOAB INDTJSTET IN QUEENSLAND.
Tuesday to do some business with my firm. Upon his return home in the afternoon he found that the A. Meaw.
blacks had smashed open one of the windows, entered the house and earned off about £15 worth of »»-a-^-\
rations, and scattered the other things all over the place. Many of these selectors are very poor men, 15 Jan., 1889
and it comes really very hard upon them that they should be continually robbed and that there should be
no means of redress.
1611- How many of these 90,000 acres are under cultivation ? I conld not tell you. Upon every selec-
tion there is a eertain amount of cultivation. A selector takes up 160 acres, and at first start clears 20
acres — perhaps half of that is under cultivation.
1612. By Mr. King : But all these 90,000 acres are not taken up in 160-acre blocks ? No, the largest are
1,280 acres. The most of the land is very scrubby, and it takes a considerable time before the selectors
can make the land fit for cultivation.
1S13. What is the average rate of wages for a farm labourer ? £2 a week and tucker, or £3 a week and
they find themselves.
1614. By the Chairman : Are there many farm labourers employed at that rate of wages ? Not many.
Most of the selectors work their farms with the assistance of their families, if they have any.
1615. By Mr. Cowley : Is the climate gool ? Yes, very good.
1616. By the Chairman : You have no coloured labour in Herberton ? No, all Chinamen. The Chinese
inalr»ost every case, I think, work for themselves; they are not employed by Europeaus.
161 7. By Mr. King : la the climate healthy for Europeans ? Yes. Nearly tho while of the agricultural
land is watered by permanent running »treams.
16L8. By the Chairmttit : Are you engaged in business in Herberton ? Yes, as a general commission
agent. We do a lot of business for farmers in the district.
1619. By Mr. King : Has any attempt been made to extend the cultivation of produce ? Has wheat
been tried on a large scale ? Yes ; one man has 1,000 fruit trees on his selection, and next year he expects
to have 500 more, and at present he has some tons of grapes of a very fine quality. Wheat has only
been tried experimentally, when it gave 42 bushels to the acre.
1620. By the Chmirman : Is there any rust in the wheat ? No.
1621. What is the character of the soil? Chocolate in the scrub, covered to a considerable depth with
vegetable matter. European fruits appear to do very well, there being a distinct winter season. For
six months during the winter we have frost frequently, and on five or six occasions we have had ice in
winter. So the fruit trees receive a distinct check.
1622. What is the height of Herberton above the level of the sea ? 3,000 feet.
1623. When the railway is completed to the top of the range it will bring Herberton into easy access
with the port here? Yes. When the railway is completed from. Cairns to Herberton it will run
through the whele of this land I have been describing excepting that to the south of Herberton, and it
will give them facilities which they have not at present.
1624. Bif Mr. Cowley : How near to Herberton does the scrub land between Geraldton and Herherton
approach ? About seven or eight miles.
1625. Have you any experience of that land ? Is it actually as good as the land you describe ? It is
very good- .For twelve or fifteen miles from Herberton this laud is admirably adapted for settlement. It
is fairly level country.
1626. Have you ever been down the range to Geraldton? No, I have not. I have been in the scrub,
but not through it.
162 7. Then you know nothing about the range betweon Geraldton .md Herberton ? No ; excepting
what I have he-arcl from men who have been there frequently. They said that there was a gradual ascent
from a few miles out of Geraldton until within eight or nine miles of Herberton. The land is all good
agricultural land.
WEDNESDAY, 16 JANUARY, 1889.
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
(At Stratford.)
Pbesent:
W. H. GROOM, Esq,, M.L.A. ] II. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Thomas Behan examined.
1628. By the Chairman : You art carrying on business under the name of Thomas Behan and Co. ? T, Behan.
Yes.
1629. As rice manufacturers ? Yes ; as rice millers. 16 Jan,, 1889
1630. Do you grow rice yourself? I did last year.
1631. How nmny acres have you grown ? Twenty acres.
1632. What was tho yield per at/re ? About 48 bu shels of paddy, equal to 40 bushels to the ton.
1633. What is the value of paddy ? £S 10s delivered a t the mill. It runs from £8 10s, to £9 10s.
v according to the quality,
1634. What labour do you employ in growing rice ? Kanakas, Chinamen, and white men.
1635. How many acres do you allow per man employed ? About live acres.
1636. What wages do you pay them ? Fifteen shillings to £1 for some overtime kanakas, with board.
1637. Where oo you get your supply of paddy from to keep the mill going? From Cairns and Port
DougliiM. I purchase it from the growers, who are principally Chinamen.
1638. How mauy mouths during the year is your mill going? It has beeu going now since July last.
E 1G39. How
MIITXITES OF EYrDENCF. TAXES BEFOEE THE BOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
an you clean and dress in a day ? I c
at present dress one ton per
Yes ; I can if I have the
1639. How many tons of rice
day.
1640. Can you get sufficient paddy in the district to keep the mill going ■
money to pay for it.
1641. Is your dressed rice marketable? Yes. We have only one bag in stock.
1642. What price do you get for No. 1 rice? £23l«s. per ton wholesale ; and No. 2 is sold at from
£18 to £18 10s. .
1643. Then you can dispose of all you dress ? Yes. There were about 7,756,2»6 pounds of nee
consumed in Queensland in 1886, representing a value of £49,000, while the duty collected on nee for
the same period was £29,623. That was for 1886 ; at present the duty has reached £32,000 a year.
1644. Is the land about this district and Port Douglas adapted for the growth of rice ? The l»w land iu
thedistrict of Port Douglas, and all the laud from Ingham to Cooktown, is well adapted for rice, 'lhat
is because the rainfall is at present so high — it is from 10 feet to 12 feet per annum.
1645. Who are the parties principally growing rice ? The majority are Chinamen. There are white men
who are growing rice. It is only really from the past twelve to eighteen months that auything was known
of rice — that is, since Mr. Walker and myself went and tried it ourselves.
1646. Do they grow it on their own land or on leased land? On land leased from Europeans. The
Chinamen really introduced the industry. They first of ail grew it at the H«p Wah Plantation, and
manufactured it there with a little doily machine. There were about forty of these dolly machines in Port
Douglas and this district, and the Chinamen came to me and offered to put down £l,0t0 to help me if I
would put up a mill. It then struck me that it was quite good enough for me to go into it myself, and
the result is that the mill is where you see it. Before the mill was erected there was not half the quantity
of rice grown thatthereis now, because now there is a sale for it. Before, they really did not know what
it was, or if they did they had no market for it. Now that the industry is started, the whole of the
Chinamen and Europeans are ploughing up their land, and a great many nf them are going in for it, and
a few are at it now. In a short time, in a few years, our rice in the North will be the same to us aa your
wheat is in the South : it will suit the climate.
1647. What is the yield of paddy per acre ? In the Cairns district there were 95 acres under
rice, which gave an average yield of 50*42 bushels to the acre ; in the Cook district there were 60
acres, which gave 37 33 bushels to the acre; in the Port Douglas district there were 292 acres, which
gave an average yield of 30- 73 bushels to the acre.
1648. By Mr. King : Has the husk of the rice any marketable value ? Yes ; for fodder. The price
vanes a good deal ; it is worth from 2s. to 3s. per bushel. It all depends what price fodder is per ton
down South.
1649. By the Chairman .- Do thoseaverages refer to one crop per season? Yes ; just for the rainy season.
By irrigating we could get three crops.
1650. Then the bulk of the paddy is at present grown by Chinamen ? Yes.
1651. But Europeans are more and more learning to cultivate i t ? Yes ; the industry is only two or
three years old.
1652. You are about to extend your operations by forming your mill into a company ? Yes ; the company
proposes to start the same line of operations as Harper and Co., of Brisbane — purely manufacturing ; and
besides rice will manufacture pepper, ctffee, and so on, and of com - so mil also encourage the growth of
those tropical plants, and growers will have some place to send them to. At present there is no place to
send it to. The company is started to purchase these things in connection with their rice milling ; also
to encourage rice-growing and the growing of those things I have mentioned. The company will lend
money to farmers to assist them, just the same as an ordinary flour milling company.
1653. You are a surveyor by profession, and have surveyed many of the selections in the Port Douglas
and Cairns district? With very few exceptions I have surveyed nearly all of them ; and I am, therefore,
acquainted with the character of the soil, &c, as I have been eight years in the North
1654. Is the soil of the various selections adapted for the growth of rice and coffee ? Of the growth of
coffee, I do not know anything about ; but the principal part of the land round the rivers is adapted for
rice. In the mangrove swamp, through which you passed, there are some thousands of acres of clear
patches which are very suitable for rice. They are all covered with water once a month, at the spring
tide. I experimented on it by digging a trench and putting a bank up round a quarter-of-an-acre aud
planted it with rice, and after the rain was over I had oiio of the best crops of rice you could wish to
see — the best I ever saw in my life. All these salt-pans, by putting a little dam round them and keeping
out the salt water and by ploughing them, could be turned into some of the finest rice fields in the world.
If the Government cut their mangrove swamps up aud threw them open for selection every one would
go off and be a revenue to the Government.
1655. Then from Ingham to Cooktowu there is sufficient land which, if put under rice cultivation, would
supply the whole of ^ueenslan d ? Yes ; but it would take years to do it. The scrub can't be cleared
off in a day.
1656. Then every year the supply would increase? Yes, it is increasing now.
1657. Has this been a gradual increase ? Three years ago there was not a ton grown, and now there aro
something like 600 or 7#0 tons of rice grown.
1658. You say that you cultivated twenty acres, and it takes one man to every four acres ; is that land
nnder plough ? No ; it has been cleared for four or five years.
1659. What is the mode of cultivating this land ? Previous to my cultivating it the Chinamen had leased
the land and it was very clean, therefore very little labour was reqnired to keep it clean. There was
no scrub to cut down, and if I was to plant in the same quantity of scrub land it would take four times
the number of men to cultivate it.
1660. How do you plant the rice ? There are two ways. One; way is to scatter it the same as wheat.
The other is by planting small tussocks of it, and that takes a lot of labour to keep clean. The other
way is the^ame as wheat, and there is no labour after plautiug — that is, of course, on ploughed land.
On scrub land you could not do that.
1661. Allowing one man to fouracres, would he cutit as well as plant it? I do not say that one man could
do four acres i»cluding cutting, because when the rice is ripening it might ripen in one or two days, and
'the
THE GETTERAt COyDITIOy O? THE SUGAR INDUSTRY TS QT7EE5 8LAHD.
61
the longer it is on the atock sifter it is ripe the less Vou will get. It is so heavy after it ripens that it will T - Behan.
fall to the ground unless picked quickly. Two or three extra hands have to be put on at that time. ^^—^x
1662. By Mr. King : If you cultivated by the plough, would one man be able to cultivate twenty acres ? 16 Jan., 1689.
Yes. I happened to be at Mr. Walker's, and saw his rice crops and his mode of cultivating it ; and that is
the only payable way of doing it — that is, by ploughing the land and scattering the seed broadcast and
reaping it the same as oats. It is cut with a sickle, and thrashed on the field. A field-harvester, I
believe, would do — that is, a harvester that would cut and thrash and bag it. I believewith strong rice —
not the swamp rice — that it would cut just as well as wheat.
1663. By Mr. Cowley : From y our own experience what kind of labour is most suitable for rice grow' g?
Chinamen, i n a small way. When the wet season ison you can't geta white man to stop out in therain, and
you have to get a Chinaman or kanaka to assist. I have proved that here. The white man says, " I am
not going to stop out in this," and everything goes to t lie dogs. I have engaged white men, and they
would work for a week or two, and then perhaps draw their wage and clear.
1664. You say that some Chinamen offered to put£L000 into the mill if yon started it. Isthereany
Chinese capital in it now? No ; none.
1665. Vou said that forty bushels of paddy went to the ton? Yes. That gives 56 lbs. to the bushel.
That is the recognised way of counting it; I do not know if it is the standard weight.
1GG6 How much rice can you get for a ton of paddy ? 12j cvvt., but not all No. I rice.
1667. Do you thrash your rice by machine here ? It is all brought to me in paddy.
1668. Is the straw utilised ? At tbe present time, no. It is as suitable for fodder as oaten hay, and it
would add to the profit of the grower. It could be made into chaff. It kas in some instances been made
into chaff. The teamsters ou the Herbert road go in for it very much.
16(i9. How much land have you alongside the mill ? Three acreslease land. I have had no consideration
either from oue (rovernmeut or the other. I tried to get the land put up to auction and let me have it
for fee-simple, instead of paying £5 a year rent. There are five acres, and they have made me pay £35
rent. When I applied for a lease I was told that the Chinese rented land from the Crown at. £5 an acre,
and they would not give it to nie for anything less. It is eighteen months or two years since I wrote,
and tbe other day when in Brisbane 1 got some friends to see the Minister for Lands with me and they
have now decided to put the land up to auction. But the Commissioner has been instructed to value the
improvements that have been put up at my expense. The bank would not give me assistance while the
land was only leasehold, as it was not a good security.
1670. Arc there any sites available on the river frontage? No; the rest of the land available is reserved
as a police paddock. The land is not alienated at all.
1671. Are there no more available mill sites ? No, except what I have said.
1672. Is the land accessible ? No-
1673. Is there much forest land? Yes, for about half-a-mile down the river, and there you get into the
mangroves.
1674. Then that half-mile would supply more mill sites ? Yes, either up higher or lower down.
1675. Is it all in the hands of the Government ? Yes.
1676. Do you know many of the farmers in this district ? I believe I have visited nearly every farm in
this district.
1677. Is there much maize grown here ? Yes, several hunJred tons.
1678. Who grows it on the selections between Cairns and Alley's ? The whole of the cultivation in that
district is principally done by Chinamen.
1679. B y the Chah-man : Is that cultivation outsi'de of sugar? Yes; either vegetables or corn.
1680. By Air. Cowley: Are these homestead selectors who take up land and lease it to Chiaamen ? Yes ;
it is the only thing to do with it. They are in such a position that they can't afford to pay for labour
like a sugar planter. The kauukas cost about £25 to land, ;md a poor selector can't afford to pay that
at the present time. If you had labour costing about £10 as it used to in the old days, you would find
that all agricultural industries rouud here would flourish. They will not flourish with white men.
1681. By the Chairman : What do you mean ? I mean if it only cost £10 for passage money, then we
could get eight or nine boys. Look at Bundaberg — all the Germans employ kanakas and make a good
living. Unless you have labour you can't do anything, and it must be cheap. If the land was not
leased to Chinamen it would be still scrub.
1682. By Mr. Cowley : Is the corn used herein the district? The plantations take the corn, and it is
also sent to Townsville and I lerberton. This is one of the principal agricultural districts in the North.
Towusville takes a great deal of corn. We export eora and other products.
16S3. Would it not pay the selector to employ white men to cultivate for them, seeing that they have
such a »ood market ? I do not kuow whether it would pay, but I do not see a mau doing it.
1684. By the Chairman : Not one ? There are very few cultivating corn themselves.
1685. Then in view of the present Chinese Restriction Act, if those Chinamen gradually disperse there
will be no cultivation in the district ? They will leave the land afterthem so that you can put the plough
into it. It will take five years to clear the land, and if the Chinamen leave the country the la.nd will be
in such a state that the white mau will be able to put the plough into it. That is as far as cultivation is
concerned at present,
1686. Then the more the Chinamen break the scrub up the better it will be by-ancl-by for the white race ?
Yes.
1687. Then in course of time it will come about that the entire white population here will be engaged in
agricultural pursuits ? Yes ; that is what it is coming to now every day.
1688. By Mr. Cotcley .- Have you found any disease attack the rice i n any way ? I s it a crop that can be
relied on ? If you have rice and water you can depend on the rice for a crop. If you have no i-ain you
have no crop. There is no disease that I am aware of in my experience.
16$!). Is there any enemy to the crop ? They say that there is. They say that the grub got into it in
Jones's selection at Fort Douglas. We have nothing of that sort down here. Iam only speaking of
what I have seen.
1690. So far as your experience goes it is a reliable crop, and the farmer can rely on getting £9 per ton
for paddy in return for their labour? Yes ; and by irrigation they could get two or three crops in
the year
1691. By
52
MINUTES OE EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE lior AX COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
T. Behan. 1691 #y the Chairman: You said, just now, that Europeans working in a rice fic-ld and heavy rain
""^ cnming on they refuse to remain in the field? Yes .
16 Jan., 1889. 1692. What particular work have you t« be done in the field wh^n it is raining heavily? Chipping
weeds. ,
1693. That has to be done whether the rain is falling or the sun shiniug ? Yes ; because after a day a
rain the weeds are just as bad as ever. You have to keep at it all the rime.
1694. Then to cultivate it properly it would be better to sow it as Mr. Walker does ? Yes; that is the
proper way of doing it, if it is possible, not iu drills ; hut in fi ve cases out of six you cannot do
it here.
169.5. By Mr. Cowley: Where the land is full of stumps how do you do it? We dibble it in. All that
has to be done by hand labour.
1696. By the Chairman : Do you think that if an experimental Barm were started in the Cairns district,
by which experiments could be made on the part of the State to ascertain what this district is capable
of growing, it would be beneficial to the district ? Yes ; that is a thing that I believe Hi. I believe I
was the first to agitate for a State nursery up here. It is just the thing that we northerners require.
We have nobody to teach us how to grow these plants, and do not know what plants they are. Most of
ns have been in North Queensland all our lives, and we want some one to instruct us; and instead, of
land lying idle without an v fruit trees or tropical plants growing on it, if we had a nursery and were
shown how to grow those things we would do ao instead of having to waste long years teaching ourselves.
We simply want a tropical nursery here, and I may say this much, that the tropical nursery which we
were promised for Cairns we have not got yet. It is four or five months since it was gazetted ; smce
then no steps have been taken. The wet season is here and the scrub ought to have been cnt down.
1697. By Mr. Cowley : Do you not think it would be much better to have an experimental farm tba-n a
nursery by which trees could be cultivated and brought to maturity and their products made marketable!'
Yes ; a farm on that principle is what I want.
1698. Then people could go to the experimental farm and see things growing before thein, and obta.in
other plants as well ? Yes ; you want a nursery in connection with it, because you will either have to
give the plants away or sell them and make it self -supporting.
1699. If this experimental farm were started do you think that white men would work it — that it could
be carried on satisfactorily with white labour? That all depends.
1700. If white men are paid high wages will they work? I do not know. Money is very tempting,
and it all depends on the class of men you §et. I could not give an opinion as to -what class of
labour an experimental farm would require. It would want a good man at the head of it who is
thorougly acquainted with tropical production. You could not get white men to work with the hoe.
1701. Do you think it would be feasible to work a good farm here with prison labour, with a first-class
man in charge? Yes ; prison labour is a class of labour that the Groverument ought to go in for more
than they do.
1702. Do you think that prisoners if employed could make the place self-supporting, by selling plants at
a low rate ? Yes. The idea uever struck me, but it is a very good one, and the best suggestion for
working these experimental farms
1703. Would the people in the neighbourhood object to this being done ? I do not think they would.
1704. Do you think that the extent of good they would receive from it would induce them to look favour-
ably on the idea ? Yes.
1705. if this company is started would you buy chillies to make pepper ? I would buy anything. I am
going in for a rice mill, a pepper mill, a mustard mill, and all those things, the same as is done in
Melbourne. The chillies grow wild here.
1706. You would be prepared to take pepper or spice of any kind? Yes; that is what the company ii
for.
William Walter Mason examined :
W.W.Mason. 1707. By (he Chairman : You are a selector on the Barron River? Yes.
/ ^-«*_a^*-^ 1708. What is the extent of your selection ? 160 acres.
16 Jan., 1889. 1709. Homestead ? Yes.
1710. How long have you held it? Five and a-half years.
1711. How many acres are under cultivation ? 130 acres.
1712. What do you chiefly grow ? Maize principally, bananas, rice, sweet potatoes, and English potatoes.
I have no oranges yet, but 1 have 150 trees in the grouud. This is the first year they commenced to
bear.
1713. What is your average crop of maize ? About 1 ton to the acre— that is 40 bushels.
1714. What price do you get per bushel ? £8 per ton, and as high as £10, never lower than £6 15s.
17L5. What do the bananas yield per acre in buuehes ? About three bunches to every plaut, and there
are 320 or 330 plants to the acre— that is about 900 bundles pur acre now. When you plant them at first
you only get one bunch to the plant ; but after they have been in eighteen months, the yield is on an
average three bunches.
1716. Do you sell the bananas on the ground ? Delivered at the wharf, fifty yards from the house.
1717. What do thev average? They have been as low as 8d„ and as high as Is. 3d. ; the average is lid.
1718. What quantity of rice have you grown ? Lust year there were thirty acres under rice.
1719. What was the yield ? It averaged thirty bushels to the a.cre— that is scarcely a ton. Some of it
was very poor crop.
1720. What did you get for your pad ly ? 10j. p:r Ion.
1721. Delivered? Delivered.
1722. Have you a ready market for all you can grow of all your products on this selection ? Yes, with
the exeeptiou of bananas. There is a period of the year when you can't sell them at ail, and have to give
them to the pigs. During about two months of the year you cau sell any amount at a good price. Jb\>r
the past three weeks I have not s*ld any at all.
1723. Have you ever tried to preserve them by the new process of drying them ? No.
1724. What labour do you employ on this selection ? Chiefly Chinese.
1725. What
THE OENEK/VL CONDITION OF THE SHGAS INM79TBT IK QUEENSLAND.
1725. What do you par them? 30s. a week, and they find themselves. There are a few kanakas.
1726. Is the selection paying a profit ? The most of it ia leased to Chinese, and they pay £1 an acre.
1727. Do the Chinese grow the products you have named? Yes. 16 Jm
1728. By Mi\ Ring .- How much have you in your own hands ? Six or seven acres, principally bananas
and fruit trees.
1729. Do the Chinese make money out of it, and do you make money out of it, any more than a living?
Do you mean what I grow myself ?
173#. By the Chairman : Are you saving money out of it, or is it only a bare living ? It is m»re than a
bare living,
1731. Have you had to borrow money to carry on the selection? No, not (id. ; it is entirely free from debt.
1732. B<t Mr, King : By whom was the land cleared ? By Chinese.
1733. What did you pay for clearing? When I came here I paid £3 12s. 6d. for cutting the scrub alone
and 30a. more for burning it. That is f ouryears ago, and by the time you put the cr»ps in it willcost you
£9 or £1# an acre. After it is cleared the grass grows up again and it has to be chipped again.
1734. What do the Chinamen pay you ? £1 an acre for five years and they clear it.
1735. Have you made any experiment in the growth of any other product except maize, bananas, and rice?
I tried tobacco ; in fact, there is a tobacco manufactory now on this selection.
1736. What is the result of tobacco cultivation here? I believe the cultivation was profitabte, but the
manufacturing was not a success.
1737. Was the leaf of good quality that you tried to manufacture? I was told so.
1738. Had it been examined by anyone who could say it was of good quality? Not that I am aware of.
1739. Mow was the manufacture a failure? I believe because the manufacturer had not sufficient
capital to carry it on.
1740. By the Chairman : Did you have any tobacco destroyed owing to the continued wet weather? No.
174.1. You say you grow English potatoes? Yes.
174.2 Do they grow successfully? Yes; in August, September, and October.
1743. What was the average yield per acre ? Three tons, and we got €7 per ton, and sold all we grew.
1744. What did you get for sweet potatoes ? I did not sell any of them ; the Chinamen sold them,
and sold them for £1 10s. to £3 a ton according to the season.
1745. By Mr King: Hitve you tried coffee? No.
1746. By Mr. Cowley : Itow many crops of maizecan yougrowper annum? Three cropsin fourteen months.
1747. Is that on the same land? Yes, it is never out of cultivation.
17+8. Can you grow rice after maize and viae versa ? Yes the Chinese do it frequently.
1749. How many crops of rice can you get in twelve months? One.
175*. Then your land is continually under crops? Yes.
1751. Have you any system of rotation of crops, or do you grow the same crops twice running ? We
chiefly grew the samo crops running. The rice is sown in beds and replanted afterwards.
1752. Is that more expensive than sowing broadcast? I never saw Chinamen sow broadcast. They dig a.
hole and put a few grains into it, and if too much comes up, trau.iplaut some of it. They have a long stick
wiili a mIi;u-|i point, with which they make a holeinto which thoy drop the seeds.
1753. By Mr. Kin;) : Do yon think that Europeans ctnild work in the field the same as the Chinamen do
here ? Whether they would or whether they could work, do you mean?
1754. Whether they would ? I offered my ground to Europeans and they would not take it. They said,
44 We can't cut scrub for you." They added, " We would be foolish to cut scrub for you when we can get
land of our own."
1755. Would Europeans be able to do the work that the Chinese do, or if they could would they ? I think
they would not even if they could. There is too *iuch better employment open for them.
1756. What kind of employment ? liailway work, navvying, timber getting, and work under the Divi-
sional Board.
1757. Have all these higher wages than farm labourers would expect ? They are all paid higher wages
than we can afford to give them.
1758. We wfre told that Europeans would not work in the rain ; did you ever try it? Yes; it is impos-
sible to work in the raiu.
1759. Do Chinese or kanakas work in the rain? Kanakas will, but Chinese do not as a. rule— that is
when they are working for themselves.
1760. JBi/ Mr. Cowley : Tou said that you had kanakas here ; are they in your personal employment or on
leased land ? They are time-expired boys under my personal iuspection.
1761. Did you engage them from the Polynesian Protector? Mo.
1762. How much do you pay these men ? The lowest is 15s. a week, and the highest £1 a week, and I
find th«m in rations.
1763. Do you clothe them and give them rations ? No clothing — rations.
1764. 11 ave you ever paid their return passage to the previous employer ? No.
1765. You say you have leased your land to Chinamen for fi ve years ? .After expiration of their lease do
you intend to redet it to them ? I cau't say ; I do not know.
1766. Do ynn make more by leasing this hud to Chinamen at £1 an acre than if you cultivated it your-
self ? Yes, far more ; that is when the scrub is on it.
1767. By the Chairman -. But after the scrub hay been cleared, and the land placed in a state of culti-
vation fis we see it here now, would you redet it again at £1 per acre ? No, not at £1
176S. By M>: Kim/: What rent would you ask for it ? 30s.
17(39. By the Chairman : Then the Chinamen keep the land in a good state of cultivation all the year
round ? Yes.
1770. Is there any sign of the soil exhausting itself here ? Not at present, and I have had it under
cultivation for four years.
1771. Has it been bearing two or three crops a year during that time ? Yes.
1772. Is any manure placed on the ground Y None whatever.
1773. Then you entirely depend on nature ? Yes.
1773a. By
54
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAZEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION' TO INQUIRE INTO
W. W-Maion. 1773a. By Mr. King : Doyon think that the inefficient meansof shipping fruit affects the price you get for
^■^-^--•""n bananas ? I do. I have had experience of it for four years. The " Victory" was to sail from Cairns on
16 Jan., 1889. a Tuesday and I sent in bananas by boat, and it was not until the following Friday thatthey went a.way,
and they were laying all that time in the bay in the sun.
1774. By Mr. Cowley .- What was the result of the shipment ? I lost money by it. If we could induce
a company to run swift steamers to carry bauanas between ports, and have accommodation for bananas,
it would pay very well.
1775. By Mr. Kino : And would double the value of the bananas ? It would, aud would not only give a
lift to agriculture, but pay the boat.
1776. By Mr. Cowley : If there was a certainty of the bananas being landed at their destination in good
condition, would it pay the grower of the fruit? Certaiuly it would.
1777. Do you buy any corn from Chinamen ? Yes, but not all of it.
1778. And you make a profit by buying and selling ? Yes, and by carting it with my own team.
1779. Do you buy any of the fruit they grow? No, they ship their own bananas.
1780. Do you buy their rice ? They sell it direct to Mr. Behan.
1781. What else do you buy ? English potatoes.
1782. Those all help you to make a living ? Yes.
1783. Do you think you could have brought this place to the state it is in without the assistance of
Chinese? "No, I am certain I could not; without them it would still have been the natural scrub.
1784. How do your orangetrees do ? They havebeen in two years and are healthy. I had no trouble in
rearing them. A kind of black blight got into the trees, but I put soft soap and sulphur on them. I
also put on flour. The flour is made into a paste and boiled, and the sulphur is then mixed up with it,
and the soft soap put in and all mixed together, and then spread over the trees with a brush. It is very
efficacious. It destroys the blight and does not injure the tree.
1785. Is this soil suited for the cultivation of oranges ? Yes, as far as my experience goes.
1786. Are all your orange trees grafted ? Yes, and have been in two years from planting.
1787. By the t'h aii-man : After your experience here during the past five or six years, both in growing
aDd in shipping fruit to the southern markets, have any suggestions occurred to you by which your
industry could be improved? As I mentioned before, if the steamers were faster and better fitted for
fruit; — I have nothing further than that.
1788. Can the mode of transit from here to Cairns be improved ? Yes, by a punt across the river towards
lillybank, so as to get my produce to the railway.
1789. By Mr. Cowley : In the event of the Chinese leaving tho district what labour would you use ? The
kanaka is the most suitable, I fancy.
1790. Could you carry on with whito labour at present prices ? No; I do not believe I could make a
living by employing white labour at present prices.
1791. By Mr. King : Have you grown any sugar cane ? Yes. There ia one thing about cane different
from other things, and it is this. Cane will grow without any trouble whatever. I planted an acre of
cane on new lacrub ground, and it only waits chipping and keeping the weeds down. It is growing now
as when first planted.
1792. Suppose there was a central sugar mill here, at what price could you sell your cane ? I have had
no experience.
1793. How many tons do you think an acre would give as a crop ? About 60 tons. That is merely a
surmise.
1794. What length are the canes ? It is a large red cane.
1795. By the Chairman : You have leased twenty acres to Ah Dick and four men with him ? Yes.
1796. And the return you have handed to me of the produce of the twenty acres you can of your own
personal knowledge say to be correct? Yes. I carted it all.
1797. And this return is as follows ? Yes ; as follows : — February 22nd, 7 tons 2 bags maize ; April 9,
5 tons; April 10th, 4 tons; Jnne 29th, 4 tons 8 bags ; August 9th, 7 tons ; August 13th, 6 tons 6 bags ;
October 26th, 6 tons; December 23rd, 9 tons 9 bags; December 27th, 3 tons 5 bags; total, 54 tons
maize, averaging £8 per ton — £432. Bananas, £72 ; rice (3 tons), £25 ; English potatoes (3 tons at
£7), £21 ; grand total for 20 acres, £550. This was taken off the land in twelve months by six men.
Four of these were partners, and they engaged two Chinese labourers.
1798. By Mr. Cowley : On an average six men only were employed ? Yes.
1799. Including the partners ? Yes.
1800. By the Chairman : Are all the other Chinamen attended by tbe same success as Ah Dick ? No,
not all ; but there is very little difference. They are all satisfied with the produce of their own land.
(At Double Island.)
James Jamieson examined :
J. Jamieson. 1801. By tlte Chairman: What is the name of this estate? Mount Buchan.
,-^_a_^^ 1802. Who are the owners of it ? Dr. Blair, Mr. W. Fehan, and myself.
16 Jan., 1889. 1803. You are the manager ? Yes.
1804. How many acres have you ? 5,000 freehold and 3,000 leasehold.
1805. How many acres are under cultivation ? Thirteen acres under cocoanut.
1806. What number of cocoanut trees have you on those thirteeu acres? 6,000oriRinallv. but now
5,700.
1807. How long have they been on the ground ? Five years at the longest.
1808. Are they now fruiting ? Yes.
1809. Where did you get the seed from ? Principailly from New Guinea.
1810. Is the seed readily obtainable? Yes.
1811. Are there any varieties different from, orbetter than others ? There are different varieties here, but
as to which is the best, 1 cannot speak. They were obtained from different islands.
1812. Do you think that the cultivation of the cocoanut is likely to prove a profitable industry? YeB I
think so- "'
1813. Can it be used in various ways ? Yes. 1814. Can
THE OENEItAI. COXDITTOK OF THE SUOAB II^DUSTBT TTf QUEENSLAND,
55
1814. Can the fibre be utilised ? Yes. J. Jamieson.
1815. Do you know that it has been ? Yes. *"~\
1816. Have you had experience of growingcocoanuts in other placesthan in Queensland? No. 16 Jaa, 1889.
1817. By Mr Cowley. What amount of labour does it require to keep the thirteen acre3 of eoeoanuts in
order after planted ? It takes two Chinamen. During the dry season it docsnot want so much attention,
but during the wet season, for about sis months in the year, there is a considerable amount of work.
1818. By Mr. King : When thetreesget big will they require as much labour? No.
1819. B y Mr. Cowley : What distance apart do you plant the trees ? Eighteen feet by eighteen feet.
1820. Do you think that is a good and profitable distance? Yes, I think so ; I planted them fifteen feet
by fifteen at firat, but finding that was too close I increased the distance to eighteen feet.
1821. And are the trees, so far as they have gone, thriving well ? Yes.
1822. Any disease ? No disease.
1823. C»uld you give ua any ideaas to the cost per acre forplanting? The heaviest cost of planting was
the getting of the nuts. 1 sent a boat to New Guuiea for them. They costme Is. each, and over 30
per cent, did not grow.
1824. Under ordinary circumstances what is the cost? You ought to get tbem for 4d. each from Fiji.
I paid three times that amount. The cost of planting them was very small, if in new scrub as with me.
I did not burn all clear at first, I did so three years afterwards. It does not hurt the eoeoanuts.
1826. Did you plant them in their permanent positions at first? No ; I planted them in a nursery; that
is the best w<iy.
1827. How long is it from the time of planting until you can expect a return ? They will fruit here four
years afterwards. That is five years after putting the nut in the ground ; but it takes twelve months
for them to ripen. It is six years before I get any return at all.
1»28. About what would the value of the first picking beon the sixth year? I could hardly say ; I could
only compare it with ihe value down at the islands and what I saw there.
1829. You could not form any estimate at present ? No, I could not.
1830. As you have been on the islands, do you think that your trees compare favourably with those
on the islands ? Yes, they are much superior, and I thiuk that is due to cultivation. They grow
more than they do on the islands.
1831. B y (i ie Chairman ; Is auy part of the estate under sugar? Not at present, but it has been.
1832. How much ? 250 acres.
1833. Can sugarcane be grown on it ? Yea.
1834. You have had some experience in sugar? Yes, six years.
1835. B y Mr. King : Did you get good crops here? Yes.
1836. What was the reason that you gave it up? The labour was too expensive. As soon as I got
the plants in I discharged all hands, and the cane remained without anybody to cultivate it.
1837. By Mr. Cowley .- Was it your intention to work this estate as a sugar plantation? Yes, £5,000
was spent on it with that intention.
1838. Was the reason yon mentioned the only reason why it was abandoned ? Not exactly. At the same
time that this was going on Mr. .Fehon was in England, and he wrote to me and said that German beet
sugar was being sold in London at a very low price. It being my intention that England should be
the market for the sugar we grew here, and hearing the exceedingly low price of sugar in London,
1 gave it beat.
1839. By the Chairman .- Then £5,000 was spent in cultivating 250 acres? Yes.
1840. How was such a large amount of money spent on such a small area ? It cost £3 an acre for
falling the scrub, and £G for burning it off ; — it cost £9 an acre, and £L6 for the forest land.
1841. Were you able to plough the land? After grubbing it, yes.
1842. Did you take a crop off it? No; it was eaten down with cattle.
18t3. Do you think that the present price of sugar would justify you in returning to sugar. Yes,
with reliable labour — the labour we had in the south. At £20 a ton I could grow it here.
1844. By Mr. Cowley .- What labour do you refer to ? To kanaka labour.
1845. By Mr. King : Do you think you could do it with European labour? No; we could not get
them to grow it.
18M>. If you could get them, could you grow it? No ; it is not possible.
1847. Havft you employed any European labour on this land? Yes.
1848. In field work ? Yes.
1849. What was the result of your experience with that labour ? I went into town to engage men to do
about tw« miles of fencing. I &&. so, and took them into a solicitor's office to net au agreement drawn
up and signed, aud I offered them 1 5s. a chain for a two- railed fence. They said it was not suEcient. I
asked them how much they wanted, and they said 17s. a chain. I agreed to this, and the agreement was
drawn up find signed by both the men. They came out ani commenced work — I supplied them with tools
— and worked for eight days. They ran out 450 posts and rails, and came to me and said that they could
not continue at the work any longer. I asked them what was the reason, and siiid tlmt if they were not
satisfied with the wages they could have their own terms within reason. But I could uot persuade them.
They said they had heard of a discovery of gold, and were going to have a look at it. They left the
following morning early, and I had to get Chinamen to finish the work. That is only a sample «f all the
work I have had done by Europeans about the place. I have had a great many agreements with white
men at their own terms, and I never had one finish a job yet.
1850. Have you grown any other tropical fruits here? Yes; coffee, oranges, limes, lemons, and bananas.
1851. Do all those things grow well ? Yes ; the climate seems to suit them.
1852. What is necessary in your opinion — -what is required to make the growth of tropical plants a
snccess in this district? Reliable labour; not cheap, but reliable labour.
185:3. What wages could you afford to give to men who could do a good day's work and upon whom you
could depend ? £1 a week and his rations, although the wages have been £2 a week and rations here.
They are more plentiful now than they were. I could get them from Townsville for £1. I have a
married couple now, but they do not do very well. The new chums will work very well for a time until
they get nixed up with the old hands, then they get as bad as the others.
1854. Do they complain about the climate ? No ; but in hot weather they will not turn out to wort.
I had a new chum at this fence, but he gave it best. He said it was too hot. 1855. How
56
MTNUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKES' BEFOBE TITE IIOTAI. COMMIBSI05T TO INQtTlBE INTO
J. Jamleiion. ^55 jiow many tons of cane did you get to the acre ? I had a fine crop of cane compared with those
— \ which grow on the Mary Eiver, or even Bundaberg. I never saw better erne in the Woongarra scrub.
16 Jan., 1889. We bad 50 or 60 tons to the acre.
1856. What kind of seasons have you had lately ? Very dry.
1857. Have the seasons been against the agriculturist ? Yes ; ever since I came here. For four or five
years we have had a drought every year.
1858. Have you grown any maize ? Yes.
1859. What kind of crop did you get off it ? It did not do at all ; it got the bhght.
1860. By the Chairman : Was it on scrub land you had your sugar plantation ? Yes.
1861. Is the forest land on this plantation suitable for sugar ? Only part of it, across at the bottom of
the range.
1862. Where have you had previous experience in sugar planting ? I was twenty yearsin Maryborough.
I was manager of the Mary Kiver Sugar Company I planted the first acre of cane north of Brisbane.
18G3. What labour did you employ ? The first labour I employed was the most satisfactory labour 1 1
have ever employed.
1864. "Wliat was it ? Germans.
1865. What wages did you pay ? £i0 a year and their rations.
1866. By Mr. Cowley : From your experience up lu re, what labour do y«u think would best suit your
requirements ? Nothing but coloured labour can stand this climate.
1867. By the Chairman: Is the climate of Maryborough better adapted for Europeans than this country ?
Yes ; there is no comparison at all.
1868. By Mr. Cowley .- Are you well acquainted with this district ? Yes ; I have been all over it
1869. Do you know under what conditions the agriculture of this district ia earried on ? Yes.
1870. Is it by whites ? No.
1871. What? Chinamen.
1872. Do you know whether Chinamen lease land from the Government? Yes.
1873. To any great extent ? Yes ; they lease land all over the district from the Government direct.
1874. Do you know what price per acre they pay? £\ per acre ; that is the standard price.
1875. What is the size of the blocks leased to them ? Generally five acres.
1876. For how long? Five years.
1877. By the Chairman : Has this leasing of land to Chinaman been going on ever since you were in t
district ? Yes.
1878. Ts it a common practice for the white people in this district to lease their land to Chinamen for the
cultivation of produce ? Yes ; all improvements have been made by Chinamen.
1879. What was the object ? To make the necessary improvements so as to obtain certificate of
fulfilment.
1880. By Mr, Cowley : And also be a source of revenue? Yes ; afterwards. They get a very small rent
at first.
1881. By Mr. King : Are there ma.ny selections in your neighbourhood that are now abandoned ? No ;
not many in this district.
1882. By the Chairman : Is all the land between here and the Barron Hirer in occupation ? No ;
between w\j fence and the Bairon Eiver it is not taken up ; it is all mangroves.
1883. Is all the available land selected? Yes ; and in in occupation, and most of it by Chinamen.
1884. Is it your opinion that but for the Chinese in this district there would have been very little
agriculture at all ? There would not have been an acre under cultivation.
1885. Then in your opinion the Chinese are very useful colonists in this district? Undoubtedly.
1886. By Mr. Coivley .- Have you been to the South Sea Islands ? Yes ; three times.
1887. Do you think that there is much available labour there ? Yes ; any amount.
1888. Do you think that the present system of introducing South Sea Islanders is a good one? Yes ; if
they were kept up to the mark nothing could be better. Still it could be improved upon. If the
Government took it in hand themselves the same as with the Germaus, the same as they do in Fiji, it
would be a great improvement. When you want labour you make an application to the Government
for it, and the Government imports the Ia"bour.
1889. If that system was adopted would it put a stop to all abuses ? Yes ; it would go a long way
towards it.
1890. Are you of opinion that labour could be obtained at a much lower rate than at the present time?
Yes.
1891. By the Chairman : In what year did you visit tho islands ? It is eight years ago — just a year
before I came up here.
1892. You Live not visited them reeently ? No.
1893. By Mr. Cowley : *o you think that if the Government introduced th«se islanders at a low rate,
employers could then afford to pay more per annum to the labourer? Undoubtedly.
1894. Would that be a means of attracting them to the couutry ? Yes.
1895. I presume from your experience in sugar you have had experience of these South Sea Islanders ?
Yes. In Maryborough I had 800 pasa through my hands in three years.
1896. Had you any trouble with them ? No; they were tractable, obedient, and suitable in every respect.
1897. B 7/ the Chairman: This Commission has been appointed by the Government to find out if possible
any suggestions that can be made by those iuterewted in the district whereby their industries can be
improved. Have you auy suggestion to offer by which the sugar industry and. tropical agriculture can be
improved in this district, other than in the direction of labour? No. It can be improved, and labour is
the only thing that can improve it.
1898. By Mr. Cowley : Would a reciprocal treaty with Yictoriaand New South Wales be of any advantage
if you could get sugar and fruit into these colonies free of duty ? Undoubtedly.
1899. By the Chairman : Have you exported any fruit yourself to the adjoining colonies ? No.
1900. By Mr. Cowley: Do you think that with South Sea Island labour even at a higher price than you
pay now, introduced at a lower rate of passage money, and with a reciprocity treaty with the other
colonies, you could grow sugar here to pay ? Yes, I believe I could.
1901. Were those advantages given would you be prepared to start a plantation here? Yes.
1902. Would
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
57
1902. Would it be a large one? Yes- J. Jamieeon.
19#3. By Mr. King-. Have you a large area of land suitable for sugar ? Two thousand acres out of five / ^- A - \
thousand. 16 Jan., 1889.
1904. By Mr. Cmvley : And that is the only thing that keeps you from eoing into it? Yes, the only
thing. This land was formed into a syndicate in Melbourne with a capital of 100,000 shares. Mr. S«bb
was one of the largest shareholders. The machinery was ordered and estimated at £30,000, but it was
exported to Fiji instead of being wanted here. '' *1
1905. By Mr. King : In the meanti'me the company have given up (he idea? Yes, they would have con-
tinued but I would not go on with it.
1906. By the Chairman : Then do you consider cocoanut planting so far a success ? Yes.
1907. Do you intend to extend your plantation of cocoanuts? Yes.
WEDNESDAY, 16 JANUARY, 1889.
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
(At Cairns.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM:, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Robert Taylor Haktley examined :
1908. By the Chairman: What are you,Mr. Hartley ? I am Sub-collector of Customs, Acting Land RT. Hartley.
Commissioner, and Acting Land Agent for the district of Cairns. z^ - "**-^*— ""~\
1909 t io you keep a statistical record in the office of the export of fruits from this district ? Yes. 16 Jan., 1889.
1910. Are you able to give us the export of bananas for 1888 ? I can't give you them. I have not got
the return prepared. I can only give you the total value of the fruit that was exported. This is the
return that I luive made up. [Handed to Chairman ] That is to the end of December last, both what
was exported coastwise and beyond the colony.
1911. By Mr, Cowley : You know nothing about what goes to Ilerberton? No.
1912. By the Chairman: You have prepared a return showing the exports of agricultural products from
this port for the last four vt ars, will you kindly state the;se ? Yes ; they are as follow : —
Sugar : 1885, 1,184 tons 18 cwt., valued at £30,459 ; 1880, 1,575 tons 4 cwt., £35,354 ; 1887,
1,311 tons 8 cwt., £29,677 ; 1888, 1,533 tens, £3:1,031.
Molasses: 1885, valued at £2,685; 188G, £1,005 ; 1887, £H7; 18S8, £348-
Green Fruit : 1885, valued at £2,096 ; 18S6, £5,479 ; 1887, £9,013 ; 1888, £11,617-
Maize: 1885, valued at £3,150; 1886, £2,824 ; 18S7, £2,297 ; 1888, £2,192.
Tobacco (manufactured) : 1885, valued at £83 ; 1886, £50; 1887, £133 ; 1888, nil.
Qrren Ginger : 1885, nil ■ 1886, nil ; 1887, £34 ; 1888, £ 13.
Bice: 1885, nil- 1886, £40; 1887, £15 ; 1888. nil.
1913. ITas any complaint reached you in an official capacity with regard to the loss by exporters of fruit
going to the adjoining colony ? No, not officially.
1914. By Mr. King: Such complaints would not be made to you officially ? No, they would not ; but I
have heard privately.
1915. By Mr. Cowley : Has local consumption increased considerably during the past few years ? I
can only form an opinion on the increase of population, and based on that the increase would be very
considerable.
1916. Both here and at Herberton ? I could not say anything about Herberton.
1917. By Mr. King : Can you tell us what is the Chinese population in this district? I could only
form an opinion.
1918. Can you do so ? I should think between 1,200 ani 1,500— say, 1,200. I have put them rather over
the mark as there are not ao many of them employed on plantations as there were. It is Aimcult to form
an opinion when you are not intimately acquainted with the subject. I have never in my official capacity
bad anythiug to do with the population. The police make out those returns.
1919. Do you know what is the average heat in Cairns as registered by the thermometer ? No, I do not
keep one iu the Customs.
1920. Does anyone in Cairns do so? The Post and Telegraph master, I think. He has a rain gauge, but
1 do not know what instruments he keeps on the station.
1921. By the Chairman : Have long have you been acting laud commissioner in this district ? Eight
and a-h;ilf years.
1922. Are you able to state the number of selections taken up in the district as conditional purchases ?
No.
1923. And as homesteads ? No ; not from memory.
1924. There is a certain area on the bank of the Barron River that has been leased by the Government
to Chinamen ? Yes.
1925. Has that come under your cognisance? Yes.
1926. How many Chinamen have obtained leases on the Barron River from the Government? Three, I
think.
1927. Only three? That ia on the Lower Barron. There are two at Pine Crossing; and at the
township of Biboobra there are five. 1928. By
58
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
B.T. Hartky. 1928. By Mr. Cowlrg : Could you give us the number of Chinese in the whole land district, who have
/ — \ leaded land from the Government f Not from memory ; I have it all in the books in the land office.
16 Jan., 1889. 1929. By the Chairman : Are there many who have leased land from the Government ? About twenty.
1930. How long has this been gcing on ? For sis years
19:31. By Mr. King: What is the rent charged for this land? £1 per acre per annum.
1932. Have any special U-ases been granted to white men for any special purpose? For other than
agricultural there have.
1933. What rent is charged for them ? It varies according to the position. There are a good many
leases granted within the town boundary for wharves, and tbey run from £200 to £85 a year.
19:-!4. Outside the town boundary what is the rate ? Generally about £1 per acre.
1935. Have the government not charged about £5 ? May be, in. special cases.
1936. What do you mean by special cases? Where land has been taken from ita position, and where it
can be valued by land sold by auction in the immediate vicinity. Land adjoining that sold by auction is
valued at the same price and rent charged at the rate of interest on that value.
1937. By Mr. Cowley: Can you five uc a return, showing the whole oF those special leases, with the area,
the price paid, and the term of lease ? Yes.
1938. Will you prepare such a rptnrn for us ? Yes. [Ste Appendix A.]
1939. By the Chairmen: In thuse leases ^rantid to Chinamen do you grant them on application, or have
they to be submitted for approval to the Minister ? It has been done in this way, with the exception of
two or three leases of twenty-fire acres each : The Chinamen hrive seen a suitable piece of land, and they have
gone on to it, and knocked down the scrub, and the first thing we heard of it was that corn was growing
on it. That i 8 the first way land was leased to them. They were in possession, and it waa difficult to get
them out. I represented the matter to the Government, aud suggested that they should pay some rent
for tbe Use of the land. The Chinamen have leased tbe land on an improving lease, the leaseto terminate
at six months' notice.
1940. Had those men taken possession of Government reserves or forfeited selections? Government
reserves or vacant Crown lands. They were in occupation when I came to the district. They had just
"squatted" on the ground.
1941. Can you of your own knowledge say that there is a large number of Chinamen engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits in this district ? Yes.
19 42. Do you know if any of them are carrying out the improvements of selections in order to fulfil the
conditions? I can't say that of my own personal knowledge. I have heard men saying that such is
the case.
li*4;l. But in those cases a white man would be residing on the land as bailiff ? Yes.
1S4L Do you, as Land Commissioner, kmowmost of the selections in the district ? Well, I know a good
many of them My other duties keep ine in town ; it is not as if I had only the land work to attend to,
or 1 should have made myself m»re acquainted with the district than I have. I have a ranger to perform
those duties.
1945. Can you tell us from your own knowledge whether the bulk of agriculture is carried on by white
people or Chinese ? ly Chinese.
1946'. Do you know of any white men farming by their own efforts or by employing labour ? No ; only
Mr. Walker, on the Mulgrave River, and Mr. Rubson. 1 am not sure whether the latter has any Chinese
employed or not; I do not think lie has. There is no permission to sub-lease.
j.947. Am I to understand that no homestead selector who has not obtained his certificate can sub-lease
to Chinamen without its coming through your office ? 1 aui speaking of selections under the Act
of 1884, which provides for a sub-lease Dy permission, and only on those terms. The consent of the
Minister of Lands has to he obtained.
1948. Is this Mr. Robsou under the Act of 188 * ? Yes.
1949. By Mr. King : Have you bad many applications passed through your office for permission to sub-
lease ? No, none.
1950. Are you aware of any land taken up under the 1884 Act that has been sub-leased ? None that I
can prove.
1951. Have you reason to believe it? I have heard that Chinamen are renting land, and have made
inquiries and have been told that they are in the employment of the selector. It is impossible to prove
that unless you could manage to get hold of a c«py »f the agreement under which they held the land. I
should say that people are letting some of their selections ; still, if 1 were asked to prove it I could not.
1952. Have you prepared a return as requested ? As requested, 1 have prepared a return. [See
Appendices.]
Isaac Duffin examined :
I. Duffin. 1953. By f)i£ Chairman : What are you ? I am Crown Lauds Ranger for the district of Port Douglas
^— ^a.^—^ and for the district of Cairns.
16 Jan., 1889. I 954 - J ou kindly state the area «f land selected under the Land Act of 1876, showing the selections
which have been taken up, those forfeited, and those still held by the selector, and the gross area of land
now held by them as homesteads in the district of Port Douglas ? Yes. There are 78 conditional pur-
chases still held, having an area of 29,126 acres; 24 selections taken up as conditional purchases and
forfeited, having an area of l.">,594 acres ; 52 homesteads still held by selectors, having an area of 7,000 ;
15 forfeited homesteads, which have a total area of 2,220 acres; total (approximate) area ta.ken up and
held under the Land Act of 1884,3,054 acres; present area (approximate) thrown open for village
settlement, 300 acres; total area of cleared scrub land, about 5,000 acres throughout the district- total
area under cultivation, about 3,000, including land devoted to the growth of fruit trees.
1955. Are you acquainted with the Daintree River? Yes.
1956. Do you know how many miles up the river the land has been selected ? About twenty-three miles.
1957. How many selectors are now residing on their selections on the river ? Five.
1958. By Mr. King : Have any of those selections had Chinese on them ? One.
1959. By the Chairman .- What are those selectors doing? Growing bananaa.
1960. Not
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
1960. Not cultivating anything else ? No ; except a little corn and sweet potatoes. * u n
1961. In there not a fruit-preserving establishment on one of them ? There are two. f—^K**
1962. And how many men are employed at the industry? Only the selectors themselves. 16 Jan., 18
19(53. Any other labour? Two kanakas.
1964. Do any of the selectors in the Port Douglas district lease their land to Chinamen ? I do not
know of the existence of these leases, but I believe that there is an agreement between Alcock aad the
Chinamen. These are the only Chinamen on the Daintree.
1965. In the district generally, who lease their land to Chinese? Jones on the Mossman ; Pringle,
McCrae, and Montgomerie on the Mowbray.
I960. By Mr. Cowley : Who is the man adjoining Mr. Jones ? Watson ; but his Chinamen have all
cleared out,
1966a. There is a man there with a Chinaman adjoining Jones's selection on the other side of the river
from Jones? Not that I know of ; he may have come there since I was in the district-
1967. By the Chairman : In rid'mg through the district of Port Douglas have you frequently come across
Chinampn working at agricultural work ? Always.
1968. What we want to know is : Are those Chinamen cultivating land they have selected themselves, or
are they cultivating land leased to them by selectors ? I do not know any Europeans in this district who
are cultivating ihemselves — all the cultivation, except at JRribri Plantation, is by Chinamen.
1969. B y Mr. King .- With regard to those selections on the Daintree which are not occupied, is the
land forfeited ? A lot of it is Crown land that was surveyed by Mr. Cook and thrown open for selection,
but it is too far up the river. These selections are at present standing for forfeiture.
1970. Is any of the land freehold up the Daintree ? Nearly all the river f rentage is freehold.
1971. When the land became freehold what became of it ? It was abandoned ; the bailiffs were taken off.
1972. Then what became of the improved land on the^e abandoned selections ? It became disimproved
as fast as it could.
1973. It is returning back to the natural scrub ? Yes.
1974. By the Chairman .- What is the character of the imselecterl land between the Mossmau and Daintree
Rivers ; — is it land fit for (selection ? The land up Saltwater Creek and on the Mossman is all taken up;
it is the land between Saltwater Creek and the Daintree that at the present time is open for selection.
1975. What is the character of tbat land ? It is very low-lying and rough, and no one will take it as it
is unfit for selection. There are no facilities to get on to the land.
1978. By Mr. King : Is that for want of roads ? Yes; there are no roads except on paper.
1977. On the other side of the Mossman — to the south of it — is there not a good deal of good country in
amongst the ranges ? Fes ; on Cassowary Creek.
1978. Is that country available for selection ? Yes ; it is put up for selection.
1979. But is it country that a selector could make a living on ? No; you could no t get a dray on to it.
The country is interspersed with creeks, and there are no bridges. At this time of the year a dray could
go ou to the land, but in the wet weather it would be impossible.
1980. By {he Chain/ian : How many miles from Port Douglas ? Thirty-two.
1981. Then it cannot be the case that 3,000 acres are under cultivation in the district ? That is because
the township is included in it.
1982. Then, really, there were a larger number of Chinamen at work in agriculture before the Russell
diggings broke out than there are now ? Yes ; the Chinamen on the Daintree had 1,500 acres under
maize.
1983. Did any of the white population leave lately to go to the diggings ? Yes.
1984. Then the discovery of that goldfield has something to do with the depression of Port Douglas ?
Yes.
1985. By Mr. Cowley .- You say that there is a large reserve for village settlement? How much is it?
About 1 ,000 acres.
1986. How many of these village settlements are there ? Three, with 1,000 acres each.
1987. Wliere are these village settlements? One on Rifle Creek, one on Cumming Creek, and there is one
on Saltwater Creek between it and the Daintree.
l9ss. Do they consider it goorl land? It is very good, but too rough.
1989. Is it. all scrub land ? Yes ; except the one on Rifle Creek where it is mixed.
1990. By Mr. Kino : Are those accessible to drays? No.
1991- Have they been thrown open for selection ? I think they have been open about twelve months.
1992. Has any land been selected on them ? Not that I know of.
1993. By Mr. Cowley : Fou say that there are two fruit-preserving establishments on the Daintree.
Can you say about the quantity of fruit they turn out? One turns out 60 lb. of dried bananas a day
and the other about 12 lb.
1994. Do they make anything else besides dried liananas ? Stewart is preserving fruits and mangoes,
and intends trying pineapples. It is an experiment-
1995. Do they make banaua meal ? They do.
1996. How much ? None for market. It is for their domestic use. It eats very well.
1997. Do you know whether any land on the Daintree and Meatman has been leased by the Government
to Chinese ? No, sir; uone.
1998. To your knowledge there are no Chiuese settled on Government lands or either the Daintree or
Moasman ? None.
1999. Are there any Chinese agriculturists on the Daintree ? One at Alcock's selection.
2*00. How many acres of land have they under cultivation ? Sixty-eight acres last year.
2001. What was the crop they grew principally? Twenty-five tons of rice, and the balance of the land
was in maize.
20#2. Are those all that are left out of the 1,500 acres that were previously cultivated by Chinamen ?
That fe all.
2003. By tJie Chairman : Now, with regard to the land districtof Cairns, kindly inform the Commission
of the area of land BelecteJ, forfeited, cultivated, and now occupied in the Cairns district ? Yes; as
follow : — 127 occupied couditional purchase selections with au aggregate area of 62,237 acres ; 27
MINTJTE8 OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOBE THE BOTiX COMMISSION TO IKQtTttE TCTTO
forfeited conditional purchase selections with an aggregate area of 19,624 acres ; 62 occupied home-
steads with an area of 7,706 acres ; 13 forfeited homesteads with an area of 692 acres ; 114 occupied
1889. agricultural farms taken up under the Land Act of 1884 with a total area of 18,087 acres ; 8 forfeited
agricultural farms taken up under the Land Act of IsSi with a total area of 1,145 acres ; approximate
area of cleared land held under the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1876, 6,000 acres ; approximate
area of cultivated land held under the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1876, including that used f«r fruit-
growing, and exclusive cf land used for cultivation of sugar cane, 4,000 acres ; approximate area of
cleared laud held under the Crown Land Alienation Act, 1884-5, 1,000 acres j approximate area of
cultivated land held under the Crown Land Alienation Act, 1*84-5, 300 acres.
2004. By Mr. King : Is there any land leased under special lease to Chinamen in the Cairns district ?
Yes; it is not included in this.
2005. What is the area ? It is small in this district. I should think that about forty acres would cover
the lot.
2006. By Mr. Groom : Of course you ride all over this district in the performance of your dut ies ? Yes.
2007. Have you ridden over the country situated between Cairns and the sugar plantation at the
Pyramid ? Yes.
2008. By whom is the land cultivated? Chinamen.
2009. Mow did they get it? They must have arranged with the selectors.
2010. Hare any Chinamen taken up land as a selection in ibis district ? Yes ; two on Freshwater Creek,
and two on top of the range. These are of course naturalised Chinamen.
2011. In other parts of the district is the cultivation chiefly carried on by Chinamen also ? In this
district and in Port Douglas I do not know of anyone carrying on cultivation except Chinamen.
2012. Why is it that only Chinese cultivate the laud ? I imagiue that they have au agreement with the
selectors.
2013. But why do the selectors themselves not cultivate the land? — Why do those who take it up not do
so? I can hardly see how to answer that question.
2014. I will put it in another f«rm : If a homestead selector has a farm under " The Land Act o/18S4,"
do you know of any of them who are employing Chinamen to fulfil their conditions ? All those who can
get them.
2015. They themselves at the saaie time living on the farm ? Yes ; but employing Chinese to fell scrub
and do fveiything else except erect the house-
2016. Why is it that Europeans do not do the work themselves ? Because the Chinese pay them a fair
rent per acre for the land.
2017. By Mr. King: But if it pays the Chinaman to cultivate the land, why would it not pay the
European to cultivate it himself ? The Chinamen seem to understand better h»w to cu Itivate with the
hoe. The Europeans who settle here are not farmers. I know of only one practical farmer in the Cairns
district, and that is a gentleman down on the Mulgrave, Walker by name.
2018. By the Chairman .- Is the bulk of the 4,000 acres under fruit worked by Chinamen? The whole
of it.
2019. They grow fruit, cultivate the land, and produce all the crops ? Yes.
2020. Then, practically, if there were no Chinese in this district there would be no land under cultiva-
tion? I do not think there wouM be an acre-
2021. By Mr. King .- I understood you to say that Europeans would not cultivate with the hoe. Do you
think that whfn the stumps are taken out and the land cleared that they would work their land with the
plough ? I think so ; and they would make it pay.
20 22. By Mr. Cowley : Do you only think they w«uld make it pay, or do you know it for a positive fact?
I am only speaking from what Mr. Walker told me.
2023. Then Mr. Walker is the only man from whom you obtained this information ? Yes ; with regard
to making it pay.
2024. By Mr. King .- With regard to the selections in this district, when selections become freehold does
the same practice prevail here as on the Daintree of taking off thsi bailiff ? The water frontages to the
Barron River are mostly freehold. The white people have mostly left them, but the Chinese are paying
£\ per acre annual rental.
20:^5. Take the frontages to the Mulgrave and Russell Rivers, is there any freehold land there ? There
is ; and the land which is fret-hold is uncultivated at the present time.
2026. Then the same state of things prevails as on the •aintree— the land is going back into scrub ?
Yes ; and now where there are fruit trees a t present, I will soon not b c able t o find some of them.
2027. Have you heard of fruit trees being transplanted from one selection to another to fulfil the condi-
tions on two or more selections? I found that they had not been removed, and that the statement was
not correct. I ascertained that in last November only.
2028. By the Chairman ; Then if a witness has informed the Commission that such was the case, from
our own knowledge he would not be staling the truth ? lit) would not.
02!). Mif Mr. Cowley : Might it not be done without your knowledge? It might; but I don't think so.
They were only small selections, and I visited both of thein and saw trees growing on both.
2030. By Mr. Kivq ; What is the average area of those selections that arc abandoned — are they large or
small? From 1,000 acres to 1,280 acres.
2030a. By Mr. Cowley : Are there no small ones? ©ne on Binda Creek.
20:U. 9n the Russell and RJulgrave, are n»ne of the selections from 160 acres upwards abandoned?
Yea ; one small homestead on Binda Creek, and one on the opposite side of the creek, of about 320 acr s;
but there was only about eighty acres of good land in the whole lot. I am speaking of the fromVvge to
the Russell River.
2032. By Mr. King: Does the existence of those large areas of unoccupied laud in any part of the
district increase the difficulties of settlers to take land up ? I do not know; there is plenty of land up
the river as good as this.
2033. By the Chairman : Is it easy of access? The land that is freehold is just as easy of access as the
other.
2034. By Mr. King : Does the existence of large areas of unoccupied land increase the difficulties f
men to go in and select land ? Yes ; and it leaves the selectors more scattered, 2035. By
THE GENEEA.L CONDITION OF THE STOAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
2035. By Mr. Cowley: What wa* the cause of the desertion of these selections? Want of roads- ]
2036. By Mr. Khq But want of r«a,ls where they had a fr,>nt;tge to navigable watt-r would not cause r~
them to desert their selections ? The R.ussell River is only navigable for a short distance except by 3 at- 16
bottomed boats.
2037. By Mr. Cowley: How many selectors are now residing on the Russell River? There are seven
homestead selectors residing there now.
2038. Any conditional purchase selectors? Two — that is, two selectors are residing on their land, the
remainder are represented by bailiffs.
2039. How many by bailiffs ? Eight.
2040. Are those men all cultivating land? No ; only two.
2041. What extent of cultivation? Merely a few fruit trees. They are merely occupying the land.
2042. Do they employ any coloured labour of any description, or do they do the work by themselves ?
If you include aboriginals, they engage a great many aboriginals.
2043. Do you think that these men intend to make permaueut homes, or will they ultimately abandon
their selection ? Unless they get better facilities for getting their produce to market they cannot do
anything else but abandon it.
2044. Mi/ the Chairman : In the course of your travels do you find many creeks and rivers unbridged ?
The whole of them out that way.
2045. Have you ever rcpreseuted that to the Department in drawing up your reports ? I have often
mentioned it to the land agent here, but not to the Department in Brisbtmc.
204(5. Tou understand that this Commission is appointed with the view of ascertaining any measures that
might be taken for the improvement uti tropical agriculture in any district. — Do you know of any way
by which tropical agriculture could be assisted, not iu the way of handing the land over to Chinamen,
but in such a way as would induce Europeans to cultivate both cereals aud fruit ? On the Russell River
better communication is wanted; that would involve putting a railway from here to G-erakltun.
2047. By Mr. Cowley: Then it is the want of commuuication ? Yes; I knew a selector in the Russell
River district who had over two tons of corn which he offered to sell at 2s. a bushel when corn was
realising 8s. a bushel in C'airus, and he could not get anybody to go into his selection and bring it out.
It is called the Russell River district, but it is on the Mulgrare. He is about ten miles further in the
scrub from Mr. W alker's place. This selection is on the Mulj;rave River.
2048. By the Chairman : How many mile3 from Cairns ? About thirty.
2049. How fur is his farm from the Russell River? It is fronting the Mulgrave Kiver.
2050. Does not tiie steamer " Burdekin " go there? Tes ; to a creek sis miles from the selection.
20-51. What was to prevent him taking his corn to that place ? Want of horses; the road would do if
he had had horses.
2052. He is only six miles from the wharf where the " Burdekin" goes to and the road is a good one ?
Yes ; it is practicable for cartage at this time of year.
2053. By Mr. King .* Was the steamer '* Burdekin" trading to that port at the time ? Tes; it called
2054. By Mr. Cowley : Then if he had had a pair of horses he could have carted his corn to the steamer ?
Tes ; if he had had horses he could have packed it down.
2055. If he had bad two horses and a dray ctuld he have carted it ? Well, I think it is only suitable for
packing. A selector told me, in regard to some corn he sent down to Townsville, that he only realised
Is. a. bushel on it in Townsville.
2056. By Air. King : Does the steamer "Burdekin" call at the river when coming to Cairns? No;
only when going south.
2057. So if he had sent the corn to Cairns by the "Burdekin" he would have had to send it to
Townsville first and then back to Cairns ? Tes.
2058. By Mr. Cowley .- Would not the " Burdekin " go into the Russell River on her way np if she
were cei*tain of getting two or three tons of cargo for this port? She might.
2059. Do you know for a fact that they will go into any of those ports, if promised a cargo for either
Cairns or Townsville ? I do not know anything abont it.
Aechibaid Meston examined :
20G0. By the Chairman : How long have you resided in this district ? Seven years. ^ M e8
2061. Tou have a selection on the Barron River ? Tes ; and the Ruasell River.
2062. By Mr. King : Tou have lived on the Clarence River ? Tes. 16 Jan,
2063. By tfie Chairman : Have you any suggestions to offer by which the fruit indusiry and tropical
agriculture can be encouraged? In regard to sugar, ImaysaythatI arrived herein the end of 1881, repre-
senting myself and three capitalists who were desirous of becoming possessed of land on which they could
form a sugar plantation. We decided to go in for an expensive mill, and had an offer from Messrs.
Mirlecs, la it, and Watson of a mill which they had just completed, to be erected at Freshwater Creek
for £25,000. We ordered it, and just after ordering the mill, and before th» conclusion of the bargain,
there came a change of (xovemment, and the general dread amongst the sugar planters ol the colony was
that kanaka labour was about to be abolished suddenly or otherwise, w ith or without warning. As to the
probability oF a prospect of black labour being abolished I wrote to my partners, one inSyiney and one in
London, warning them what danger we might be incurring in view of the uncertainly with regard to the
labourquestion, and recommending them strongly to countermand tho orderf orthe mill, and to withhold
operations until the labour question was finally settled one way or other. I pointed out to them that it
would be utterly impossible to go into the production of sugar with white labour. They accepted my
advice, and the order for the mill was countermanded, and we abandoned our original intention of going into
sugar-growing. We still retained possession of the land, with no very definite idea of wha twe should do
with it, and quite satislied that if there were any possibility of obtaining a supply of labour —reliable black
labour at a low price — we would be prepared to proceed into extensive cultivation, chiefly experimental, so
as to test the laud for coffee, cocoa, &c, and ascertain if they could be grown profitably for market. So
far there has been no settlement of the labour question, and no propectof obtaining labour atsuch wa^es
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
A. Mestoe. ag we cou ld afford to pay. We went in for experiments, aud my partners expended about £ll,000 in the
'■"A district, for which they got no return whatever. We have failed so far to discover anything which we
Jan., 1889. could grow at a profit, or with a certainty of profit, with the labour we would be; compelled to employ. _ If
cheap labour wereavailable itwouid be employed in an extensive series of experiments, experiments which
would inevitably result in tbe solution of the problem of what can be grown here at a pr ofit. Until the labour
is furnished no experiments will be made, except by those wbo have a surplus capital wbich they can
' afford to spend on experiments.
2064. What was the £11,000 spent on ? On improvements.
2065. What did those consist of? Extensive clearing and the planting of an orchard, which is now in
very good order.
2066. In whose occupation is it ? It is in the occupation of Messrs. John Brinsmead and Son. Toraz2i
has been in charge of it, and Chinamen have been working it. I think that there are altogether 3,000
trees in the orchard, most of them five vears old.
2067. By Mr. Cowley : But you have had some return from those for the £11,000 ? No return, so far.
From one selection we have had a little returo from timber.
2068. By the Chairman : How many acres does Brinsraead's selection consist of ? I took up 1,000 acres,
and, on its being surveyed, there were only 780 acres available.
2069. And is that the whole of the laud held by the three capitalists you mentioned? No ; 1,000 acres on
the other side of the Freshwater Creek. We took up2,000 acres there altogether. The homestead I occupy
is part of the original property. We have dissolved partnership. I was left with the homestead, and the
others took up the rest m the property themselves.
2070. Have you any suggestions to offer by which the fruit-growing industry of this district or tropical
agriculture generally can be improved ? One thing with regard to fruit-growing I would like to suggest —
I am perfectly satisfied from my experience of fruit-growing here, and we have large orchards in the
district — that grafted trees are a mistake. So far these have UDtnistakeably proved to be a mistake, and
seedling trees are best adapted for this particular district, and probably for every other. I think that
most of our grafted trees were got from the south. The orange trees are grafted on lemon stocks,
and they have not nearly the vitality of the seedling trees, or anything approacliing it. The most fruit-
producing trees in this district are seedling trees. With regard to theprofit, or the promisai profit, on
fruit trees in this district, so far only bananas have beea profitable. We are a long distance from the
southern markets, necessitating transport of a sea trip for a period extending over five or six days. So
far bananas have been the ouly fruit we can grow successfully that will bear transport. In regard to
mangoes, I know of twelve cases of mangoes sent to Sydney by the " Cintra" in perfect order, and the
returns did not even nearly cover the expense of sending them down. With the exception of bananas, and
possibly with one or two other fruits which will bear the jouruey by sea, fruit-growing cannot be made a
profitable industry here, unless it is in connection with a fruit-preserving and jam-making establishment,
where perishable fruits can be immediately utilised.
207L. By Mr. Cowley : So far as you know, then, there is no hope ofcarrying on any agricultural work to
any great extent unless you have cheap and reliable labour.— What would be the most suitable labour
for this district? After a very long and careful consideration of the subject, it appears that kanakas are
the least objectionable and the most reliable. Tha.t class of labour can be brought here to do certain
work, confined to that work, and then sent away again.
2072. Of all the different kinds of labour introduced what do you consider the most suitable ? So far
we have had no experience of any labour except Chinese and kanakas.
2073 Javanese ? There are none here.
2074. But there are; I have seen them? Very few.
2075. We saw Javanese at the Pyramid and Hambleton ? I could not speak of them. But of the
Chinese and kanaka, I say unhesitatingly '-keep the kanaka."
2076. Do you think you could carry on agricultural pursuits successfully with Germans. Danes, or any
other European labour ? I think not. No agricultural pursuits could afford to pay the wages for
European labour. Any European labour, no matter under what conditions they ca.me out here, will
require the same wages as other Europeans after a very shorf; time. No European would work at wages
lower than a man in the same position beside him was getting. It is the worst labour that you can have.
If the kanaka labour were obtainable by all classes of agriculturists ou the sa.'ne conditions as sugar
planters agriculture would be pretty extensively adopted, and there would be extensive operations.
2077. Do you not know that it is a fact thatf armera cau obta in kanakas on the same terms as sugar planters
do now ? No.
20/8. Such is the case ; — the Act was not made for sugars plantersonly ? Then supposingthat a man who
tries agriculture on a small scale wants ten kanakas it costs hiinne.irly £300 to bring them here, to hegin
with, and that is too much.
2079. By the Chairman : Beyond the labour question, have you any suggestion to offer as to the
improvement of tropical agriculture ? I do not see how you can promote agriculture without labour.
If agriculture has suitable soil and climate and reliable labour, then there is no difficulty in promoting it.
There are plenty of men waiting long and waiting patiently to do something with it.
2080. By Mr. Cowley : Would not a reciprocity treaty with the other colonies be of assistance? In what
respect?
2081. By making a treaty whereby our agricultural products would be admitted into the other colonics
free, and thus creating a demand for it ? JN o ; that would not be a solution of the case. You will have
to find out what you can send to the southern colonies at a profit.
2082. You can send sugar and bananas ? That is not a solution of the difficulty.
2083. By the Chairman : Would the establishment of an experimental farm in the Cairns district, so that
all practical information could be gathered from it, be of use ? Not an experimental farm, but if the
G-overninent would introduce plants into a tropical nursery and have them propagated here and distributed
amongst the selectors for nothing it would be a very great benefit.
2084. % Mr. Cowley : That would be an experimental farm? No ; let every farmer be an experimental
farmer.
2085. Bi/
THE GENEBAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR LNDU8TBY IN QUEENSLAND.
2085. By the Chairman: But if he has not the necessary knowledge ? Tie would soon have it. I would A.
advise the appointment by the Government of an experienced agriculturist, who would go round to
those people who took those plants from the nursery. He would have to be skilled in the knowledge IS Jan.
of those tropical products.
2086. The evidence is that the bulk of the selectors hand their laud over to the Chinamen to grow whatever
they like, irrespective of condition or climate or anything else, and I take that to be a proof that those
men who hold the land do not know themselves how to proceed with agriculture? Exactly. They io not
know what to plant, or how to proceed. I believe in an agricultural lecturer to go round and instruct
th e people in the propagatiou of tr«pical plants, and to distribute plants from a tropical nursery. There
is one reason why there is so little agriculture in this district, and why selections are in the hands of the
Chinese, and it is this : After a selector takes up a scrub farm it requires at least six years' hard labour
before he can introduce any agricultural instrument except the hoe, and there is nothing known of
anything that can be grown profitably by a European with the hue. At the end of the six years the most
of the stumps are rotten and the plough and harrow can lie introduced, and one man with a plough and
a pair of horses can do more than thirty men with hoes. So far there are not J00 acres in the Cairns
district into which the plough can be introduced.
Andrew Leon examined:
2087. By the Chairman : Yon arc a native of China ? I am.
2088. Are you a naturalised British subject? I am. ,
2089. How long have you been in the district ? Since 1875. 1
2090. Have you taken up any selection ? I was the first — the pioneer — to do so.
2091. Whereabouts is your selection ? Three miles from Cairns.
2092. Is it what is known as Hop Wah's plantation ? Yes.
2093. How many acres did you cultivate ? We cultivated between 300 and 400 acres.
20^4. Did you grow sugar cane? \t first we started cotton, and then we found that was rather
expensive, the labour taking all the profits. Then sugar came in, and we communicated with a friend in
Honolulu, who advised us to try sugar. Then we startedsugar. At first it was veryexpemive, the labour
especially; still we went on very well for the first season. The cane grew very well, but the crop did not
turn out well at all.
2095. What labour did you employ ? At first Chinese labour.
2096. And how did you pay them ? Well, we paid them from £40 to £60 a year according to the class
of labour.
2097. Did you give them rations? Tes, everything.
2098. Did the plantation pay ? No.
2099. What did you do? We had to give it up.
2100. Tou sold it? Tes.
2101. Did you lose much money in the speculation ? We expended about £45,000, and then we sold
the land for £15,000, and the machines and everything else included for £16,000, giving a loss of
£29,000.
2102. By Mr. King : Did you take up any more land? I took some up; I purchased a selection from
another party.
2103. Where is it ? In the far range above the BaiTon valley.
2104. What is the area ? 1,280 acres.
2105. Are you cultivating auy of it ? I have about twenty acres cleared and under cultivation.
2L06. What do you grow there ? Principally fruit trees. There are 1,100 fruit trees, lemons, oranges,
mangoes, and figs, also pineapples. 1 had about 1,500 trees, but out of that number only 1,100 are
growing. That, however, is not the fault of the country or the climate ; it was because they were too
Jong on the road coming here.
2107. How many men do you employ ? At present only three. Before I had several lads weeding and
clearing, but now the trees ai'e so big that it is not so much trouble, and we only employ three, a.nd
they are Chinamen.
2108. What wages do you give them? £1 a week and all found.
2109. Are you getting any returns from your fruit? No, not yet. The trees are not yet old enough.
2110. By the Chairman : la there anything that the Government could do that would help the selectors
who are growing fruit and other things ? I believe if the Government took the matter in hand it would
be a great advantage to the colony.
2111. What might they do ? A lot of selectors have taken up land, and plenty of people have not got
the capital to carry on, and they are blocked and keep the land idle. Plenty would-be selectors have got
families aod they would settle down but for the blacks annoying them. Another thing would be to cut
the land up into smaller portions, not into such large areas, and advance money to the selectors. Tou
could not expect the bank to advance any money. Emigrants should get land orders for five acres,
because if they settled on the land and cultivated it, it would be a good thing for the colony. From my
experience fr»m Dungeness up this coast to the Mossman and Daintree Rivers, it is the most wonderful
country in the world.
2112. By Mr. lung : What size do you think those farms should be ? Well, I would give twenty acres
to one man, and that should be the artnillest.
2113. By Mr. Cowley : Are you not aware that men can select aa small an area as they like ? Tes ; but
the land should be cut up into certain small areas, and then thrown open for selection.
2114. Are you near the railway line? About four miles.
2115. Have you grown any rice in this country? I have seen it grown.
2116. Does the rk;e that you have seen, grow as well here as in China? I have no experience in
rice growing in China; but I have heard from those who know that it grows exceedingly well here;
better than in China.
2117. Do you think that the bulk of the land in this district is suitable for rice growing? It is the
finest country you could wish to see.
2118. Had
64
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES BEFORE THE DOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
A. Leon. 2118. Had you any experience in agriculture in China ? I had not ; but I have had experience elae-
where. I have been a couple of years in Cuba and Huvannah. The country there is just the same as
16 Jan., im Queensland, and so is the climate. The thermometer there is just the same, 90 degrees to 100 degrees.
In my country it is alwavg about 4"> decrees or 40 degrees.
2119. Are you aware that the bulk of the agricii tural work in this district is carried on by Chinamen f
Yes.
2120. Do those agriculturists, your countrymen, do well ? Do they make a good living? Tes; some
get 25s. to 30s. a week, and some might be 'better than that.
2121. Have they any cause for complaint ? They appear, in my opinion, to be very well treated, and
have no cause for complaint. .
2152, By the. Chairman : Do you think you will be able to make your present selection pay ? I beheve so.
2123. Do you grow bananas ? I have not started any. I am rather too far from the coast, and bananas
should be grown near the coast so as to save expense in transit.
2124. By Mr. Cowley : Do you look on Herberton as your market ? Yes, when the railway is
completed.
John Peter Johnstone examined :
J^hnsToiie. 2125. s y ffie Chairman : You are a selector on the Daiutree River ? Yes ; but I am at present worliing
< ^_^^~^ at a contract on the second section of the railway.
• Jao 1889 2126. What is the area of your selection ? It is a homestead selection of about 1G0 acres.
a °" ' 2127. Have you fulfilled all the conditions on it ? Yes ; it will be freehold as soon as I have paid for
it. I have not paid for it yet, but as soon as 1 am in a position to do so 1 will.
212H. Do you wish to make any suggestious to the Commission ? The reason why I wished to see the
Commissiou was that I am interested in a new iudustry of my own invention, and I want to show it to
you. I have brought it before the Commissioner of Lands and the Secretary for Agriculture when I was
down south about five months ago.
2129. What is it ? It is a new kind of arrowroot. It is used for the same purpose. It is made from a
native fruit of the South Seas, something like sweet potato. They call it " k umala ?" It is a kind of
very large meally sweet potato, a native of Tanna Island, in the South Seas. It grows to perfection on
the coast land here and on the tableland. Its special qualities are that it contains a quantity of farinaceous
food which I am certain is superior to arrowroot or cornflour, or similar products. The first quality is
extract of kumala root, which is adapted for culinary purposes and takes tbe place of arrowroot and corn-
flour. Then there is kumala meal intended as food for dogs, cattle, horses, and pigs. "Experience proves
tbat 2 lbs. of kumala extract is equal to 3 lbs. of the best arrowroot. It is used for everything the same
ae arrowroot. The whole of the plant is of use for man or bwist; even the tops when cut into coarse
chaff cau be used for feeding cattle and horses. That is about all the explanation I can give you.
2130. Is it easily grown ? Yes; it is never a failure. Whether there is excessive rain or even a long spell
of dry weather the crop never fails.
2131. Have you taken out a patent for it ? No.
2132. Are the seeds available for distribution ? Yes. I grow it from tubers.
2133. Are any growing in the district ? I don't know of any in this district, but I have any amount on
the Daintree. All sweet potatoes contain starch, but this fruit contains an enormous quantity of starch.
2134. Have you any suggestions you can offer us for improvement in this district, in the growing of
fruit aud agricultural products ? No, I can't suggest anything. I can see a lot of mistakes and faults
people make, but it is not my business to point out people's faults.
2135. Have you every facility for taking produce from your selection to market? Yes; but I am
rather out of the way, and that is the reason why I am not living in the district. I have no neighbours
fir four miles, and it is not safe to keep a wife and family there, as the blacks are ab»ut. I would live
on my selection if there was closer settlement round it. 1 have already — about two months ago — given
a report to the Minister of Lands on my experience in Fruit growing, farming and drying. I believe
that they have kept that report in Brisbane. They asked me when I was down if I would give them my
experience.
2136. Have you ever grown rice? I have never grown rice myself, but tobacco and maize.
2137. Did the tobacco answer ? Yes, I believe it will have a great future. A few people have started it
and failed in this district ; but it is not the fault of the c>uutry that it failed; there are other reasons.
2138 Is anyone living on your selection ? No, I sometimes go there and look after the place.
21^9. The undergrowth will soon grow up again ? Yes ; but I can't make a living there. I do not
blame the land, but it takes money to cultivate land.
"William Dotle Hobson examined:
W.D,Hob#on. 2140. By the Chairman: What are you, Mr. Hobson ? A merchant in Cairns.
j^^A^m^ 2141. You are also engaged in the shipping business ? Yes, in general trade.
16 Jan.,1889. 2142. Just tell us your experiences in tropical agriculture and the shipping of fruit, aud any suggestions
you have to make? With regard to fruit, the principal export is bananas, pineapples,' oranges, and
lemons. For small bunches, bananas realise lid. a bunch up to Is. Gd. for very good bunches; the
average being from Is. 2d. to Is. 3d. In shipping south to Melbourne, every second cargo of fruit
arrives in bad condition. We find that with paying the freight in advance, and the payment of the
bananas to the growers, that it is hardly worth our while shipping them. Previously, we used to pay 50
per cent, of the full freight, and now we have to pay the full freight before shipping, whether the fruit
arrives in good condition or not. Fully 20 per cent, of the fruit \* damaged so as to be worth nothing.
Taking my transactions in fruit from the time I started, m v experience is that there has been a loss— not
a very considerable loss, but a loss. My agents continu illy advise me that if the fruit was to arrive in
better order they would be able to sell it at a profitable price, at from 3s. (id. to 4s. for a bunch of.
bananas, which leaves a margin of profit. The freight is Is. a buucb, out of which 3d. goes for lighter-
age, which we consider unnecessary. 2143. By
THE GENEBAL WO-BKTXG OP THE STJGi.B INDTJSTEY TN QUEENSLAND.
2143. B.i/ Mr. Cowley: That is 3d. per bunch lighterage and 9d. per bunch freight to Sydney ? "Tea. W.D.Hobson.
2144. How long has these transactions exteuded over? For two and a-half years, but more especially during ^^•^- A — - ""N
the past six mouths. The same remarks apply to pineapples, the only difference being that they are 16 Jan., 1889.
shipped iu cases.
2145. Do you ship pineapples in cases ? Tes. There is a demand for as many as we can send.
2146. Then the damage would not be owing to carelessness on the part of the shipper ? No. If we had
quicker communication it would make n. difference. It takes a ship twenty-four hours to go to Towns-
ville, and another seventy-six to go to Brisbane, and the fruit is bundled about a good deal. These are
things that might be remedied.
2147. Are any complaints made of ullage in regard to cases of pineapples? I never received a return
yet that did not show very serious discrepancies.
2148. Do you get any compensation for toss of pineapples in cases? No. I have often sent iu claims,
but have received no compensation. They are a perishable fruit, and my agents have advice to take
delivery, and the steamship companies do not hold themselves responsible.
2149. By the Chairman : Can you give us any experience yon have tiad in tropical agriculture, and make
any suggestions you think would be for the benefit of agriculture ? I iiave tried both tobacco and sugar.
In the matter of sugar, Draper, wlvj was my partner, and MuKnighfe bought the Hop Wah Plantation,
horses, dra ys, and everything in going condition. Oi ir chief reason for buying it was that I was persuaded
by some men who were out of employmeut that they could supply me with good field labour at the rate
of 3s. 6d. a ton to cut the caue and deliver it at the mill, using my horses and drays. I employed four
or five gangs of men, overseered by a man with experience on the Cl'avence River. Those were all white
met. I was advertising my business by employing white menou ,a sugar plantation. In three days they
all refused to work, excepting one. They effered to return the rations 1 had supplied the in with. This
left me in a hole, having signed the contract with Lee On. I offered them Cd. a ton more. This was
a price we could not afford to pay, and it is more than any plantation can pay. I even offered them
better terms but they said it was ridiculous, that I had treated them well in not taking their rations
back, only n,ot paying them for what they had done, and added that they could not do it at any price.
They offered to do it for 4s. a ton if I allowed them to cut it eight inches from the ground. I wrote to
the manager on the subject, and he replied that the proposal was ridiculous, as nearly all the sugar was
in the last eight inches. I had not sufficient field labour, and we had to put the mill ha.nds on cutting
cane, without keeping the mill going. I lost £1,495, besides interest.
2150. By Mr. King : 1 understand that you bought the crop growing ? Tes, ready for crushing, all the
machinery, horses, Jrays and everythiug.
2151. How many acres ?, Betwccu 700 and 800 acres.
2152. And you lost £1,495 on the transaction ? Tes. The oue man who did not refuse to continue to
carry out his contract is in the district now, and you can get his evidence. His uame is Ned Barnard,
lie attempted to currv out his contract and got men to help him. They were to get £4 10s. an acre, ani
10s. was to be -allowed extra when the manager was satislied that the caue was extra heavy. Some of the
cane was very heavy, and they got £5 au acre for it. He allowed us out of that 35s. a week for the use
of two drays and four horses.
2153. Have you ever hail any other ex perien.ee in tropical agriculture ? Tes, in tobacco growing. My
brother had taken up a homestead nelec tion on the Russell River. He cleared about twelve acres of land,
and sowed tobacco ou it, which 1 recommended him to do. I found that it involved more labour than we
anticipated, and which we could not obtain. Our first crop we tried to work without sufficient labour,
and it was destroyed by grubs. We got little or nothing for it. We tried it again, and had the
misfortune to have a very rainy season, which destroyed it. We tried it again, and being convinced from
experience that labour was necessary, I managed to get one white new chum whose wages were £1 a week
and tucker. I also got a time-expii"ed kanaka, whose wages were £1 a week and tucker. We succeeded
that year in getting about a third of a ton to the acre of good quality tobacco leaf, which I sold at 10d.
per lb. We made anot herattempt and added more labour, I think three kanakas this time. The crop
was destroyed by the river being too high for the dray. The drayman miscalculated the height of the
river, and the t«baeco gotdnmaged in crossing. The last trial I made I g«t the best prica for the tobacco,
and sold it at Hi. per lb. I calculated up, and f« und that the loss iu tobacco was £700, and that added to
the loss on sugar prevented me from goiug on, and I gave it best.
2154. By Mr. Cowley : Did you say that white men refused to cut and load cane at 4s. a ton ? They
refused at any price. They said they would not take it at any price.
2155. About what was the weight of cane per acre ? It averaged about twenty tons, one patch gave
fifty tons,
2156. What price per ton did you pay for this cane when buying it from Hop Wah and Co.? We paid
for the right of cutting the enne and the use of their horses and dra.ys £400.
2157. And yet at that price you lost £1,500 ? Yes, and interest accumulating.
215S. How much sugar did you make ? I could not tell you.
2159. 3id you crush all the cane ? No.
21G0. What eventually became of the caue? It was wasted.
2161. By the Chairman : Did any of you know anything about sugar ? Tes, our manager did. He had
been in sugar all his life, and he was a partner and a very competent man. lie had beenwith tlie Pyramid
Company.
2162. Had he airy risk in the adventure? He lost £25»— his all, everthing he had.
2163. Did this in your opinion arise entirely from want of suitable labour to reap the crops ? If we had
had labour to cut our crops in the field we would have cleared at least £2 000.
2164. Was the machinery of a good description ? Tes.
2165. Had you a vacuum pan ? Tes.
2166. Was "the sugar of good quality ? Tes ; I sold the sugar at from £19 to £24 a ton, which was a good
profit.
2167. Had y»u two sets of rollers or one ? One set. I used to average a very good price iu Melbourne
I soli No. 1 white sugar at £24 a ten.
F 2168, By
66
MINUTES OF EYIDENCE TAKEN REFOKE THE JIOXAX COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
W.D.Hob« n. 2168. By Mr. King : To what cause do you attribute your failure both in sugar and tobacco ? I Q regar
to sugar there is no doubt about it that it was the uant of labour to cut the auie. In regard to th
16 Jan., 1889. tobacco it was partly owing to inexperience. Sugar cannot be cultivated without black labour. We fin
that as soon as a white labourer gets a month's pay he does not think the work good enough and fa
wants to leave the district.
2169. What would you suggest as a remedy, which would enable tropical agriculture to be carried o
successfully ? Until such time as we can plough the ground it will be absolutely necessary that we ha
an abundant supply of cheap and reliable labour. Every man with intelligence will see the correctness
of this. "White men will not work with the hoe. With regard to corn growing, our first crop 8 neve
yield such successful returns, but after two or three crops thev yield better returns.
2170. By Mr. Cowley : Can you give any reason for that? No ; the best soil is on the other side of th'
Barron River; it yields forty busbels to the acre, and gives two crops to the year.
WE3NESDAY, 16 JslNUARY, 1889.
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
(At Cairns.)
Phesext :
W. H. GROOM, Esq, M.L A. | II. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chaik.
Maktin Patictck BoYi.e Fanning, examined:
M.P.B. 2171. By the Chairman: What are you, Major Fanning? I am police magistrate at Cairns and also
Fanning. Polynesian inspector.
^— ^a_— 2172. Before coming to Cairns you were police magistrate at Port Douglas ? Yes ; and Polynesian
16 Jan, 1889. protector.
2173. It has come to the knowledge of the Commission, that at Port Douglas there are a ru imbar of boys
who were .'it work on Bribri, and who allege that they are due eighteen months' wages. Do you know
anything about them ? It is so long ago that I really cannot remember anything about them, f urtlier than
that I know that some of the boys on Bribri were unpaid at the time of Mr. Faviel's insolvency.
217'k How long were you police-magistrate atPort Douglas? Five years.
2175. By Mr. King : llow long is it since you left there ? Last June or July, I think.
2176. By the Chairman : Is it not customary for the boys to be paid every six month s ? That is the rule, but
1 was under the impression that these boys were under somewhat different circumstances from the others.
They were a l»t of boys who came fr«m Mackay. The boys that were engaged in the first or compulsory
term of service were all paid off and sent to their respective homes in the islands, uuless they agreed to
remain in the colony for a further time. Afterwards there were a number of boys who came from Mackav
under a second agreement ; and I did not consider that these boys were subject to the same rules or
conditions as the boys were who arrived straightfrom the islands and landed at Port Douglas. I
thought that their position was different.
2177. Did you visit the plantation and sec that the boys were properly treated in accordance with the
Polynesian Act ? 1 have been out once or twice. I had no means of going there, unless I was to pay
for it out of my own money.
2178. If I understand you correctly, you know nothing whatever about the paymeut of wages to Polynesians?
Not after the first time-expired boys returned to their own homes. I know very little after that. I
received the wages regularly and paid them into the bank, and before the boys left for their homes I paid
them off and got all their receipts.
2178a. Perhaps for your information I may tell you that the present police magistrate at Port Douglas
states that there are something like eighteen boys who were under an agreement with the proprietors of
Bribri plantation, besides others who, as you say, came from Mackay. It is not the Mackay boys who
complain of not being paid, but the boys who were under agreement. The police magistrate further
states that he lias placed the whole facts of the case before the Colonial Secretary, who has instructed
him that if the men like they can go und enter into other contracts ; that the men say " No ; we want
to be paid first," and it appears that there is nothing in the Polynesian Act to compel the police
magistrate to send the men away. The result is that tli«y are haugiug about Port Douglas, hoping
against hope that some dny they will bo paid their wages. What the Commissioners desire to k now is,
as this occurred antecedent to Mr. Eglington's arrival in Port Douglas, are you, as his predecessor in
office, able to throw some light ou the matter ? The time is so far gone that I really almost at
present forget nil particulars. I remember that 1 considered that those men were not under my control.
The boys first arrived at Cairns and were passed on to Mrs. Parker at Port Douglas, and those are
boys whom I call men whose first period of service has not expired, svud I consider that they were under
different rules to those who were hired by Mr. Faviel at Mackay.
2179. By Mr. Cowley : Were you not aware that all islanders, uuless holders of esempt tickets, came
under the Polynesian Act ? I was not aware at that time. I considered at that time, and I had no
further directions to follow, that those men should have reported to me whether the money was paid or
not, because I had no means placed afc my disposal to go out there unless I was to walk.
2180. Were you nou aware that all those islanders, no matter where their agreements were made, were
under the Act, unless specially exempt ? They were under the Act at first. 1 understood that all those
who entered into fresh agreements then came under " 2'hv Masters and Servants Act." 2181. But
TItE GENEBAX CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
07
2181. But not under the Polynesian Act? I do not think that they were under the Polynesian Islanders M-P : B -
Att, further than that their master would be compelled to pay them But 1 did not think, as Polynesian an 0111 ?-
inspector, that I luul the same power over those boys as over boys whose first term of service had not
expired. P . mim^im
2182. Do you kuow it now ? Yes, : I was not aware then, because I had never anything to do with thein,
and there was no regular register book in the office, and no ledger ; iu point of fact, I made up a small
ledger of my own.
2183. Bid you not have the Polynesian Act in the office ? Tea ; I had.
218-4. Was not a copy of the Government register in your •ffice ? They were sent up from helow —
from Mackay, or the head office. But I looked on that more in the light that I should know who they
were in case of their boinir assaulted, so as to look after them, which I did as far as I possibly could.
2185. Arc we to understand from you that you had no Polynesian register in your office? There was
none supplied.
218(3. Not from the head office? No.
21S7. Did those islanders ever apply to you for their money? Iam now dealing with those islanders in
arrears. — Those that catne from Mnckay, and the first lot that came from New Guinea, were paid off.
Then when Mr. Faviel w.is almost going insolvent, although I believed that 1 had no power in the matter,
I wired that fact to the head office.
2188. At 1he expiration of the first six months of their time, did any of the men apply to yon and say
that they had not been paid? No ; they did not, that I remember.
2189. The first intimation of it was just previous to the insolvency ? Tes ; aud as soon as I became
aware of it I wired to the head office that I thought that there was a certain amount of wages due by Mr.
Faviel.
:<!190. Did you or the Department take any steps whatever to obtain the wages ? We took steps in Port
Douglas. We got all the men in, and got all their bills made out for wages due, and made affidavits as to
the correctness of the accounts, and they were sent down to the trustee of the insolvent estate.
2191. That was done as soon as practicable? As soon as the affairs had gone into insolvency.
2192. Were copies of those claims sent to the Department in Brisbane ? I don't know if they were, but
they were seat to the trustee. The men came in, and Mr. Collard drew up the particulars and took the
affidavits.
2193. Who was Mr. Collard ? He was elerk of petty sessions.
2Lfl4. Could not Mr. Collard have sent thein down ? 1 don't know.
2195. Then you do not know from your own knowledge if they ever went down to the trustee ? I am
certain that they did.
219(5. As Polynesian inspector did you get any acknowledgement of the receipt of those claims for wages?
I think some of them were sent back for amendment, or something.
2197. lias any part of the money ever been remitted to you as Polynesian inspector ? No ; not one
farthing.
2198. Then is this all that has been done to endeavour to get the money for these men ? That is all that
f am awara of. I am certain that particulars went down to the trustee in insolvency.
2199. But were you not aware, as Polynesian inspector, that you could take action against the mortgagee
for sis months of these wages due ? I was not a ware of it.
2:500. Did you nev er apply to the Crown Law OJJira for advice in this matter ? I did not know — in fact
I did not think — that I had any great responsibility connected with those particular islanders,
22#1. By ihe Chairman : Do you know that The Stations Wages Act" mikes it compulsory for the
mortgagee when he forecloses on a station to pay six months' wages, if they are due ? I am aware that
wages come ih'st on any mortgagee.
2202. JS u Mr. Cowley : Who has possession of Bribri plantation now ? The bank.
2203. What bank? 'The Queensland National.
2201). By Mr. King .- -Are you sure it is not the Bank of Australasia? I know tha.t the Bank of Aus-
tralasia, was at one time.
2205. By Mr. Cowley : You believe that at present it is the Queensland National Bank? I would not
like to be sure about it.
220U. Did they takepossessionas mortgagees ? They sent Mr. Pearson up from Brisbane.to act as trustee.
2207. Was a copy of the agreements with the kanakas sent to the head olfice in Brisbane ? Tes; and a
copy was kept in my office, and one was sent to the plantation. There are copies in the office stilt
220$. Bid. the head office ever instruct you to take any steps to recover these wages ? Not at all.
2209- By the Chairman .- You are Polynesia?! inspector for the Cairns district ? Yes.
'2210. Cati you tell us the number ot kanakas employed in this district ? Three hundred and eighty-
seven. Those are all under agreement. I kn«\V nothing aboub the others.
2211. Are they all on sugar plantations ? Yes; all between the Pyramid and Swallows.
2212. Beyond those two plantations does no one employ tliem ? No ; 1 hold agreements forall those 387,
and a complete register of them a.s well, and a complete set of books is kept up to dat«.
2213. Are those boys paid their wage*) every six months? Every six months; sometimes a fortnight or
three weeks after that, but never more.
2214. Do the boys receive the money themselves ? —How do you do when you are paid the money by the
planter ? H t' ie money when it becomes due is not paid within a reasonable time, I write to the planter
asking for it. They send the amount in by cheque, accompanied with particulars, such as seven boys at
£6 10s., and so ou, aud 1 check it with my own book. I send all tho savings bauk books to the postmaster,
together with the cheque. He then enters them in the different books iu the savings bank. I then call
for them aud enter the amount paid opposite every name in the ledger and cash-boo k.
22L5. Then you do not pay the money to the boys Y No.
2210. Is that iu accordance with instructions? Yes; it is only when they are being paid off that the
boys are brought in to receive their money.
2217. By Mr. Kim/ : Theu the boys do not see their money? They do not ; but I tell them on board
ship that they could see it. I get an interpreter from each lot, from e:ich island, and 1 get the agents to
explain that their wages will be received by me, and that I will be responsible for them, and that" it will
be lodged in the hunk. 2218. By
68
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAXEN BEFOHE THE KOT.-1L COMMISSION TO INQPIEE INTO
M.PB 2218. By the Chairman : Do you think that the boys coming here understand the nature of their
Fanning, agreement ? Tes ; I take every pains to get them to understand it. I get all the boys from the different
f — s~ — S islands together, and get the agents and interpreters to tell them that they have to serve such and such a
16 Jan., 1889. term, for which they will get so much money, and tobacco, and one thing and auother.
2219. By Mr. King : Are the boys not allowed under the Act to draw their money when they want it?
I think the Act is silent on that point. It is for their own benefit tbat the money i3 paid into the savings
bank. .
2220. But you cannot benefit a man by keeping his money against Jus will ? No.
2221. If any of the boys die, what becomes of the money ? I get notice from the plantation stating that the
boy has died, and they call on the doctor to report, which he does. They also send a cheque for the balance
of wages due, aud 1 then check it, and I fill up a form in accordance with the Act and forward the money
and form to Mr. Woodward, in Brisbane.
2222. Has it ever happened that the relatives of deceased islanders have received any of the money left
behind them ? Not to my knowledge.
2223. Do you know what the opiuiou of the isl anders is on the subject ? I do not know. In f ;tct, they
understand very little, and it is difficult; to get them to understand what you wish.
2224. By Mr. CowUy : Do you visit all the employers of labour in the district ? I do. I was going out
last week and I heard that the Commission had arrived, so 1 did not go.
2225. Tou say that no boy has applied to you for wages. If they were to apply to you for the wages
every six mouths would you give it to them ? No ; not without authority. I would not do so on my own
account here.
2226. If a man applied for the money you had. put into the savings bank for him at the end of his six
months' service would you give it to him ? Not unless I receiv ed special instructions from the head
office. It would lead to these boys buying things in town that ought to be supplied by the plantation.
2227. Then you do not know that by refusing to give these boys their money you would be acting in
direct contravention to the Act? That is a point I would like to study well before I gave my answer. I
know that no payment to a Pacific Islander is properly made uulesa he is paid before an inspector or
police magistrate.
2228. Tou have stated how you manage with a deceased islander's money when it is paid over to you
by his employer. Have you ever paid any of that money to a deceased kanaka's friends ? Not a half-
penny. I never could. Li the fi rst instance, it would cause a lot of trouble, a*d if there was auy appli-
cation made to me for the wages of a deceased islander, I should most decidedly refer the matter down
below.
2229. Has there ever been any application made to you for money by a deceased islander's friends ? A
brother came in one morning to me here on a matter of that sort, but I have not seen him since, although
I told him to come back again.
2230. Do the islanders ever come to you and make complaints? No ; I eneourage them to come and make
complaints to me if anything happens. I have given myself a great deal of trouble in connection with
those islanders and have gone out of my way to serve them.
2231. Do you think it is generally known amongst the settlers in this district that they are liable to a
penalty if they employ islanders unless under an agreemeut made before you ? I dare say that
some of them are acquainted with the rule that the islanders must be under agreement. They give very
little thought to that sort of thing.
2232. But th« previous employer is entitled to his return passage money ? Tes.
2233. Then in those instances the previous employer is being cheated out of his return passage money ?
I am under the impression that he would not be entitlod to the £5 unless the labourer was re-engaged
under Form (>. He must be under F«rm G.
2234. Are you aware that any man who employs a kanaka unless under a written agreement made before
you is liable to a penalty ? Iam aware of it.
2235. Up to the present time you know of no farmers or settlers in tbis district employing islanders,
except those employed on sugar plantations ? I do not.
2236. Are there any agreements in your office? No ; not beyond those with the sugar planters. There
were a few about a month or two ago. A mangotthree or four boys under agreement from the Government,
but they were paid in my presence and cleared out.
2237. By Mr. King .- With regard to the inspection of the islanders when they are landed, is it you who
inspects them ? Yes.
2238. Are you aware that islanders have been landed iu such a condition that they have never been able
to do any work since ? I am not. The doctor goes on board and he passes or rejects.
2239. Are you aware that boys have been passed by the doctor and inspector whose employer at the time
refused to take them ? I heard of complaints being made that there were one or two boys passed that
ought not to lrave been passed, but I consulted with the doctorand the men were passed on with the rest
to the manager of the phiutation. In this particular case to which you allude the manager of the plantation
said he had never saeu such a fine lot of boys delivered in Cairns.
2240. Are you aware that the employers have to pay wages to the boys whether they work or uot after
they are taken to the plant atSan ? Of course they hnvt to. Dr, Koch is 'a good medical officer, aud a
man who enters into it with spirit und when once he passes a batch of recruits they are fit for any
plantation.
2-241. You would act entirely on the doctor's opinion? Tes.
2242. And disregard the protest of the employer ? Yes ; because if the protest of the employer was
allowed to g» on, then out of a batch of, say, ICO, he might say " I will take so and s* (painting to them) ;
I think all the others are worthless," and that would throw the whole of the remaiuder of the batch into
the hands of some other person. That would be unfair.
2243. By Mr. Cowley : Do you know if the medical officer inspects the islanders regularly? Tes ; the
medical oflicer attends regularly.
2244. Is he a Polynesian inspector by virtue of his office? No, I do not think so; he is simply the
medical man.
2243. Every police magistrate is a Polynesian protector by virtue of his office? Tes.
2246. Do
THE GESEBAT, CO> _ DITIOX OF THE STTGAE TNDTTBTET IS QUEEySLABTJ.
224C. Bo the Polynesians in this district enjoy good health, as a rule? As a rule, they do. Some of jv^o!,?
the iaiJs at the Pyramid are not so strong as they might be. »^jvJ«—
2247. Have you had any complaints from kanakas as to ill-treatment or being ill-fed ? No ; I have not. (7^^^^
On one occasion when T saw them I asked them if the proper rations had been given them, and I was 10 an -
told the full rations of meat was not given because it was the wish of the doctor that it should be
reduced on account of health.
2245. Have yon ever had any come to you and complain of ili-treatment or bad food? The only thing
they complained about was that some came in and asked about their tobacco.
22 -AO. By Mr. King : As police magistrate, do the Polynesians in this district give you any trouble ? No.
2250. There are some Javaucse in the district— do they ever come before you ? Very seldom. I have
had one or two complaints, but, as a rule, they are an exceedingly well-ordered lot, as far as I can speak
of them.
2251. They do not seem to you to be objectionable? Not a bit.
2252. What do you say about the Chinese ? I am rather iu favour of them. They seem an excellent
lot of men in every way Their conduct is remarkably good. They give no trouble at all.
2253. Tou mentioned to me this morning that there was a considerable amount of mangoes put up in
apodal packets and exported from Bombay ? Tes ; that is the case.
22. 'A, Are they sought after, and is there a good market for them ? Yes ; a very good market in England,
because I brought some myself from Bombay.
2255. B y the Chairman : Have you any knowledge how they are prepared ? 1 have not.
225G. By Mr. King : Could you find out how it is done ? I will write for it aud will commumicate wttb
you the answer.
Robeet Tat-loe Hartley recalled:
2257. By the Chtirman : Have you prepared a return of the special leases held in the Cairns land agents' R.T. Hartley,
district, so far as they are recorded in the books of the Land Officei Cairns ? Tes ; I produce it. „ — — N
Appendix B.I 16 Jan., 1889.
.Tony McPheesox examined :
225S. B>) the. Chairman : What are you? I am a selector on the Mulgravc. J. McPhewon.
255B. What is the area of your selection ? One thousand two hundred and eighty acres. /'"~""- A -^~\
2260. Is it conditional purchase or homestead ? I took it up under the Land Act of 1876, and I have iG Jan., 1889
since brought it under the 1884 Act.
226L. Have you cultivated any portion of the selection? There are about forty acres under maize,
ab«ut fifty acres say. I took three tons to Cairns, but could not get <he balance owing to the want of
roads and liridges. I got £3 10s. a ton for what I brought in, amd I would make money at that if I
had roads. I destroyed nearly 1,000 bushels, because I could not get it conveyed to market.
2262. What facilities do you require to bring your produce to market ? I want a roai, so that a pack-
horse can travel on it. If I can get £5 10s. a torn I can make money.
22G3. Is there no road leading to your selection? No; except what I made myself.
2264. Are you within a Divisional Board? I am on the board myself.
2265. Did you apply to have roads made ? Tes.
2J66. Would the board not consent to the road ? The majority were against it.
2267. Is there any suggestion you can offer by which the farming industry in this district can be
assisted ? The Land Bill i.s a failure. The Government should «rant us this land at 2s. rental and 10s.
of improvements per acre, and lease it for five years, and allow the 2s. to go towards making roads.
Thrre is pleuty of good land, only it lies a good way back. We want roads.
2268. By Mr. Coidry .- The only suggestion you can make is a road ? Simply, I am ruined because I
have no road to market.
2269. How far are you from the main road ? The main road is the Russell River road. I am three
miles from that, and a river intervenes. I am in the Mulgrave electorate.
2270. What is the character of the country between your selection and the road ? There is about a
mile and a half of scrub, the rest forest.
2271. Is it all level or hilly? It is level, but it is devil-dev il ground.
2272. Is there a track through the mile and a half of scrub ? Tes.
227;3 Could you not pack over it to the main road? It goes through part of Walker's selection. It was
stopped by tlie Minister for Lands against the wish of the • ivisional Board. The Minister, in reply to a
requisition sent to him by tlie Divisional Board, said that no road should go through Walker's selection.
70
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE JiOYAl COMMISSION T INQUIRE INTO
SATURDAY, 10 JANUARY, 1989.
JOHNSTONE RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Innisfail.)
Peesent :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
James O'Halt.f.ran examined :
J.O'Halleran. 2271. By Mr. King : What is your position here ? I am acting manager of this estate at present.
^— ^ 22"!5. What is its name ? Innisfail.
19 Jan., 1885). 2270. What is the t«t:il acreage of the estate ? There are 1,265 acres, and another lot of 1,205 acres, in
all 2,530, and there are two homesteads which bring it up to over 2,900 acres.
2277. How inanj' acres have you had under cultivation. About 4*0 acres.
2278. How many are under cultivation now ? Threo hundred and twenty acres.
2279. Is it all planted with cane ? Yes.
2280. How many acres of cane were crushed at the mill this season ? None ; we s«ld it to Goondi.
2281. How many acres were cut ? Two hundred and ten acres.
2282. Do you know what capital is invested in the plantation and mill ? £36,000 up to last season. I
do not know what wss invested last season, tut altogether between £35,000 or £3(3,000.
2283. Was that all that was iuvested or wss it s«Jely Mr. Fitzgerald's investment in it ? Simply Mr.
Fitzgerald's investment in it.
2284. Is there any debt on the place? I do not think so. There is a mortga ge. I do not know what
it is, but I thiuk it is between £36,000 and £37,000. Miss. O'Reilly was the mortgagee, and is now in
possession of the place. In July next I will have been fours years in her employ.
2285. What description of labour do you use on the plantation ? Whenever we can get them, kanakas.
2280. Chinese ? No, we do not employ them.
2287. Javanese? Yes.
2288. Europeans? Yes, we employ them, too.
2289. Malays? Yes.
229*. How many kanakas have you at present ? Nineteen at present.
2391. What wages do you pay them ? Fr«m £15 to £20 a year and rations.
2292. Are they tiine-espircd boys ? Yes, all timo-expirftd hoys.
2393. How many Europeans do you employ ? We employ seven at present ; we employ more during the
season.
2294. What; wages do they get? Some £1 a week and some 15s., and some of them have 14s. They
came under agreement from Townsville.
220.1. Do you iind that the Europeans stand the work well in the field ? No, I do not.
229G. What do they complain about ? They will not work with the hoe. They will do ploughing aud
following horses, but they will do nothing else. They growl against it. They won't do it.
2297. Even at the plough, do you consider that they do the same amount of work that a ploughman
would do on the Downs or ah»ut Brisbane ? Yes ; they can do their work as well as the men in the
south. But I do not believe they can stand hoeing cane or planting it. In fact, they will not do it.
2298. What cla ss of labour does best in the cane ? I really believe the kanakas do. Tliey are the most
reliable labour we have in the colony. That is my opinion of the matter.
2299. Has this plantati on been paying? Well, we just keep ourselves since Miss O'Keilly took it
over. It was very backward when we took it over. We can't get labour ; that is our drawback.
2300. Is any of the land on this plantation getting exhausted ? Not a bit of it ; there is not better land
in the colony.
2301. What sort of seasons have you had lately ? Very ba/.l for the past three seasons. Just as the
plantation was looking well, the grub came and destroyed a lot of the cane, and we had to replant it.
We replanted it three times. We are expecting a crop this season.
2302. How much did the grub destroy ? Over 100 acres of plant cane last season,
2303. What kind of a grub is it? One of those wood frrubs — just the same as a wood grubb only a
smaller class with a hard red head and white body. We linrl it in the soil under the roots of the eane.
2304. What does the gnib turn into alter the grub state ? I do not know what it turns into. We scud
boys after the plough to pick it up.
2305. Ha ve you itfsver taken one of these grubs aud put it into a bos .aud ke[>,t it to see what it would turn
into ? No. The Mourilyan people sent it down to Brisbane, ;:ind they could not do anything with it.
2:30G. You have not had full crops of latc> owing to the seasons and the deficiency of labour? Exactly.
2307. What do you consider the weight, of cane per acre on tliis plantation ? Forty tons I have seen
60 and 70 tons taken off the top selection.
2:308. Do the white men keep their health when working in the field ? Pretty fairly.
2300. Do you have many go into the hospital ? Yes, wo have a few.
2310. How do the kanakas stand it ? Very well entirely.
2311. What percentage of deaths do you have amongst 'the kanakas? "We have not had one dealh
during four year*. I can't speak of before that time.
2312. How do the Malays and Javanese xtand it? They stand it well enough; but they are a class we
cannot rely upon. The kanaka, is not cheap labour by any means, but it is labour you can rely on when
you have it.
2313. Do your kanakas give any trouble to the police ? Not the slightest; not a bit One got into
trouble here with a white man about three months ago. They had a row. They stuck the white man
up for grog; that is all I know. 2314. Did
TITE OEITEEAL COJTDITTOH - OF THE STJGAB TSTPUSTIIT IN QUEENSLAND.
71
2314. »id you say that the plantation has only paid expenses and barely that ? Barely that. J H(l eran
2315. What was the total expenditure last year ? I really could not say, about £l,3fO. /"^^* — "^N
2316. What i* the reason in your opinion that the plantation docs not pay more than bare expenses ? 19 Jan., 1889.
The present state of the country and the want of labour. It is very h/ud to get reliable labour for a
plantation. A plantation can't afford to pay 15s. a week and rations, and that is very low wages ; and
even if you offer that to a kanaka it is hard to get the labour. You have to turn round and employ
white labour, and you can't pay them less than 15s. or £1 a week to work on a plantation, and that
rate of wages won't pay. A plantation can employ white labour in some things, but not in work in the
field. A European is profitable labour to work after horses. Kanaka labour is not good after horses,
and is only good where white men will not work.
2:il7. Have you grown any other crops besides sugar ? No ; only sugar. The land won't grow corn.
1 have seen it tried. It will not mature.
2318. It grows too rank ? Tes ; it won't mature.
231!). You have different kinds of tropical trees in the garden, do they grow well ? Yes ; oranges,
limes, lemons, mangoes, and mulberries grow well. The mulberries grow best of all.
2320. What are the wages that other people give to liluropean labour in this district outside of sugar
Ifinting ? What does the Divisional Board give ? Eight shillings a day.
321. Are there any gold diggings in the district ? Yes ; at the Russell River-
2322. Is there any' population on them?. Yes; there is a white population of from fifty to sixty on
the field at present.
2323. Then that does not operate much to keep up th'e r ate of wages ? Not much at present.
2321. Is there anybody in the place who keeps a record of the temperature and takes the thermometer ?
No ; not at Innisfail. I think Mr. Canny keeps it at the Queensland.
2325. By the Chairman : How long have you been on the plantation ? Six years.
2326. Have you manufactured sugar here ? Yes.
2327. How many tons of sugar has the plantation generally yielded during a season ? The two last
seasons we crushed we turned out 210 tons and 215 tons. We did not crush during any other years.
2328. What price was sugar when you came here ? £36 and £4t a ton.
2329. What price is it now ? About £23 a ton.
2330. Do you not think that the price of sugar has had something to do with the present position of the
plantation? Yes, it has had a great deal to do with it — the fall in the price of sugar and the scarcity of
labour.
2331. What hours do the kanakas work ? They work ten hours a day, from 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. with an
hour for breakfast and dinner.
2332. What hours do the Europeans work ? About nine and a-half hours.
23:34. Do both the kanakas and Europeans work during the whole of the heat of the sun? Yes.
2H35. The immigrants you say you engaged in Townsville at 14s. and 15s. a week, were they young or
iniddloagcd men ? Young men from eighteen to twenty-five or perhaps thirty years of age.
2336. What work weri they engaged in? In farm labourer's work, in making themselves generally
useful
2337. 3o they show any unwillingness to work in the cane field ? I never saw a white m;m who would
continue to work iu it at all.
2338. If you made an alteration in theirhours of labour, — if you allowed the men to rest during the heat
of the noonday sun .md to pull up their time in the course of the morning and evening, would not that
make a difference to them ? They prefer to finish their day's work when they once start. They would
rather finish work than knock off.
2339. Have you made any proposal of the kind to them ? No. I often let them have a short spell if the
day is very hot, and pull up at night. I often let them have two hours at dinnertime. We are very
careful of our ploughmen and horses, and are bound to do it.
2;i5lO. In other tropical climates it is customary for men to cease working from about 11 o'clock till about
2 o'clock and then make up for it in the cooler part of the day, so as to avoid the intense heat of the
noonday sun. I would hnve no objection to it ; it is all the same if they pull up and make full time.
2341. Is the objection that those newly-arrived immigrants have to working in the cane field to the great
heat ? No, they might say " It's pretty hot," but they never say that they would prefer knocking off for
a few hours and maie it up in the evening.
2342. What is their real objection to working in the cane field? It is, that they will not go into the
cane field hoeing ; they do not believe in hoeing, thev say it is not work for white men, only for black
fellows.
2343. Do they work side by side with the kanakas? No, it is wrong that such a thing should be done, to
put two distinct classes of labour to work in the sameplace. It happened that I had some Javanese
working on the same field with white men, and by accident they came to work together, and i-he white
men refused to work. They could not work alongside the Javanese as the Javanese took too much out
of them.
2314. Is the Javanese labour you are employing here a success? Not a great success. It is better than
nothing if we can't get anything better. It is better than Chinese.
234.5. When the time of the Javanese expires, would you be inclined to renew their agreements ? I
would not ivire much about them if I could get kanakas. They are a class of labour that if they can best
you they will best you, and keep you bested. They will lie in their huts and pretend to be sick, and
when you go out of their hut after seeing them and go into the field, they will rise up and commence
hooting. Fitzger.ild got twenty-six from Java, and they cost £'00 to bring here. They cleared, out for
home before their time had expired. They would not w»rk, and lie had s«mw of them before the court,
and they were sent to gaol ; but when they came out again they were just the same. They will often
stick you up when you are crushing.
2316. Then you think that the kanaka is the most reliable labour? Yes, you have him when yon want
him, and he uever sticks you up by refusing to work. If you have a kanaka by agreement he will do just
as he is told, unless he is sick, and then we send him to the hospital, The Javanese will lie down three
or four days a week and w on't Work. 2347. I
minutes or evidence taken bepobe toe hotat, commission to inquire ittto
I'Halleran. 2317. I suppose that as acting manager of this plantation you are friendly disposed to your countrymen,
""^-""■"^x Areyouof opinion that plantation labour in suitable for European labour? The greatest part of it is.
19 Jan., 1889.2348. .And Europeans can perform it? Yes, they can.
2319. And the heat and the climate is no obstacle to their doing it ? No, not a bit. I have not heard
them complain much about the heat.
2350. Then wliatis the work that you would put the kanaka to? I would put him to hoeing, planting, and
cutting cane. .
2351. Is the European capable of doing that ? Tes, but he won't do it. I have seen it and experienced it.
2352. Then you expend on this plantation about £1,300 a year? It is a great deal more when we
are crushing.
2353. What was your total expenditure for last year ? About £1,300, but we were not crushing.
23.54. What would have been the amount if you had been crushing sugar ? About £5,000.
2355. By Mr. King • Tou sold your cane to' G-oondi ? Tes aud we got lis. a ton for it, or 12s. I can't
say exactly,
2356. Did you cut and deliver it ? I cut it and delivered it at the bank of the river here, and they
t»ok it away.
2357. By the Chairman : Tbeu at present you pay— from your knowledge as acting manager— that the
plantation is just paying its way — its working expenses ? Yes.
23-58. Then there is no interest being paid on the original debt ? No it is dead capital gone.
2359. What is the value of the plantation land ? £7 an acre.
2360. Would it realise £7 an acre if put into the market? 1 do not think .so in the present state of the
sugar industry. I am quite sure it would not represent the money sunk in it.
23G1. By M>: Cowley : What varieties of cane do .you grow here ? Eose bamboo, rappoe, mecra, and
others, in patches of about twenty acres. AVe do not have a nursery. There is also striped Singapore,
which is the best cane I have seen on Innisfaii.
2862. Which is the best kind ? Striped Siugapore.
23G.1. Have you grown "lahhia" cane? No.
23G5. Then you say that as far as your soil is concerned, striped Singapore is the best cane you have?
Yes. The three best varieties are striped Singapore, rose bamboo, and mera. AVe have got a paddock of
"Daniel Dupont," and it is doing very well. It is ou nineteen acres of good land.
23G7. Is it a class of cane that you could plant a large quantity of ? I could not say ; but from what I
have heard of it I would not say that I approve of it.
2368. Is it a different cane from the others ? Yes, and very hard to trash.
23G9. Are any of the other sorts bad to trash ? Yes, we have the elephant. But the others are very
easy to trash ?
2370. Do you always trash? Not always. We give the cane one trashing, and if we have time we
give it two.
237 1. Would wh ite men trash cane ? They would not do two rows a day. They wo n't do this sort of work
2372. Have you had any disease in the cane during the last six years except the grub ? No.
2373. Did you have any rust ? Yes, we had rust.
2371. In what variety ? We had it iu cherebon, but not a great deal.
2'175. Do you try anything to destroy the grub ? AVe only kept picking them up after ploughing the
land and burning them.
2376. Have you ever seen a large gray moth about here ? Yes.
2377. Are they related in any way to this grub ? I really cannot say.
2378. Have you seen plenty of them about ? Yes ; a good few.
2379. Do the kanakas agree with the whites well ? Yes ; very well.
238#. Are they addicted to drinking ? No ; I may say that I have seen them with a drop of liquor ; but
very rarely.
2381. Do the white men object to you employing kanakas ? No ; they do not object to it. They never
say anything about it. They never interfere with them.
2382. AH your islanders are time-expired boys ? Yes.
2383., Are they under agreement with you ? Yes ; somS of their agreements expired onNe w Year's Day
and some are now off.
2384. Have you much trouble in obtaining island labour ? AVe have not tried to get them from the
islands.
2385. Have you much trouble in getting the time-expired men ? Sometimes we have. Sometimes they
come readily and sometimes not.
23rtG. Are you full handed at present ? No ; not half.
2387. And there is considerable trouhlein getting n sufficient quantity of labour ? There is.
2l{88. JIow rtvury hands are you^hort now ? About sixty.
2389. If they were easily obtained wouM you increase your area of cultivation ? Yes; I am sure the
proprietors would.
2390. Do any women come amongst your boys ? Yes, there are a few female kanakas, and they work
well and sire not any trouble. 1 do not have much troublo with the kanakas,
21391. Have you a medical attendant who comes regularly to the plantation, or how do you do with
the boys when ihey are ill ? I send them to (he hospital, or *end for Dr. White, who is paid to come
and attend to the kanakas. It is better to send a boy if lie is bad to the hospital.
2392. AVhatis the state of health amongst your kanakas now ? A"erv good, and we have not had a death
on the plantation for four years ; in fact, I may really say for five years.
2393. Since you have bi j en here did your proprietors ever try to work the place with white labour only?
Mr. Charles Nolan did. The crop was sold to him and he worked it with white labour and did so at a
great loss. He did not employ a coloured man at all.
2.391. AVhat was the amount of his loss? I could not say, but he said he lost between £500 and £600
for three months' crushing.
23.95. Are you aware if this is entirely attributable to the employment of white labour? Agreatpart of
it was.
239G. What did he pay for the cane ? I do not know. 2397. How
THE CENTRAL COJTDITIOIT OF TEE sTTOAIt JNDtTSTET [>' QUEENSLAND.
73
2397. How many acres did he buy? About 200 acres. J.O'HaUeran.
239S. How much did he get from the whole lot ? I don't know. z^ - "*^-"""^
3399. At the present price of sugar, if you could get plenty of reliable labour, could you pay expenses 19 Jan., 1889.
and interest, aud increase your area? I think 1 could if 1 could get 'a fair season aud reliable labour it
would pay.
2 tOO. If you could get thirty tons to the acre and sell it at lis. per ton, as you did with your last crop,
would it pay, with reliable labour ? It would.
2401. Would it not greatly interfere with the workings of the plaee if white labour ceased work from
11 a.m. till 2 p.m. ? It would not do in crushing time at all.
2102. Tou say the white men refused to work with the Javanese. "Why ? Because of the colour.
2403. Why do you employ Javanese, if asyou say tbey are lazy workmen, who are always pretending to
be ill ? I would not give them an hour's labour if I could get kanakas.
2i()t. Are they better than white labour in field work ? Yes, I prefer them to white labour in the caue
Held, trashing and cutting, and hoeing round about the sugar
240.5. Tou said that the greatest part of plantation work was suitable to white labour? Yes, all horse
work, harrowing, ploughing, and carting cane. I believe in white labour to do that, because really it is
the cheapest labour you c«n ^et. Then there are the sugar boilers, engineers, aud mechanica.
240G. What is about the highest wages you eould afford tu pay to good ploughmen aud horse-drivers?
£l a week and tucker, aud they would haveto be very good at that.
2407. Do you ever experience any difficulty with those white labourers ; do they ever break their agree-
ments and run away ? I have seen them do it at different times, but very seldom. They generally carry
out their agreements, which are for six months, and at the expiration of the six months they ask for a rise
of wages, and if they do not get it go away.
2408. Then you can't depend on retaining a white man in your service for six mouths? No ; they will
not stay unless their wages are raised.
2409. What are the principal drawbacks to the successful cultivation of sugar? The labour question is
the greatest drawback, and the low price of sugar.
2410. You have good means of communication b v water ? Tes, the very best on the Johnstone River.
The " Palmer" or the " Burdekin" can come up to the wh/irf and take the ougan away ; and there is no
great expense in it, because the sugar is taken down in trucks to the wharf and put on board the steamer.
2411. Of course the price of sugar always affects the price of labour? Yes.
2412. The lower the price of sugar the lower wages you can afford ? Exactly.
3413. Then it all results in the price of labour ? Tes.
2414. By ihe Chairman : What occupation does Mr. Nolan follow ? He is a general storekeeper. He
has no plantation of his own.
2415. Had he any experience in the crushing of sugar-cane ? Not that I know of.
2410. He merely bought the cane from you as a speculation ? Tes.
2517. Without having any knowledge of the business ? I do not think he had any.
2418. May not that have had something to do with his loss of £000 ? Yea.
241!). Tou would not stay because Mr. Nolan entered into a speculation of which he knew nothing, aud
which resulted in a losti, that that would be au argument against the employment of white labour? No,
I never knew that he had any knowledge of sugar.
2120. But in crushing cane you require to employ skilled labour? Yes ; we do.
2421. Tou would not take an inexperienced man and put him in charge of your vacuum pan ? No.
2422. Who joined Mr. Nolan in his speculation ? Th« two Wanlesses.
2423 Were they experienced men ? I do uot know.
2424. Who managed the place ? The Wanlesses, I think ; at least young Wanless w<as the engineer,
and the old man had very little to do with the working of the place.
2425. Were you here at that time ? I was.
242G. Do you know whether tbe Wanlesses had any experieuce in the supervisiou of a sugar plantation ?
I could not say, but I do not think so.
2427. One was an engineer ? Tes ; a locomotive engineer.
2128. Who was in charge of the mill? Wanless, the engineer,and the old one had charge of the outside
work.
2429 Had they anyone to manage for them ? Tes, there was Mr. McDonald.
2430. Ia be an experienced sugar planter? Ih.aveheard that he was, but I never saw him. He had
a plantation once of his own, and lost it. He was their manager, and kept the books.
2431. Now that you know the place, would you, if the crop was offered to you cheap, purchase it if you
had to take it off with white labour ? No, I would not, unless I #ot it at a very good price.
2432. Supposing that the price of sugar increased, would you be able to offer morethat £1 a week wages ?
Yes, I ill ink I would.
2433. Have you had any experience in sugar growing outside of Queensland ? No, and not a great deal
in Queensland.
2431. Are you a farmer ? Yes'.
2435. From your knowledge of the district and climate, do you think that tropical fruits could be grown
here ? Yes.
2430. Do you think that Europeans are adapted for the growing of tropical fruits ? Yes, I do so.
2137. Do you know of any laud in this district leased to Chinamen ? Yes. I do,
243H. By whom ? The Government have leased it to them.
2439. For cultivation purposes ? Yes.
2440. For the cultivation of tropical fruits ? Bananas principally, and other fruits. I know of several
selectors up the river who have leased their laud to Chinamen.
2441. Do you know any Europeaus in this district who are growing tropical fruits on their own land with
their own labour, and without employiug kauaka labour ? Yes. I know some who are growing tropical
fruit on the Johnstone liiver themselves, and making a success of it.
2412. What is the general health of the European population ? Very good. I have not seen a case of
fever for four years.
2443. Do you think that the general climate of the Johnstone admits of the employment of European
labour ? Yea, except working iu the cane field, hoeing, &C. 2444. Speaking
74
jtrxuTEs op evidexce taeex eefoke the eoval commission to is'QurnE into
Hallemn. 2,144. Speaking of this plant ation.the objection of the European labourer is simply to hoeing in the field?
f"~^~' K ^~~~\ Yes. ami working in the oane field.
19 Jan., i«S9. 2445. You have said that you have not yet seen Europeans work side by side with kanakas ? No.
2446. Are you able to sav from vour own knowledge that the white population would resent working
with kanakas ? I do not'think that they would work with kanakas, but they need not be put side by side
with kanakas.
2447. Then do you think that if the kauaka were put to his own particular work and the white man were
put to his own particular work there w»uld be no likelihood of any collision between them 1 No, not the
slightest. I have never heard of any on the Johnstone.
2448 By Mr. Cowley : By particular work," what do you mean ? I mean white men following the
plough, and horse and dray work, ploughing, harrowing, and the kanakas to be restricted to the field,
hoeing, trashing, cutting, &c.
2440. "You say that white men will not work at field work alongside of kanakas. If you put thirty white
men into a cane-field to hoe by themselves would they do it? They would do it, but we could not afford
to pay £1 a week to white uieu at the present price of suga.r.
2t;'i0. Have yon ever done any clearing of sum b on this land ? We cleared between eighty acres and
ninety acres this year with kanakas, and planted it ourselves.
2401. By ihe Chairman : Were only nineteen kanakas employed at it? Our average is about forty boys,
but we have only nineteen at present.
21.52 By Mr. Cowley : At the time of clearing the land, how many did you have? Thirty-eight.
245-5. .Are they adapted for that kind of work ? Yes ; some of them.
2 1-51. By the Chairman : When you say that your average is forty islanders, is that exclusive of Javanese
and Malays ? No ; taking them altogether.
(At Goondi.)
George Edgae Adams examined.
G. E.^ dams. 2k35. lit/ the Chairman : What are you, IMr. Adams ? I am manager of the Goondi Plantation.
— A 2 1-5G. What experience have you had in the cultivation of sugar? Eightyears — sis years here.
19 Jan., 1889.24o". Have you any experience in the growth of other tropical products? Noue to speak of.
2t5R. "What is the name of this estate? The Colonial Sugar Refining Company, Limited, Goondi mill.
2459. What is the total area belonging to the company here ? 12,500 acres.
24(30 How much is under cane ? 2,300 acres under cane. There are about 200 acres on which the scrub
is fallen and put under grass ; also fouracres of sweet potatoes.
2401. How many acres of cane werecrushei at the mill last season ? 1,127.
24G2. And how many acres do you expect this coming se.ison ? We expect to crush 2,090 acres.
2463. How much sugar was made last season ? 2,400 tons.
2404. How much molasses? .About 60.000 gallons.
243.'). What was done with the molassss ? It was run away. We centrifugal it four times, which gives
four classes of sugar bef»re we ruu it away.
2460. Then it would not pay the company to deal with it ? No, no more. We would waste more than
it is wortli to do so again.
2467. Wlmt amount »f capital is invested in this plantation and mill? The general manager will reply
to that.
21GS. What rate of interest does it return on the capital invested? I will also get the general manager
to reply to that.
2 IG9. What is the annual amount of the working expenditure of the estate? I must leave that, too, to
the general manager.
2470. What labour is employed to work the estate ? I have Euro peans, kanakas, and Chinese.
2471. "What number of Chinese ? I have ma«te out a ret urn to sho v you the labour, per diem, taking
ihe year through that we have employed. This only shows wages men, not those working in contracts.
T denl with a man and he finds his own men to carry out the work ; I do not know how many he employs.
1 simply give you a return of the wages men, not those working on contract of which there are a great
many.^The return is as follows: — '
18SG 99 Europeans ... 191 Kanakas .. 25 Chinese.
1887 S4 „ ... 196 „ ... 17
188S 120 „ ... 271 „ ... 44
That shows that one European is employed for every two other men. This is taken from our wages
sheet.
2472. What wages do you pay the kana.kas ? They tiveragc from £6 to £18 ; thegeneral average would
be £9.
247.3. What wiif^es do vou pay the Chinese ? 15s. to 17s. a week, and we find theia.
2474. And board them ?' Yes.
2 f>75. And what rate of waives is paid to the Europeans ? From 20s. to 60s. a week with board. I have
some giving as much as HOs. — special men, boiler makers, &c.
247(3. And in addition to boardingand keeping all working hands on the estate you also house them ? Yes.
4277. Jn addition to the wages paid and food given to the kanakas, what other articles do you supply
them with ? Clothing according to the Act — three shirts, four pairs of trousers, a hat, blaukets, and more if
necessary. We supply them with tobacco, and medical attendance at the hospital here. The doctor
couifs out once a week. The men also get soap, knives, coats, pipes, matches. They do not require to find
themselves m anything at all. They are also supplied with llys" in the field to keep the rain off tliem
;md to enable them to get out of the sun on a hot day.
247fl. By Mr. King .- Do you let the kanakas have a piece of ground for cultivation ? Yes : a piece of
ground in which they ca n make a garden, and grow bananas. Sorne do so, and some do not.
2479. By Mr. C*wlei) : How many acres ? About ten acres t'orthe lot. They can get more. They ncarlv
all make their gardens. They have to feuce them off from each other, 2480. By
TltE OENF.JtAL CONDITION OF TFT. SVQATt INDUSTET IN QUEENSLAND.
75
2450. By the Chairman : \\*hat labour do you find most suitable for field work ou this estate? Kanaka. G- E. Adams.
24N1. Ilaw vou employed Huropeau -labour in field work ? Yes. / ^T^ A- T^
24S2. Are Europeans willing aud able to do it? I first started Gooudi with Europeans. The first piece 19 Jan., 1889.
»f scrub fallen was done by Europeans. But tliey signally tailed.
2483. Bi/ Mr. King -. Were they working by contract or by day work ? Contract. There was a great
deal of dissatisfaction, aud they were always changing hands. Last year the mill broke down, and I offered
to find the men, who had been in the mill, work in the field till it was repaired, but they told me that that was
blackfellows' work, aud they would sooner stop on and do nothing till the mill was put right. A few of
the men went into the field, but their labour co.st too much, aud the work was badly done, and they said
*h« heat was so great that they could not stand it.
2451. By the Chairman: I lave you any .Tavenese ? No; none.
2-1.85. Tou employ Chinese labour as well as kanaka ? Tes.
2480. Is that in work the kanaka could not do? Tho Chinese are employed in pick andshovel work, and
with the axe, principally on contracts. The Chinaman is stronger physically, and more powerful than the
kanaka, and i« able tu fall scrub, clear it, make roads, aud make formations and excavations, befcler tliau
1th o kanaka. Tlie kanaka we find more suitable for field work, such as weeding, trashing, planting, hoe-
ing, and such like.
24H7. By Mr. King: Do you employ any wliitemen with the kanakas? A whiteman is generally in
charge of thirty boys.
2-188. Are these gangers expected to work in the field ? No, simply to superintend the boys and see
that they do their work.
24R9. What wages do you pay a ganger ? From 25s. to 30s. aud all found.
2490. By llw Chairman : Is all the land cleared ou the estate cultivated ? No, some is grass laud.
249) . By whom was the cleared laud that is now under cultivation ? Some I let to Europeans, and the
balance by Chinamen. 1 suppose that out of the 2,700 acres cleared, 2,500 was done by Chinamen.
2492. I noticed as I came through the estate that there was a very large amount of timber ou it, and a
great many stumps still in the ground. How long does it take before you are able to render the land
fit for the plough ? It is generally thought in this district five years, but I hold that it tn kes seven years.
2493. M>i Mr. King: la your laud excepikmilly heavily timbered? Yes, a lot of il; is much m»re
heavily timbered than most plantations, t costs more to clear it.
2493a. Mow miuh per acre does it cost to clear and burn off? From £0 to £7 5s. the acre, according
to the timber. That is only felling and burning off, that is not making roads.
2494. By Mr. Cowley: Is that by contract? Yes; I find that is a fair job. The men working on the
job make from 25s. to :iOs. a week.
2495. By Mr. King ; llow much more would it cost to stump it and plough it once? The land you saw
coming through the plantation could not be stumped under £30 or £40 an acre.
249b". Have you done any stumping ? Yes, and Found that it cost at one place more thau twice the sum
named. Stumping nil depends upon the season, whether it is wet or dry.
2497. By the Chairman: When the (and is free from these stumps do yon think that Europeans, with
horses and machinery, would be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour ?
Certainly, there is no doubt about it.
2I9S. llow many acres of cane did you cultivate for every kanaka employed? I thiuk that a kanaka
would do about four acres.
2499. How many acres would a European work if he was able to use a plough and horses ou the land ?
I have hardly had sufficient experience to say. Kanakas would be required to weed the cane even then
2;300. Do the kanakas employed in field work suffer in health ? No. The resultsof the last two or three
years have been vory good.
2501. Does the field work affect the health of the Europeans ? I have just now three of my best men
living at ihe Victoria limitation, .as they cannot stand the heat.
2502. By Mr. King What wan the nature of the complaint ? Malaria fe»er, diarrhoea, and dysentery.
2503. Are they often fatal? They used to be; they are getting better every year. I used to lose a
great many men.
2504. Do the new hundst'oinplainof the heat? They complain of the heat, and say it is blackfellows' work
2505 By the. Chair. nan- I hive you had Europeans aud kanakas working side by side in the cane fields ?
Only in the case of the mill breaking down. I have now a gmg of white men — about twenty — at con-
tract work, aud they are doing very slowly and are uot getting on at all.
250G. If a white man refused to work with the kanakas, what would you do? I would never require them
to do so.
2507. Is the presence of the kanakas on this plantation objectionable to the white population ? I have
never hear I it. They sa,y that it is absolutely necessar y.
2508. By Mr. King : Does the cane grow well here?— Is the soil aud climate suited for the cultivation of
cane ? Yes ; particularly so, more so than in any other part «f the colony. The heavy rainfall bns a
great de al to do Willi it.
2509. Dot's the cane suffer from any disease in this district? Yes; the grub.
2510. Those are the grnhs that you showed to us — the larvae of the beetle? Yea.
2.M1. What have you tried to get rid of them ? Limed the soil, and turned it up — ploughed it.
2512. Is lime efficacious ? Yes, if put ou in small quantities ; but it is not proof iu all cases.
2513. Have those grubs done any considerable damage to the crops ? They carried off some 20 acres last
year, just as if it had been frost-bitten.
2514. Did you lo^e the crushing of those 20 acres ? We got half of what we ought to have obtained.
The cane was destroyed, but 1 had it replanted again.
2515. By the Chtirmnn : Have you recently received a visit from Br. Kortmann ? Yes.
25l(>. Had he just returned from a trip to Java ? Yes. The company sent him there.
2517. Did he discover a new disease that is attacking the cane fields iu that country ? Yes ; " sereh."
2518. You had some cane imported from Borneo to this plantation ? Yes ; we had some 50 acres.
2519. What have you dime vith them ? We planted them, and took them out again as soon as we heard
of the disease and bumit all of them. We have sinee allowed the land to lie fallow.
2520. Then
76
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSfON TO INQUIRE INTO
Q. K. Adams. 2520. Then beyond the grub the cane in this plantation is in a healthy condition ? Yes. It is suffering
/^■^^ — \ a little from drought; that is all.
19 Jan., 1889. 252 1. Bu Mr. Cow leg : You say that the first scrub was cleared by Europeans. How much did they
clear ? At first 10 acres, and then they took 10 acres more, and then 20 acres more ; that is 40
altogether.
2.'522. AVhat price did you pay them per acre ? £3 10s. for felling only. They would not do any more ;
they had no money.
2523. Did they make it pay at that price? No ; the contractor lost money, and was a ganger with me
for three years aftewards.
2524. Then (hose men were not employed by you on day labour, but by contract^ Yes ; by contract.
2525. You said you did a great deal of the work of the plantation by Chinamen ? Yes.
2526. Could you do that work with South Sea Islanders if you h:,d them ? I do not tin nk we could do
it with kanakas. I could do it with Europeans. Kanakas do not shine m using the axe or in felling scrub.
2527. Then if yon employed more kanakas you would employ more whiten ? i.e?.
2528. And would be able to do without Chinamen ? Yea. I think that could be done very easily.
2529. You said that you thought this land could be stumped at the end of seven years ? Yes.
25:iO. At what cost? I could only gire you a rough idea. 1 think from £6 to £8 au acre. Some would
cost 30s. an acre, and others £s, to make it so that you could put a plough into it. That is not including
the f:ir.*t ploughing, but rendering it possible to put the plough in.
2531. B j/ Mr. Kin q : There are s lme stumps it would be difficult to take out? Yes; they could be burnt
out. The silky oak cannot be burnt out.
2532. How many times do you t:ut cane before replanting ? I think four times. But I have now some
fourth ratoons, which, on account of the drought, I have allowed to stand over ; but it would pay the com-
pany if we had good seasous only to take off three cuttings.
2.333. Is any of the land showing signs of exhaustion ; are the crops diminishing owing to exhaustion of
soil ? I do not think it is getting exhausted ; but I think some parts of the ground want a spell for four or
five months. If it were possible to turn it up it would greatly improve it.
25^4. If turned up and laii fallow for a year would it be as good as ever ? Two or three months would
do. There is soil on some parts of the plantation 15 feet deep.
2535. What kind of seasons have you had lately ? In 18S(> we had 156 inches of rain ; in 1887, 148
inches ; and in 18S8, 106 - 92. Last season was a great deal too dry for this soil.
2536. Do you think you would have had more sugar if you had had more rain? I am quite eertain of it.
I think nearly 20 per cent, more sugar.
2537. Do you buy cane for the mill ? Yes.
253>*. Where do you buy it from ? From Innisfail.
2539. What price do you pay ? lis. per ton.
2540. Is that cut and delivered ? Cut and delivered into our punt.
2541. How far have you to bring it? Eight miles,
2542. Then at the present price of su^ar you find that it pays to give that price to farmers who will grow
sugar and sell it to you? Certainly it pays.
2513. What do you consider is the average weight of cane to the acre in a fair season, taking the plant
cane and ratoons together ? I will give vou the plant cane first, Piant cane, taking it all round, will
average about 27 tons to the acre on go»dland; first ratoons about 20 tons to the acre ; second ratoons
about 16 tons to the acre ; and third ratoons about 12 tons to the acre.
2544. Could you afford to grow cane with European labour at that price ? European labour cannot do it.
I have tried it.
2545. But if European laboureis were willing to do it, could you pay wages and sell cane at the price
named if you were a grower ? No ; certainly not.
2516. Could the company afford to grow cane on this plantation with European labour and make a profit ?
No.
2547. By Mr. Caoley .- Some time ago you said it would take seven years before you could stump this
land. Supposing it was now stumped, could you grow cane on the land entirely by European labour? No;
certainly not, to make it pay. We could do much more then than we do now. because it is all hand
work now. Then we could get horse and plough at work, but even then we would have to hoe round the
cane.
2548. But could not a great percentage of the work be done by Europeans ? I am talking now about
making it pay. It won't pay to employ only Europeans ; but when this place is under the plough there is
no doubt Europeans will be more largely employed for ploughing and such work ; but kanakas would be
wanted for hand weeding there is no doubt
2549. What kinds of cane do you grow ? liappoe, principally ; also, meera «tamiti, big yellow, lahina,
striped Singapore, Daniel Diipont, red rappoe, and a littl* from Fiji — treboe and lillian green.
2550. What varieties do you tini best suited for sugar making ? Kappoe and striped Singapore.
2551. By "best" I mean as an all-round cane botli in The field and in th» mill ? "Well, everyone likes
meera bout in the mill, but rappoe is best in the field, and ratoons much better.
2552. Have you ever gr»wn cheribon here? Yes.
2553. You have mentioned lahina cane, does it suit this soil 1 Up to the present year it always gave a
very poor percentage of crystalised sugar, but last year — on account of the drought which is a new thing
here — the return was very good.
2554. Is not that one of the varieties of cane that was distributed by the Government a few years ago?
I do not know. We got it ourselves from Hambleton.
2555. Have you any Creole cane? No ; but I think it is the same as the meera.
2556. Do you know that it was distributed by the Government? No.
2557. From your experience of the lahina and Creole canes you do think that they are any bet terthan
the varieties in eommon use? No ; I think rappoe is the best Tariety, so far.
2558. Have you had any experience of rust here ? Yes ; we have had it in the eane, but it did not do
any serious damage.
2;559. Is it noticeable in any particular variety? It appears in treboe, lillian green, and black Java.
2560. Do
THE GENERAL COSJ>ITrOX OF TILE SirQAR 1NDUSTHY I^f QUEENSLAND.
25G0. Do you trash your cane? We always try to trash every paddock once — twice, it' possible, if we G. E.
have sufficient labour.
2561. Do you believe that this is necessary ? We have proved it by trashing only half afield, and letting 19 Jan.,
the other half aloue, and the part that was trashed grew within six weeks 6 inches more than the other
on an average.
2562. Have you tested it by au analysis of the juice ? Yes ; and trashed cane gives a higher percentage.
2563. Tben your experience proves that it is profitable to trash ? Certainly.
2.564 How do you plant your cane ? By digging a hole 20 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 8 iuches
deep.
25155. Are the grubs showing this season? I do not expect them to show before February or March to
any extent. There are plenty in thegrouud. [have had toallow25 acres of my bestlaudto liefallow,and
I nm trying to kill the grub that way.
2566. Do you find that cultivation kills the grub? So fur it has not.
2567. Tou mentioned that you had swmecane from Java. Have you got any fromanywhereelse? Tes.
I got some from H'omehtuth (Mackay), the Victoria (Ingham), Brisbane, and New South Wales. I got
a shipload from New (South Wales.
2568. Do I hose plants <lu well and thrive after bringing them here? Tes. I think a change of
seed is necessary.
2569. Tou think it beneficial to change the seed ? Tes. After live years it is better to change the seed
iis much as possible.
2570. Were any of these Java plants sent to any other people in the district ? Tes ; to Mourilyan.
2571. Do you know what they did with them there ? They planted them in au isolated place and intend
to grow them. I think it is a great risk to do so.
2572. Have you ever manured here ? We have manured in the nursery only. It was an experiment.
2573. Have you had suliicient experience to tell us what is the best kind of manure ? We tried six acres
with.lime, filter press cake;, and superphosphate; but the filter press cake gave us the best return. That is
the refuse from the filter press iu the mill.
2574. Have you had any experience with artiieial manures? The result in the nursery is, that super-
phosphate gives the best result.
2575. Superphosphate and lime mixed ? Alone. We tried lime and ashes, and it gave a return of 12
tons to the acre ; but the superphosphate gave a return of 50 tons to the acre.
2576. What was the gain in favour of the manured cane ? Thirty-eight tons to the acre. Tou must
remember that that was only just a few stools, and it may not be sufficient to rely on.
2577. Then up to the present you can give us no information as to the best kind of manure to use ? No;
our ground is all virgin soil.
2578. Tou said you were purchasers of cane ? Tes.
2579. Do you lease your land? No ; we would be glad to take more, a great deal more cane, at the price
quoted — lis. a ton.
2580. By Mr, Kim/: The prico would vary with the deusity and the priceof sugar? Tes.
258 L By Mr. Cowley: Have you leased, any laud to growers? Tes; to Chinamen.
2582. Wo white farmers ? No. The Chinamen have 500 acres, Tliey planted 100 acres the lirst year,
200 the second year, and 200 afterwards.
2583. What rental do they pay for this laud? No rental. It is uelearing lease.
2584. What do you pay them per ton for their cane ? 1>s. per ton, delivered on the trucks.
2585. This price of 9:5. per ton is fi xed at that on account of their getting the land free ? Tes ;
certainly.
2586. Would you lease the laud to white farmers if they would plant su^ar on it ? In all my couununi-
cations with the general manager on the subject, he says he is tnly too willing to start such an idea,
provided the men could see their my to work it.
2587. Has it been made generally known to farmers, tha,t you are prepared to lease them land and buy
their cane ? Yes ; and 1 have the conditions that I showed to the farmers.
25SS. What uumbcr of draught horses have you here ? Forty-two draught horses and twelve hacks.
2589. How many bullocks ? Seventeen working bullocks.
2590. Is most of your haulage work done by trams ? Tes ; nearly all,
2591. How many in'les of tram have you, portable and permanent? When it is all completed there
will be thirteen miles of permanent line, and about four miles of portable. There are more portable rails
coming, but they are not here yet.
251Y2. What machine power have you ? Two locomotives, and another one coming out. Horses work
the portable lines.
259;i Have you double crushing in your mill ? Tes; two sets of rollers, each double crushing; two mills.
2594. Do you macerate the cane ? Tes ; largely.
2595. Is your machinery of the very best description known in the manufacture of sugar? Tes; I
believe it is. There is the triple effet and the vacuum pan,
259(5. lio you try to avoid all waste ? Certainly. *'ur chemists are employed to take an analysis of the
cane as it comes into the mill, ami at the end of the season we can soo how mueh sugar we ought to have
got, and how much we actually obtained.
2597. Is this analysis continually being taken? Tes; itis going on throughout the whole of the season. It is
not an experiment, but continuous work.
259S. Wbat is the average amount of juice in the cane ? 2:30 gallons of juice to the ton of cane.
2599. What percentage of water is added to this ? I am not able to tell you. Mr. Scott will be able to
give you the information.
2600. 1 want to know if your kanakas are easily managed ? Tes ; they are.
2601. Do they create any trouble? Have you had any punished? Several ; but it was all on account of
the grog. It' it were not for the grog they would be the most tractable class of men you could have.
2602. Do you take steps to prosecute those persons who supply grog to the men ? Tes ; and I have
obtained convictions against thein.
2603. Ha« that a deterrent effect ? It is not nearly so bad as it used to be.
2601. Bo
78
MISUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES BETOHE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQTTIliE INTO
G. E. Adams. 2G01. Do these labourers agree with the other labourers on the plantation ? Yes ; there is very rarely
19Jan*Tl889- 2G05. Do the natives of the different islands agree amongst themselves? There are nu tribal fights, or at
least very rarely, and thev are easitv stepped.
2G0G. Have you any difficulty in obtaining South Sea Islanders? Can you obtain them easily? JVo
iudeed, we camiot.
2607. Can you make any suggestions by which they could be more easily obtained ; of your own knowledge
do you know of anything ? I could not say from my own knowledge.
2i',0H. What is the cost of passage money now ? We employ our own ship, the " Nautilus."
12(50!). Is vour ship continually running? Yes ; it has been running now tree voyages.
2G10. Could you tell us about the cost per head to the plantation ? Between £20 and £22.
2G1L. Does that include the capitation fee paid to the Government? No.
2612. Are you full handed, or covlM you give employment to more men ? We want another 150 men.
2(313. Have you made any application for them? The "Nautilus" has just gone for boys for tkis plantation.
2614. Do you employ a medical attendant on this plantation ? Yes, there is an hospital attendant. The
medical man comes up once a week and examines the boys.
2615. Besides this do you subscribe to tie hospital, and pay the usual fees to it ? Yes. In addition we
pay the medical man who comes here 50 guineas a year.
2b'16. Have you ever irrigated here? No.
2617. Do you believe that it w«uhi be beneficial ? ( Yes ; but this is the first year that we have had any-
thing like a drought.
2618. Do you know if it is the intention of the Company to go in for irrigation ? No; they have not
told me. It would be very easy to irrigate on account of the land all falling back from the river.
2619. Have you a ready sale for sugar ? We do not sell any ; we ship it away direct to the refinery.
2(520. Do you make a low class sugar ? Yes.
2(521. Have you good means of transporting your sugar ? "We do it by sailing vessels — sometimes,
steamers.
2622. Do you keep any record of the readings of the thermometer on the estate ? Yes.
262:1. Can you supply us with a copy for the last few years ? Yes.
2624. And also the rainfall ? - Yes.
2625. By Mr. King -, What is the average wages of European labourers iu this district who are not
employed in the sugar industry — who are employed out of doors, but not employed by yourself ? Prom
about 25s. to 30s. a week and rations, and they have to live in tents.
2G2G. What wages does the Divisional Board pay ? They pay lOd. an hour, or about 8s. a day, and the
labourers find themselves.
2G27. Can you get plenty of labour at the wages you offer ? We had some trouble during the crushing
season ; but I io not think it would be the same now. 1 liave a great many inquiries for employment now.
2628. What is the amount of rates you (ay annually to the Divisiou.il B«ard here ? About £2SQ.
2620. By the Chairman : Where was the machinery now in the mill manufactured ? In England and
Scotland.
2G30. Is none of it colonial made ? No, I ain happy to say; at least I do not think any of it is.
2(S;H. Are any kanakas employed in the mill work? No; only whites. Sometimes the white men fall
ill and I have to get kanakas to fill their places.
2(532. Can you tell us what is about the average annual cost of the over-hauling of and repairs to the
machinery before you commence in the season ? Since we have been here we have made so many
additions from year to year that I could not give you any stated amount. The plantation has only been
working three years.
2G33. Approximately ? I could give you a rough idea ; but- 1 wouldjprefer the general manager to give
you the answer on that point.
2034. Do you always keep iu the establishment a regular staff of engineers and fitters? Yes ; all the
year round.
2G35. Have you ever attempted to employ any of the aboriginals*of the'colony on your plantation ? Yes.
2G3G. Many? Yes.
2G37. Has the employment of aboriginals on the plantation been a success ? Decidedl v not. We
employ them out of charity. If we employ a man he generally brings all his relations with him.
2G38. Then you do not think that their labour would be suitable for plantation work ? To a very small
degree. They are decidedly most unsatisfactory labour.
2G39. Now, you arc aware that the*special object of this Commission is to obtain suggestions from those
engaged in tlie sugar industry as to how it can be improved in view of its present depressed state. Have
yon any suggestions to offer whereby the sugar industry can be improved at the present time ? I think
the first question of all is the settlement finally of the labour question. That is the first thing. The
second is some way in which we could meet those sugar bounties, by having a tax placed on other sugars
coining into this country.
2GK). By Mr. Jurty .- But no sugarcomes into the colony at present ? Tlieu we should have assistance by
putting on a bouuty here.
26-U. Bif the Uhiirinun : When you say "final settlement of the labour question," what labour do you
refer to ? 1 refer t» coloured labour, as white labour would not do.
2342. What would you cousider the final settlement of th« labour question ? That some sort of labour
should be given us for use in field, work, that we could depend on for years to come. Any extension
definitely fixed would only be prolonging the evil day. If the labour question was settled we could then
see our way; but at present everybody must be frightened at the results likely to come about.
26J3. You are aware that according to the hiw the introduction mf kanakas ceases at the end of 1890? Yes.
20 14, What off oct is that likely to have on the sugar industry? If I had a plantation of my own I
would most decidedly look on it that 1 should have to expect to shut up if I was prevented from
employing kanakas.
2G45. Then if the Act is carried out as it is now on the statute books it will have the effect of closiug
the plantations ? iTes ; a very large number.
20 10. Then,
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE 8UOA.B. INJJU8T11Y IN QUEENSLAND.
2646. Then, from your knowledge and experience in the northern district, you are of opinion that the G - E - Adal
sugar industry could not be carried on without coloured labour ? Certainly not. / ^*^ < ^Zu N
2647. And that it should take the form of kanaka labour? I did not say kanaka, bu* the kana,ka is 19 Jan., 1889.
the most suitable labour that we have. We have not tried tho Javanese. I think the Chinese are not
suitable.
2618. Do you think that the present price of sugar would permit you to employ Europeans ? No ; I
am sure it wtuld not.
2619. Not if they couM be obtained at 15s. a week and their board, as at Townsvillc at present? fXo;
because tliey can't stand the heat, and when you refer to 15s a week, that is for new chums who can't
stand the climate. They do in the mill, but nowhere else.
2tv50. By Mr. King : Will a new chum do as much work in the field as a kanaka ? No; he is not able
to do so. They get diarrhoea and dysentery.
2651. By the Cliairiium : Do you think that an alteration might be made in their hours of labour ?
Supposing that Europeans went to work at 5 o'clock in the morning and worked up to 11 o'clock, and
then discontinued in the heat of the day, and finished their work in the cool part of theeveniug, would
that be any advantage? We have tried that to a certain extent before now. At the same time I may
meution a case that came before the Divisional loard yesterday. A contractor wrote to say that he would
have to suspend work as the men he employed said they could not stand the heat.
2662. Then the Divisional Board men refused to work? Yes; they refused to work until the weather
became cooler.
2653. "What suggestions would you propose with regard to the labour question? You have not told us
distinctly what you mean. The Act expires at the end of 1S90, and what would yon suggest as an
alternative ? That is what we are desirous of ascertaining. As long as we are allowed to use the kanaka
or suitable labour that can be got with certainty, I contend that the question is settled as far as we are
concerned, and it would enable us to carry on, and all the sugar estates would be worked properly.
2654. Are your company aware that at the end of J. 89* the importation of Polynesian labour ceases ? Y r es.
2655. Tlien do you know if the company are making any arrangements as to labour in view of the Act
being carried into effect ? I would rather not speak cn that point ; the general manager will tell you.
2656. By Mr. Cowley ; What do you generally pay new chums here? 15s. a. week. But we have
different rates for different work about the mill, and if a man shows himself anxious a ud pushing, he gets
up higher in the department and gets better wages.
2657. Thcnyou do your utmost to encourage them to remain with you in the mill? Yes.
2658. Do you give them bonuses if they remain during the season ? Yes. Any man whogets under 25s.
a week wages, gets 2s. 6d. a week bonus if he remains during the season.
2659. Do you find new chum labour satisfactory. Do you find that they fulfil their agreements? It is
pretty satisfactory iu the mill, no where else. In all batches of new chums we get a certain number of
black sheep, but after they have been culled out, the remainder work satisfactorily. We have several who
have been through the season with us.
2660. Do you think that the right class of men are. being brought to the country for agricultural pursuits?
Yes, I am well satisfied with those I have got, taking them all round.
2661. As agricultural labourers or as mill men? As mill men.
2662. 1 mean agriculturists. Do ploughmen or agricultural labourers come out ? As far as my
ploughing goes it is so limited that I can hardly speak on this subject. I have only two or three ploughs
and horses at work and in nearly all cases they are worked by white men, who are new chums, a»d they
are the best to work at that.
26G3. I suppose that the closing of this mill would be disastrous to the district? There is nothing else for
Geraldton to depend on.
2664. Is there any other industry of importance being carried on here? No.
2665. Do you d« much work by contract ? Yes; I have plenty of white men who ta ke contracts, and
also several Ch:nese contractors.
2666. By (he Ghairma7i - When you say that kanakas are necessary for the sugar industry, you refer
exel usivefy to field work ? Certainly.
2667. Not to mill work ? No, we have worked our mill with white men.
26G8. Then from your experience in the northern districts you are of opinion that white men would not
be able to do field work, where the land is timbered and the stumps are on it, and when only the hoe is
used ? Most decidedly.
2669. And the Europeans you have already had with you refused to work in the cane field ? Yes.
2670. By Mr. Cowley : As .imatter of fact the Europeans will not hoe under any condition? No; I
have never known them to use the hoe.
2671. Jf you could get kanakas at a cheaper rate than ill; present, would you be prepared to pay thetm
more than £6 a year, which is the wages under the Act? Of course that cuts both ways. I thiuk I
would. 1 would like to say, before closing my evidence, that this company in all their mills, have analy-
tical chemists who nee the loss that takes place, and check the amount of sugar that comes into the mill
in the cane and the amount of sugar that is obtained from it. Those gentlemen are kept alL the year
round. They analyse the cane during the season, and tell us which is tli» best came to grow, and which
is the best season of the year to cut it.
2572. By Mr. Auiy : Do they also analyse the soil? Yes; a comparison is made every year of the
whole mi our works.
William Hyde Tkuss examined:
2673. By (he Chainnm .- What are you ? Tbe hospital attendant W. II. Trues.
2674. Have you had auy experience on the estate as a ganger ? Yes. f —^\^*—^
2675. How long were you a ganger ? About twelve months. 19 j an , 1^99
2676. Were yi>u iu the field continuously during that time ? Every day.
2677. How many men bad you charge of ? I had no men ; I had charge of the w omen.
2678 How did they carry on their work in the field ? They dtd the usual work — weeding.
2679. Did they do it without difficulty ? Yes ; easily.
2680. Were they well able to stand the climate ? Well able. 26S1. Did
so
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ItOYAI, COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
W. H. Truss. 26*81. Did they suffer in health ? No.
2652. Did you do any work yourself when you were with them ? No,
19 Jan., 1889. 26*3. Do you think you could have done it V I could have done it, I dare say.
2684. What work were they doing ? Weeding and trashing.
2685. Do you think that is work that white men could do ? No ; not weeding.
2686. Do you think a white man could not do that r No,
2687. Have you ever sef n any white men doin* work in the cane field ? No ; not trashing.
2688. Have you seen them weeding ? No ; 1 have not.
2689. As hospital attendant, can you state what diseases the kanakas principally suffer from? Dysentery,
fever, pneumonia, and diarrhea.
Were tie cases numerous ? No. During the past twenty mouths we have been very tree trom
almost all diseases.
2691. When a kanaka comes to you and complains of illness, do you examine and prescribe for him your-
self? Yes ; if he is very ill or ha* met with a bad accident, lie is sent into the Geraldten hospital.
2692. How often does the medical man from G-eraldton visit the plantation ? Once a week, oftener if
necessary.
2093. Does he visit the islanders generally or only those in the hospital ? Those oily m the hospital
who are sick,
2694;. Is there any specified time for the sick men to call at the hospital or do they come at any time of
the day ? They come the first thing in the morning.
269-5. Do you decide whether a boy is unfitted tor work or do you leave that to the manager. It is
left to me.
2696. How docs the kanaka's health compare with the health of Europeans ? Very well. There are
a great many more kanakas than Europeans on the plantation. The average number of boys sick is
about six; sometimes we have twenty or thirty.
2697. What is the proportion of deaths? Last year the total number of deaths on the plantation
amongst the boys was sixteen, of these fourteen died at Geraldton.
2698. Can you state from memory what was the principal disease they suffered from, which resulted in
death ? Pneumonia.
2699. Sixteen deaths out of the total number of men employed ? Yes ; out of 400 or 500.
2700. I lave many of the women had children during the time you were on the plantation with them ?
About six or seven, I think.
2701. How long do they abstain from work on those occasions ? That is left almost entirely to them-
selves. About a fortnight, if they feel inclined to turn out. We never hurry them.
2702. What hours do they work ? Ten hours a day.
2703. Can you give the hours? Erom half-past six till half -past five, with an hour allowed for dinner.
2704. Do they ever complain of the length of their hours ? No.
2705. Do they show any unwillingness to go to their work ? No, none whatever.
2706. Are they easily managed ? They give no trouble whatevor.
2707. By Mr. Kiny .- How many kanakas had you under you when you were a ganger? Sixteen women
at a time. There are a great many more low,
2708. Do you think you could have take* the hoe in your hand and done the snme work that they did?
I would not like to have to.
2708a. Would you be willing to take 25s. or 30s. a week to do the work? No.
2709. By Mr. Cowley : Is your hospital well supplied with medical requirements ? Yes. Anything I
require I can get from Mr. Adams. I have full power to give anything that in my judgment I
consider necessary.
Patrick Malonet examined;
P. Moloney. 2710. By Ike Chairman .- What are you ? A ganger.
^— ^_a_-— >^ 2711. How long have you been on this plantation ? Eight months.
19 Jan., 1889. 2712. And have you been engaged as a ganger on the plantation during that time ? Yes.
2713. How many men have you in a gang ? Thirty-eight.
2714. What work were they employed in ? Hoeing and cutting cane at the time of crushing.
2715. Did you work with them ? No.
27L6. You simply gauged their labour and looked after them ? Yes.
2717. What time did you go out in the morniug with them ? I am supposed to leave the house at 6
o'clock.
2718. To what time do you work iu the evening ? Till 5 o'clock.
2719. Is there auy allotted task given them, or do they work on and do as much as they can ? They
have to do a fair amount of work. In cutting and trashing we set them a task.
2720. But in weeding they are not tasked ? No.
272 L In cutting and trashing is the task set a lioavy ono ? No, it is not excessive ; they can get done
about 3 o'clock.
2722- And on Saturdays how do you deal with them ? They stop at half-past three.
2723. Are ilxej culled on to do any extra, work on account of this early stoppage of work ? No.
2724. How do they work ? Is their work done cheerfully ? Yes.
2725. Have you any trouble with them ? None.
2726. Supposing a boy becomes unwell in the field, what do you do with luin ? I send him to the
hospital.
2727. Have you seen any Europeans engaged in field work? No ; excepting driving horses and plough-
ing. They do not work m the cane.
2728. Would you, as a ganger, like to do the same kind of work as the kanakas? No, not on anv account
2729. Why ? Because it is too hot. }
2730. But supposing you were paid 30s. a week and your board for doiug it ? I would do some part of
it, hut not the whole of the work that they do.
27.31. How long have you been living in the northern district ? Seven years.
2732. And
THE GENERA I, CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
2732. And you have not undertaken any work of the Irind yourself? No, none.
2733. Would you do so ? I di not think I wotdd.
2734. Have you ever been put to the test ? So, never.
2735. Have you always found abundance of other employment ? Tes.
2736. Do you know of your own knowledge that any of your countrymen have refused to do work in tho
cane field ? No, not that I ever saw ; I never saw them asked to do the same work, only part of it.
2737. By Mr. King: What wages would you take to engage to do trashing and weeding, the same as
the kanakas ? It would be a lar»e amouut ; I should not like to do it for a good deal. If I tried, I do
not think I would be able to stand the work as well as a kanaka.
2738. H it was the only work offered to you, would you take it or hump your drum ? I would hump ray
drum first.
2739. By Mr. Cowley : Do the kanakas prefer the task to ordinary day work? It all depends. If you
task them heavily, they prefer usual day work.
2740. In the event of their not finishing the task before knocking off time, wha t happens ? They finish
it next morning. They leave off at the same h«ur as if they were doing day work.
2741. If they finish their task before knocking off time, what happens ? They are allowed to go home.
2742. Do thc?y often finish before their time ? Not very often.
274:]. What work hav« you been eigaged in during the seven year* you have been iu the colony?
•iffereut kinds of work. At first driving a team of horses in the Mackay district. I was eighteen
months at that ; it was my first job. I then got a mob of hoys on the same plantation. Then for two
years I was employed platclaying on the railway, and the remainder of the time I have been on this
plantation.
2744. By the Chairman : Do you think that platelaying on the railway is as hard work as hoeing in the
cane field ? You are better paid for it.
MONDAY, 21 JANUARY, 1889.
JOHNSTONE RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Mourilyan.)
— Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, E3Q.
A. S. COWLEY, Es*„ M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Robert Russell Smellie examined :
2745. By the Chairman : Are you one of the partners of the Mourilyan Sugar Company ? Yes. R. R. Smeliie.
274G. Will you be kind enough to tell ua what experience you have had in the cultivation of sugar or / ^—*»_a^^-> v
any other tropical produce on this piautation ? Yes; seven years — since the end of 1881. 21 Jan., 1889.
2747. And what has been the result of your experience during that time ? In what respoct ?
2748. With regard to the success of the cultivation of sugar? As far as the profit has been
concerned it has been almost nil. All the profit we have made on the plantation has been expended in
further improvements, every sixpence of it ; the proprietors have not withdrawn one shilling from the
plantation for salary or anything else; they bave lived on their means, aud all the profits derived
from the plantation, every shilling, has been expended on the property.
2749. What is the total area of the estate ? We have 5,000 acres altogether.
2750. How much is under cultivation? I think we have 1,200 acres cleared, and 750 acres under
cultivation ; this year 850 acres under cultivation.
2751. AH under cane? Under cane.
2752. How much sugar do you make in the course of a year ? Iu 1886 over 2,000 tons. Last year we
made about half, and this year about half, in eonsequence of the drought. The drought has continued
now for two years, and there is every prospect of a smaller crop this year, through the effects of the
drought last year.
2753. How much molasses do you have ? I can scarcely tell you. This year we have not yet dried off
our fourth sugar ; but I can give you an approximate idea. Between3,000 and4,OU0 gallons we have made
this year. We have only run off 2,000 gallons this year, and we huve only fourth tanks left now.
2754. What do you do with it ? Run it into the river.
2755. What amount of capital is invested in the estate ? Over £120,000 has been expended.
275G. Does the produce of the plantation pay the interest on the plantation as well as its working
expenses? No. Io 1886 it did, aud gave a considerable surplus.
2757. But not in 1887 and l8s8 ? No.
2758. That was due to the drought? Yes.
2759. And the low price of sugar ? I am coming to that. In 18SG we had a surplus, and if we had
obtained the same price for sugar in 1886 that we did in 18S4, when we started, our gross returus would
have been £20,000 more for the crop. Sugar has fallen in price since 1884 50 per cent., s o anyone can
form an opinion about the r esults of an industry when you are so much short in priee alone.
2760. Can you tell us what your annual working expenditure is? The working expenditure, I think,
costs about £1000 a month. In lbSti it cost us £24,000 a year. We had a tremendous crop to takeoff ,
and we had to engage a large number of Chinamen by contraet tocutcane and load it for the mill!
All that is included In the £24,000. But now it takes from £1000 to £1200 a month to work the
plantation.
2761. What labour do you employ on your plantation ? J ust now Javanese and kanakas,
» 2762. Can
MINUTES OF EVTDESCE TAKEN BEFORE THE IIOIAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
K. R. Smellie. 2762. Can you tell us the number of Javanese, kanakas, Chinamen, and Europeans that you have? In
^— ^ coloured labour we have 172 just now.
21 Jan., 1889. 2763. Particularise the exact numbers ? Kanakas, 14.
2764. The number of Javanese ? 157 Javanese.
2765. The number of Chinese employed? None.
2766. The number of Europeans? There are five Europeans employed here now, not including the
manager. ^
2767. How many Europeans do you employ during crushing time? They average from 20 to 2o.
2768. What is the average wage you pay to kanakas ? We are paying kanakas now from £12 to £15 a
year.
2769. What wages do you pay the Javanese? £18 a year, or 27s. a month, for those introduced to the
colony, and we have others to whom we pay from £2 to £2 os. a month, and we find them in board as
well as medical comforts and attendance.
2770. What wages do you pay to Europeans on an average ? About £100 a year, and we board them
all. We board everybody on the plantation.
2771. Speaking from your own experience, what description of labour do you find most suitable for field
work ? We find kanakas and Javanese very good for work of that sort. Javanese are particularly
handy with the hoe. They are Sourabaya boys. They are better than the kanaka boys with the hoe,
and make a nice dean tidy job.
2772. Have you ever employed Europeans in field work ? Jn 1885 when the House passed a Bill to enable
employers to introduce labour from the Continent of Europe, within twenty-four hours after it beeame
law I sent an order home to our agent in London to send us out forty men.
2773. What was the result ? In the first place he went over to the Continent, and there found that the
Continental powers would not permit this Bill to be put into operation ; and within, I suppose, about
three months 1 informed the Government of this fact, and they would scarcely believe it, until Sir Samuel
Walker Griffith wired home to the Agent-General togo over personally and make inquiries. We could
have evaded the law by bringing the men to London to engage, but when their own Government
would not allow it in their own country, it was not our place to fight the laws of those countries.
2774. Then, practically, your application ended in nothing? It practically resulted in nothing on the
Continent. Afterwards we sent a similar order to Mr. Hamilton, our agent in London, to send ns out
forty labourers from England, under engagement for two years, at £30 for the first year and £40 for the
second year, and if they worked well the company would not stick to the £30 for the first year,
but give them £40 for both years. I think we succeeded in getting thirty to come out. They came out
here and at once created as many difficulties as they could. We put them to the easiest work — work in
the shade. They were feeding the cane carrier, and in a very short time they found that if they put too
much cane on the carrier, it would chock the mill and stop operations, and that if they put too little on
the carrier it made a bad crushing, apd the megass was too moist and damped down the fires, and the
mill had to be stopped for half an hour to get steam up again. They appeared to come out here with not
the slightest intention of working, and the mauager drew them all up outside the mill one day and said,
"Those who wish to work stand to that side, and those who do not ssish to work stand there." And of
the lot only one man stood aside as being prepared to work ; he was prepared to work and had come out
here to work. We cancelled the agreements of the rest. That man who decided to work is still here.
1775. By Mr. Kwj: What wa^es does he get? £78 a year; he is a good steady man. He has only
been here two years. I intended to teach these men every branch of mill work. I had an idea that we
could work the plantation with white labour; this was the start of it, and this is how we were treated.
2776. By the Chairman : Have you ever employed in field work men who have been in the colony a long
time ? A'o ; wenevercouldfind any men to engage in field work with the hoe or to do chipping and trashing
or any work in the cane or field except driving horses ; that is the only field work white men will engage
in. They always said it was work for kanakas. In fact, on different occasions men have asked me if I
thought they were kanakas.
2777. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each blackfellow employed ? I should say about
four acres to one man. When we get the plantation under plough we will be able to do it with less I dare-
say. With us up here we are obliged to keep a large staff the whole year that we do not actually
require. If we conld get labour for six months when we want it, we could do with a great deal fewer
hands.
2778. How many acres have you under the plough ? 179 acres under the plough.
2779. Do you think that Europeans could cultivate that part of it ? They could do the ploughing and
scarifying, but you would require black boys to chip between the rows of cane ; that is very trying work.
27nO. Then if I understand you rightly it was your intention to work this plantation with white labour if
you could have got it ? That was our intention. ] tried 1o get men out, and got thirty to come here at
from £30 to £40 a year, a salary we could afford to pay them. But the new chums had not been here
long before the white men in the distri ct commenced to tell them that they had come out here to take the
bread out of their mouths, and that they had been imposed upou. This made them discontented, and a
discontented man is a worthless man.
2781. Is that the way the thirty hands engaged by Mr. Hamilton in London were made discontented?
We think so.
2782. Then it was not because they could not do the work ; but because they thought they were not
getting sufficient wages ? That was it. They would not work for less than the ruling wasres of the
colony, and there is no sugar plautatiou in the colony that can pay the ruling wajres of the coloilj and
grow sugar at a profit. T have no doubt myself that sugar can be grown by white labour up lo a certain
state. But that is not the question to be solved. The question to be solved is whether it can be growu at
a profit. If it cannot be grown profitably and to compete with the world it must cease to exist. That is
my thorough conviction.
2783. Do the kanakas and Javanese employed in the fields -suffer in health at all ? Tbev do not as a
rule. We hav e very healthy boys.
2784. Does the field work affect the health of the Europeans when engaged on it? I do not know,
because we have never tried any in the field,
2785. Did
Tilli GE^EIUL CONDITION OF THE SUGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEEN81,UfD.
83
2765. Did it affect Hie thirty you had from lioine ? They were never in the lield, they were under a sbcd
in the shade.
27sG. Then \ou neper h.ul any Europeans in field work? No, never. We put them ou the easiest work
we could till they became acclimatised.
2787. Have you one »r two crashing mills in the mill ? Two.
2788. la your machinery English or colonial ? It was manufactured by Mirrelees, Tait, and Watson, of
Glasgow. It is one of tlio moat complete mills in Queensland for the production of white sugar.
2789. Do you have an annual overhaul ? Yes.
2790. Do you do your own repairs ? Yes.
2791. Are the Polynesians you employ time-expired boys? A lot of them are. These boys whom we
indented, and who ciitnc to us after their time had expired, arranged to remain on. They came here for
three years, then engaged for twelve months more, and after that for twelve months again.
2792. A re these boys occasionally visited by the Polynesian Inspector? Yes.
2793. And by the medical officer ? Yes. We have a hospital of our own, but if any of the boys are
seriously iJl Ihey are sent to Geraldton Polynesian Hospital.
271H. Were th« Javanese indented to yon direct from Java, ? Yes.
2705. Have any of them completed their time:' Yes. We sent aw;iy about sixty-five in October.
2700. And the rest ? Their time has n«t yet expired. Some of the lirst butch re-engaged, and another
batch will be rendy in October to be sent home.
2797. Is ii not part of tho agreement with the Javanese Government that before they re-engage they
mnst be consenting parties ? No.
2798. Is it optional with the Javanese themselves? Yes. We can't engage them at all now in .lava.
2799. Speaking from your experience of them, which do you think best in the field work, Javanese or
kanakas ? .Javanese.
2800. Do they suffer in health in the field work? No, not any more than the kauakas.
2S»1. And they are treated in the same way as the South Sea Islanders ? .Just the same.
2802 By Mr. King : Has any of this land suffered from exhaustion at all ? Do you think that the falling
off in the production is attributable to exhaustion of soil? No. I can give you an analysis of the soil
taken last year if you want it embodied in your report. We sent four different samples of our soil to
Mr. Hays, in London, who is agricultural chemist for the Planters' Association. Three of the samples he
mentioned as containing the highest fertility. I asked him when he thought manure would be required,
if any manure was wanted, and what elemeuts were wanting iu the soil, and he said it would not want any
manure for many years.
2803. Has the caue suffered from any blight, disease, or vermin of sinyjkincl. ? In 1886 we suffered from
2804. Was that the cane grub ? Yes, the cane grub. There is what is called the borer, which bores into
2Hl)5. llav* you not sutfered from it since lS'iti? Slightly, but not so much. In fact, it disappeared
altogether.
2806. Did you suffer to any great extent from it? Yes, a good ileal We only had about half the
returns we had iu the previous year. The caue grew luxuriantly up to a certain stage, and then the
grub attacked them and growth t eased.
2807. Did you try any measure to stop the grub? We did.
2808. What did you do ? I consider that the proper means for exterminating the grub is "elbow grease."
We utilised our labour that year by stumping 179 acres and putting it nuder the plough.
2S09. By the Chairman : Then practically cultivation will destroy it ? Yes ; we tried quick lime, but it
did not kill the grub. A month or two ago 1 found that common salt killed it.
281L). By Mr. Kiny : Since you ploughed the 179 acres, lias the grub appeared in it? In this patch it
has re-appeared to a certain extent.
2811. I understood you to say that this plantation paid the interest on the capital invested ? No, not
tne interest on the capital. It did so in 1886. It paid about 5 per cent. then.
2812. Does the whole of the capital invested in this plantation belong to the proprietors ? The larger
portion of it does.
2813. If any considerable portion of the capital had been borrowed, would the plantation be able to pay
interest on the borrowed money? Yes; it would pay the interest on the borrowed money ; though the
partners would get no interest on their capital.
2811. What did it cost for clearing the scrub — for clearing and burning it oft ? About £6 10s. That is
the contract price for clearing and burning «£E only.
2815. How many years would it be after clearing and burning off before it could be stumped sufficiently
to be\v«rkcd by tho plough? About seven years. It depends entirely «n the timber. It would probably
take longer at Uo*udi, as they have harder timber there. Our timber is softer than on the other aide «f
the rivfr.
2816. What wo nil! it cost to stump the scrub? Wt>got offers for the stuinpiug of the 179 acres from
Chinamen. The. lowest was £13 per acre.
2S17. Has the 179 acres been under cultivation for some time? For three years under cultivation.
2818. During those three years would not the stumps have decayed to a certain extent ? Yes.
2819. AVhat do you estimate it would cost to stump the scrub after burning off and having a crop on ?
It would be, 1 think, fully £2-5 per acre for most of the land in the district. With our owu labour it cost
us £7.
2820. That is with black labour ? Yes. That is the same land the Chinamen offered to stump for £13.
We had one tender as high as £20. It all requires to be cleared for 12 or 11 inches under the surface.
2S21. What does it cost you to get kanaka, labour from the islands ? The last we got cost us about £22
10s. We calculate that it costs us £25 to land them on the plantation.
2822. Does that include the capitation tVe ? No; the capitation f c;e is in addition
2823. By Mr. Cowley: You say it cost £6 10s. to clear and burn off? Yes.
2821. Would that leave the land fit for planting? Just ready for hoeing. The contract was £3 5s. for
cutting down, and £3 5s. for drawing and burning.
2825. Have
MOTTTTES OT EVIDENCE TAKEN" BEFORE THE ROYAi COMMISSION TO TNQUIBE IXTO
K. 3mellie. 2825. Have you always employed an experienced manager here ? Yes.
^- v --" , ~\ 2826. In 1886, you say that you made 2,000 tons of sugar. Had you sufficient labour during that year
Jen., 1889. to reap the crop and thoroughly attend to its cultivation ? No ; we had not.
2827. Did the ratoon crop suffer much from neglect that year? It did
2528. Then you bad to neglect some of the caue, with the result that there was a smaller crop next year ?
Yes, I had-
2529. Do you think that the loss would hat e been greater if it had been a. wet season instead of a dry
season? No; it would not have been so much. The grub does more damage in dry weather than in
wet weather. In fact the grub cannot live in wet soil.
2830. Is there any market at all for molasses ? None that would pay.
283L. Have you tried distillation? No ; we have not a sufficient quantity of molnsses to keep the still
going all the season. I believe it would pay if we had sulficieut molasses to keep the still going all the
year round.
283- 2. If the excise duty were removed would there be sufficient molasses in this district to keep oue still
going? Yes; I would" be iuclined to put up a still myself if the other mills would let me have their
molasses. It is a]l a means of increasing revenue.
2833. Then, ass a source of profit it is going to waste now? Yes ; molasses contain 50 per cent, of
sugar, aud all that could be converted into spirit.
2:y.ii. Do you work the Javanese under one of their own mandors? Yes; under their own mandor in
preference to our overseers. If they do anything wrong they are punished by their own code of laws,
;md the system of working under a mandor is in iJouforuiiry with the kws of their own count ry.
2835. Do you thiuk that this has been one cause of their success with you ? I attribute it to a great
extent to the mode of working them, •ther people have a good deal of trouble with them, but we never
have any trouble with, them at all.
283(5. Those white men that you imported from the old country you say you offered £:30 and £10 a year.
Does that include house and rations ? No ; ratious aud everything additional. Everybody on the
plantatiou is rationed, aud we find them in a house.
'.2837. A\ T ere nny of them married men ? No; all young men.
283H. Did the experiment result in loss to you ? It resulted in our losing part of the next year's crop.
The labour we brought out was specially to assist in 1880 with the heavy crop to be got in and with the
field work, and they failed to carry out their agreement. It was an indirect loss.
2839. You say that you returned sixty-five Javauese some few mouths ago ? Yes.
2840. Did any of the others re-engage elsewhere ? Yes ; one.
28-41. What became of him? He went to Qoondi, and is now at the Queensland, lie wants to re-engage
with me now and come back to the plantation. Those who re-eugaged were paid the full wages for the
uext engagement. They were paid j£2 5s. a month.
2842. Then of the shipment of Javanese all are accounted for, either having returned home or re-
engaged ? Yes.
2843. Are you under a bond to return all the Javanese to their own country if they wish to go? Yes ;
we are under a bond, through our agent in Batavia, to return them if they want to go. "We are also
bound by our owu laws to send them home.
2841. Wha.t varieties of cane do you chiefly grow ? Rose bamboo priucipally. Last year we tried a sort
called Mauritius ginghan. It is a cane that grows rapidly and matures quickly. Meerais a good cane ;
it is very hard We have twenty-two varieties of caue which we are testing as much as possible. A very
fine caue we have is called striped Siugapore. We planted out three acres of it for our uursery, but lost
it on accouut of the drought. We have some old stools, and we are trying to get some plants out of it
for first planting.
284- 5. Which variety suits the plantation best ? Rose bamboo is the best.
2816. Has auy of your cane suffered from rust or any disease except the grub ? No.
2847. Do you trash your cane regularly ? Sometimes we do and sometimes we do not. Our manager does
not believe in trashiug ; but I am .agreat believer in it, more especially in this district, which is a moist
district, for the water settles at the bottom of the leaf and starts an eye iu the cane.
2818. And why do you not always trash ? Our manager believes in trashing at certain times. Sometimes
he has not been able to trash at the time he thought it necessary for want of labour.
2819. Then, haviDg tried both ways, have you come to the conclusion that it is wise and beneficial to trash?
We hav e not come to any conclusion. Still we are going to triish this year, if possible.
2850. What is the average weight of your cane per aero ? The average has been only 18 tons for the last
two )-ears.
2851. Are you purchasers of cane at all ? No, not at all.
2852. Are you in a position to purchase it if you got it? Yes, we have a tramway laid all through the
plantation .
2853. Have you made any efforts to get-white men to cultivate cime ? I have always induced our men to
go aud work portions of land. If they planted cane, we would buy it from them.
2854. Could you purchase any quantity ? Yes, I could have purchased 10,000 tons this year, if I could
have got it.
2855. Would you be prepared to ltase your land to fai'mcrs to grow cane on it? As far as I am
individually concerned, I would be. I would be glad to sxj the cultivation taken up by farmers, aud leave
the mill work and inanulkcturing to the company themselves. Still, those who leased the litnd would
require to cultivate under instruction.
2856. How mauy miles of tram have you ? Twelve miles of permanent line laid down and two aud a-
half miles of portable rails.
2857. Have you anv motive power other than horses ? Two locomotive.' 1
2858. What fuel do you bum in your locomotives? Wood in the off season and coal in the crushing
season.
2859. Do vou buru wood in your furnaces ? Yes, wood and megass.
2860. Then you burn no coal ? No.
2861. You say that you have a double crushing plant in the mill. Do you macerate the cane? Yes, we
io.
2SU2. Is
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAH INIlfSTRT T5T QUEENSLAND.
2862. Is yotir machinery of the best description all over the mill ? The very highest class of machinery at K. R. Smeliie.
the present day. ^^*- A --"~ > >.
2803. Do you do your best to prevent waste in every stage? Yes, 1 am in the mill myself from morning till 21 Jan., 1889.
night, and sometimes during the night. I do not think that any waste takes place that we can see. Our
returns sh»\v whether there is much waste or not.
2864. What is the average amount of sugar you extractfrom the cane? During the last season we got
1 ton of sugar from 9 - 90 or say 10 tons of cane.
2865. Have you a return for the whole oE the year? I can scarcely give yon that, because we have not
manufactured .ill our sugar yet; the fourth class has still to be manufactured. The percentage «f th«
different duases is 769 of total whites; 15'3Gi) of our thirds, a yellow sugar; 7*732 of our fourth or
lowest class sugar.
28G6. Is that the percentage of the output? Yes ; in October last year, in the Lcust crushing, our return
was 9'81G tons of cane per ton of sugar. The average of the previous week was 9 957. That arises not
from auy waste, but from the different varieties of cane.
2867. What I wish to know is, if you have any means of ascertaining the amount, of saccliarinematter left
in ihe megass ? We ean't tell exactly, but I should say about six |>ei' cent.
2868. You have extracted ten per cent., and you think that six per eent. is lost ? Yes, I think so ; six
per cent, of the megassj, equal to two per cent, of the cane. This last year, on account of the drought,
the rind of 1hc rose bamboo was very hard, and the density was very high, and it did not yield so much
sugsr as I expected, aud I considered that the reason was because the rind and tbe fibre was so hard,
aud the high crystallisable sugar could not be extracted, though we used a lot of water in maceration.
2869. Can you suggest any means whereby the general waste can be overcome? The only means that I
think would extract all the crystallisable sugar is by diffusion. We macerate to a very largeextent between
the two mills by boiling water. This we have found a great benefit.
2870. During your last crushing you say that a considerable amount of sugar was left in the megass.
Could you not have extracted more by putting in additional water ? The amount of water used is limited
by the evaporating power we have.
2S7L Does it pay to put in an excessive amount of water ? No ; not to put in too much-
2X72. Have you had any experience at all in diffusion ? Nothiug further than from reading about it.
2873. Do you thiuk it would pay in this district, or in Queensland generally, to adopt the diffusion
process ? I think that diffusion i.-s the solution of extracting the greatest amount of sugar from the
cane. In reading the reports from Louisiana, U.S., the greatest result that they $*ofc lias been 2221bs.
per ton id cane. I have got with crushing and maceration from 219lbs. to 2251bs. per ton of cane.
2874. Have you prepared a table showing "the actual percentage of analysis ? 1 have the analysis from
Louisiana, U.S., but not of niy own cane,
2S75. Would fuel he a great item in the diffusion process ? A tremendous item.
2876. Do you think it coidd be worked properly here with the fuel you have ? I do not know.
2877. Then your plant at the present time is as complete as it can t»o ? No more complete plant exists
than the Mourilyim Sugar Company's plant. It lws every appliance.
2878 Couhl you tell us the percentage of molasses you get per ton of sugar? I will be able to tell you
exactly to a gallou as soon as we get our fourth sugar through,
2870. Can you tell us the percentage of last year ? No ; we did not keep it. I can make up the calcu-
lation, and tell you to within a very few gallons.
2880. Have the South Sen, Islanders you have always been easily managed? We have never had any
trouble with them at all.
2881. Have you had any trouble with the Javanese ? We have never had any trouble with any of our
labourers.
2882. Are the Javanese addicted to drunkenness ? No ; quite the reverse.
2883. Have you had any experience with aboriginals ? Yes; we have about twenty working now, and a
lot have just gone into the scrub. We have sometimes seventy or eighty of them.
2SS4. Do you find them profitable- labour ? Yes; sometimes. In burning off trees, or anything like that,
they are useful. They might come aud. w»rk iiie day, and stop nway twoor three days, They come and
go just as they like These who come, we feed and clothe. Thot-c who do not come and \v«rk, we d» not
give any food to. They come and work for a week <r two, and then go away. It is not reliable labour
for a plantation.
2885. Are you full handed on the plantation ? No.
2S86. Are you making any provision to get any other class of labour ? Yes ; Javanese, or kanakas, or
Japanese. The Japanese »re going in large number?, at their ownexpense, from Japan to Honolulu.
28^7. Then the work outside is suffering at present from want of labour ? Not particularly just now.
2SS8. If you had additional labour would you extend your operations ? Yes : my idea is to stump next.
There are 100 acres of land that we planted in July iu which the plants are not doing well at all on
account of the drought. We are just considering whether we shall stump that, land this season, and put
it under the plough or clear and chip it, and burn «ff and replant with the hoe.
2S89. 1 lave you experienced any dtlficult*y in getting kanakas here ? We have not imported any kanakas
for some years ; the last we got was four years ago. We abandoned the idea of kanakas when we saw that
the feeling of tbe country was against them, and we wished iu 1886 to get Europeans to take their places,
but we got a sickener of it.
2890. Have you attempted irrigation ? No; never.
2891. Have you any intention of trying? In a district like this we did not think we would ever suffer
from drought ; it has never visited the district before. There has always been a large supply of rain.
2892. Amongst the varieties of plants you bave, have you any from Java? Yes; I have specimens
from Borneo.
2^93. Are they healthy plants, or do they suffer from disease? No disease; nothing whatever. We
have had communications from Mr Knox, in Sydney, asking us to have them destroyed ; but the reason
Dr. Kottmann gives, as published in the Courier, are strong reasons why they ought not to be destroyed.
I know a lot about the sereh disease. I instructed an expert to get this Borneo cane from Nortb Borneo
dhvet, as there are plantations formed in Java principally for supplying growers with cane tops tor
planting
86
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TA-EEN DEFORE THE JtOYAr, COMMISSION TO INQTUBE INTO
R E. Smellie. planting. This cane is estimated to contain 226 per cent, of crystallisable sugar. I say that this is one of
,^-*->\- — ^ the solutHons of the Queensland sugar industry— to introduce the very highest class of cane from all parts
21 Jan., 1889. of the world. Those canes were selected from a plantation in Java which Dr. Kottmann himself acknow-
ledges is entirely f reef rom sereh disease, a tid is along distance from those canes that are afflicted with the
disease. Those canes have been yielding for somo years up to six tons of crystallised sugar per acre.
2894. Are these analyses to be relied on ? Yes ; I think so. It is a wonderful cane if suitable for this
climate. ,
2895. Then up to the present your specimens of this cane are entirely free from disease ? Yes ; I will
show you the cane.
2896. By the Chai)-mmn : Then you do not intend to destroy the cane as Dr. Ivottmaun says you should ?
No ; they are isolated and entirely under my eye.
2897. Dr. Kottmann says it is an infectious disease ? Sut why should good cane coming from a district
not infected at all be the means of introducing the disease- If the disease had been even within, a few
miles of where I got the cane from I would have destroyed them at once. I say that Dr. Kottmaun has
actually given us more reasons why Mr. Knox should not have got into a panic and destroyed his plants,
which he has done. He would not suffer from the disease, if there was any, any more than T
woubi, and I am as much interested in keeping out the di.sease as he is. There is no indication of even
the sereh disease or any other disease in the cane. The disease turns the cane into blady grass, which it
was originally.
2S98. By Mr. Otwlr.y : Have you ever obtained cane from any other source ? We, purchased a number
•f varieties last year from Mack ay, some of which sh«wei signs of the borer, and instead of planting
them we burnt them. The others we planted, and I can show them t» you.
2b99. Contrasting them with your own plants, are they better and stronger than your own cane ? Our
own rose bamboo cane are the best plants.
2900. Are you aware that -some years ago the Government distributed plants of the Lahina and Creole
varieties ? Yes ; and I have some now. The Creole is just the same as the rneera, at least, we believe so.
2901 Did the Lahina turn out anything extraordinary ? We have not had it crushed. It is still in the
nursery. It is a very good cane.
2902. Do you intend to propagate from it? Yes ; if it stands the climate. Our present manager says it
matures too soon and gets hard. I said to him that was one reason wh y we should plant it as we could
crush it the earliest.
2903. Is there any other crop besides sugar that you think it would pay to grow by white labour in the
district? jS'o ; they would have to be assisted by coloured labour ; it could not be cultivated entirely by
white labour.
2904. There is a vast amount of magnificent land here still unselected. Could any crop3 that you know
of be grown in the district? Coffee grows well, but it requires more labour than sugar. Fruit grows
well, but I do not think there is very much profit in it, because there is no market. I would guarantee to
grow more bananas than would supply the whole of Australia. There is really no market. There is a
great cry about going in for fruit both here and elsewhere.
2905 Do you believe that it could be done solely hj white labour ? Yes ■ I believe it could if the
land couli be cultivated with the plough and harrow. The principal part of the expense is after the
fruit has matured.
2906. By the Chairman : llave you ever grown any fruit yourself on this plantation? No ; only bananas
for the boys.
2907. Do you keep a record of the rainfall and the temperature here ? Yes.
2908. What is the average rainfall per year? Last year (1887) for the last nine months it was ninety-
six inches.
2909. What time of the day do you take the temperature ? We do not take it now as our glass is broken.
2910. Then you do not know what the average heat is ? No.
2911. Is the heat such that a white man could work in it ?• No ; not during the summer — at least, I
would not like to d« so.
2912. You would not like to put a white man to work in the heat you have here ? No ; not during these
scorching days. They could stand it well enough in winter.
2918. Then in the winter months you think the y could do the work ? Yes.
2914. Then what in your opinion is the cause of the depressed condition of the sugar industry at the
present time ? The first cause is the low price of sugar caused by over production, and that over produc-
tion is stimulated by the bounties to beetroot sugar.
2915. Is there no other local cause ? #ne cause of the depression in the sugar industry in Queensland
is the uncertainty of labour. I believe that is one of the great causes. There is no man, with capita],
either in Queensland or out of it, who will embark in an industry when he is limited to hveyearsor three
years for a supply of the labour which he thinks necessary to carry ou his operations. There are improve-
ments that could be made to our mill that would save thousands of pounds, but we are afraid to lay out
sixpence on them, because we believe that if coloured labour is cut off you also cut off the iudustry.
That is our opinion.
2916. Then what remedy would you suggest in order to improve the condition of the industry at the
present time ? That is a dificult question to answer.
2917. Still as you are engaged in this particular industTy yourself, a.nd have now told us what are, in
your opinion, the causes of the depression, we would like to 'know from you what in your opinion should bo
the remedies that should betriid to make an improvement iu the industry and prevent it from collapsing?
We must have labour, not hound to a certain place, and it mnst be of a reliable nature. We must h.ue
labour, not bound to a certain place and it must be of a reliable nature. We must huve it without being
interfered with or restricted by the Government. I will point out to you some of the restrictions that
ezist in regard to the kanaka labour. The kanaka is bound to do certain work in the field. He fan
bring the cane up to the sugar mill, hut there he must leave it. A European labourer must take charge
of it while it p-asses through the mill and until it is manufactured into sugar. The kanaka can then be
brought to the sugar room aud fill the bags with sugar, and put them on the truck. He can even take
the
THE OENGHAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAB INDTTSTltY IN QUEENSLAND.
the trucks down to the wharf, to be put on board the ateamer. There his duties ceaae. We are com- R. SmeUie.
pelled by Act of Parliament to employ a white man to put them on board the ateamer. It ia reatrictiona
of that aort that atrangle the industry. Again, you are prohibited from putting the black girls who are 21 J an., 1889.
employed here to do house-work. Those petty obstructions strangle the industry and are useless.
2918. I understood you to say juat now that in the mill Europeans could very well be employed? Yes;
very well in the shade.
2919. Is it your opinion that you ought to be allowed to employ kanakas in the mill as well ? I do ,not
care whether they arc employed in the mill work or not; we do not think that there should be any
restriction, that a kanaka should only be allowed to bring up the cane to be crushed. It ia done every-
where in Quceualand except in thia diatn'ct. Thia ia the only district that haa adhered pretty atrictly to
the Act.
2920. By Mr. Kino : You would not put on kanakaa to do any skilled work — to look after engines and
sugar boiling? No ; nothing like that.
2921. By the Chairman : Then if the labour queation waa settled in aome way, you would proceed with
the necessary improvements to your mill ? Tea.
2922. And would you extern! your operations generally? Wc would extend them aa far aa our
machinery wtuld allow uh, as far as our mill oould take it.
2923. Which ia? Over 2,000 tona of sugar a year. My opinion is that a great many people in the
colony do not know much about the industry, and they speak about ainall milla and mall plantations.
Now a plantation is just the same as any other commercial industry. A small mill will not pay. As an
illustration, take this mill. It can produce 15 tons of sugar per diem, I could put up another mill
and we could produce 30 t»ns a day, and with no more expense than the product of the one
mill. ¥b can boil a pan of Biigar, and it takes us to boil a pan of 5 tons just thesametirae asitdoes to
boil one of 20 tons. I cannot put it plainer than that. That is when you will see the sugar industry
flourish in Queensland, when a number of small plantations join together and amalgamate. They are
doing so in Honolulu. I see that five have just amalgamated there under the one management.
2924. You have had experience before you went into the sugar industry in employing a large number of
men? Yes ; all my life.
2925. You were at one time one of the largest employers of white labour about Brisbane ? Yes ; I was.
292(J. And your sympathies would go in the direction of employing entirely white labour if you could get
it in sufficient quantities ? Yes.
2927. Then^our opinion is that at the present price of sugar you could not afford to pay Europeans 30s.
a week ? No; I would never think of doing so.
2928. Do the Europeans on this plantation show any animosity to the employment of kanakas ? I do
not think ao ; they arc all very friendly, the kanakaa and the white*
2929. That is as long as the kanakas arc employed in field work ? Yea. I never heard any complaints
from the whites as to tho kanakas. The white people have all coine to the conclusion in this district
that the kanakas are a necessity.
2930. Supposing that the restrictions you mentioned were withdrawn, and the kanakas were allowed to
he employed indiscriminately on the plantations, do you think that tho white people would resent it? I
do not think they would be employed indiscriminately on the plantations any more than at present. I
am Sjpeakiii'' for myself.
2931. You huvc told us thatt here are some planters in other parts who do not adhere so closely to the
law as you do ? Not in this district, but in other parts of the colony.
2932. But would not these men who do not now observe the law, supposing the restrictions were
removed, be inclined to carry it a little further ? They might.
2933. By Mr. Cowley : Would you entrust your valuable machinery to a South Sea Islander, even if you
could ? No ; we have never done so.
29:M. Do you think that a reciprocity treaty with the southern colonies would benefit the sugar planter
at present? Yes ; if it could be made advantageous to both colonies, I think it would.
29:35. By Mr. King .- If Queensland sugar could be admitted free into the other colonies, would
that benefit the sugar planter ? It would materially. That is one of the reasons why the plantations of
New South Wales can afford to have white labour on their plantations, because they are protected to the
extent of £6 or £7 a ton above Queensland. There is a duty of £5 a ton, to which has to be added the
freight to Syducy. That will la>t as long as they can't produce sufficient to meet their own wants. They
are now producing so many tons of sugar to the acre, and arc getting £7 a ton more than we do, and that
goes a long way towards paying expensive lab»ur to cultivate it.
293G. By (he Chairman: Then, although y«ur sympathies go entirely for employing white labour in this
district, you would not, in the heat of summer, put a white man to do the work that a kanaka now does
in the cam field ? No ; I would like very much to see white labour employed on new plantations.
2937. By Mr. King : But you think that that can't be done ? In a financial light it is impossible. It
can't be done.
2938. By /he Chairman : Throwing financial matters asidc,"could it be done ? I do not think so, except
in the winter months.
2939. The physical conditions would not allow them to do it ? I do not think we could get them to do it.
2940. By Mr. Cowley: Do you think that if coloured labour were more easily procured it would conduce
to the settlement of ainall farmers ? Yes, I do, to a great extent. I think it is the duty of the Govern-
ment to take that entirely in their own hands.
2911. In what way do you think that this could be done ? By the Government having agents down on
the islands, and having central dep6ts and steam boats specially for the conveyance of passengers. The
Government would receive orders for boys for the different plantations, and on the way down the coast
they could discharge the number required as they passed the ports. They should take the labour question
entirely into their own hands.
2812. The employer paying the cost ? #f course. The Government would make it as cheap as possible.
2943. Do you think that this would be feasible — practicable? Yes; I do not see that there ca.n be any
difficulty iu it.
2941. And you think it would put an end to all abuse P Yes, naturally, for this reason, that the
Government controls both end«. 2945. Would
8
illlTTJTES OF EYIDENCE TAKEN BEFOKE THE ROTAJ, COMMISSION TO I1TQT7IR.-. BTO
; 1 1
B.R. Smellie. 2915. Would it be more beneficial for the Government to assist small growers in this way than by a
t * \ central factory ? Central sugar manufactories is money thrown away, iu my opinion. _
21 Ja»„ 1889. 2916. Do you think that private enterprise would supply the necessary central factories i \
seen both b«tb central fact oi-ics in Queensland.
2917. From your knowledge of this district-, nui of the setthrs here, do you think they would derive any
benefit from the establishment of an experimental farm iu this district for the diffusion of knowledgeaud
the distribution of plants ? Ye s , it would be verv valuable to have them all over the country. \\ e have
a different climate here from what {key love in Cairns. They have got one there. We have a different
climate here, and the climate and soil is different from the south. Wa have a large number of tropical
products here. In fact, we can grow anything here. It is a mere question of labour.
•2948 By the Chairman : Are there many small selectors in this district ? Not many. There are nine
down the line between this and Mourilyau. They are homestead selections. Four of the selectors
have commenced cultivation.
2919. But is not all the available land on the Johnstone River, with a frontage to the river, selected?
Yes.
2950. Then there is only the back land open for selection ? Yes. There is the Moresby River. That
is navigable for teu or eleven miles — deep water.
2951. And is the la»d open for selection ? The most of it is. It runs into some of our selections.
2952. Is it good land for settlement? Yes; good land.
2953. By Mr. Cowley : How did you light the mill last year ? The gas did very well.
2951. Do you light it with gas now ? Now all kerosene.
2955. What was the reason you gave up gas ? It was too expensive on accouut of the duty on petro-
leum. Petroleum cau be bought at home at 9d. a gallon and it cost us 4s. 6d.
2956. What is the duty ? Sixpence a gallon.
2957. What process do you use in the manufacture of sugar ? What is known as the Despesstes process.
We use sulphur and superphosphate. The process of sugar ma mfacture adopted by this company is as
follows :— The juice, as it Mows from the crushing mills, is received iu a cistern where it undergoes the
first stage of the process called the sulphuring. Our clarifiers areeach of a capacity of 800 gallons, and for
this quantity of juice, of a fair quality, we use from Ik to 31bs. of roll sulphur, which is burned in a small
furnace and the fumes therefrom are forced through the juice by means of an injector aud jet of steam.
The action of this sulphurous acid disengages a considerable quantity of impurities from the juice, and
leaves it purpr, and in a manner bleached, and considerably acid to the litmus paper test. This acidity is
rapidly destroyed by adding milk of lime till the juice becomes neutral. Asa matter of practice we
usually add this Iiuie gradually as the clarifier is being filled. The juice is then brought to the boiling
point, and superphosphate or Fhrmannite, containing from -10 to 50 per cent, of free phosphoric acid, is
then added in quantity (usually from 2 to 3lbs. for ordinary cane juice) in order to bring the liquor
back to the natural acidity of the juice as it exists in the cane j this acidity is again destroyed by
the addition of a little more milk of lime. And at this stage samples are always taken in a test-
glass for careful examination. The litmus paper should show the juice to be about neutral. If the
impurities appear, iu the test glass, to precipitate rapidly in lar ge floculea to the bottom of the glass,
leaving the juice bright and clear, like pale sherry wine, above, the defecation may be considered
complete, and it is then run down to the snbsider. Every care ought te be taken at the clarifiers to
have the juice thoroughly defecated, as any defect here cannot be afterwards rectified m most mills ; but
in mills supplied with filters the syrup can again be re-treated and any mistake at the clarifiers thoroughly
rectified. In examining the sample in the test-glass, if the impurities are in very small flocules, merely
black speeks continually revolving in the liquor, aud apparently unable to precipitate, it is a pretty sure
indication that a lit He more lime should be added ; but added in small quantities with care. The liquor
remains in the subsides as long as the requirements of the after-process will permit, in order that all the
disengagrd impurities may precipitate. The clear juice is then drawn off to the apparatus
called the triple eff&t, where it is evaporated in vacuum at low temperatures to a density of
23 B. The syrup, at a temperature of WO degrees F,, is then discharged into what is technically
called the re- heating tank. Here the syrup is brought up to the boiling point, for the purpose
of coagulating the albumen, and disengaging it from the Byrup, and thus assisting the syrup to filter
more freely through the filter bags. At this stage we always add to the syrup a little superphosphate and
neutralize wilh milk of lime, leaving it nearly neutral, but rather to the acid sid® than otherwise. The
syrup here should be bright, clear, and spmkling. It is then run into Taylor's filter bags, where the
albumen and other impurities in the syrup ar e extracted. It is then boiled in vacuum pans in the usual
way, and as massecuit is discharged into a receiver aud mixer situated just above the centrifugals, and
is dried while still hot. The sugar, on being discharged from the centrifugals, is passed through a drier,
from which itis bagged direct, aud is now ready for market. This is the whole process without interruption,
but there are a great many most important details which will show on the debit or credit side of profit and
loss according to the care with which they are attended to and carried out. To go back to the subsiders,
when the clear juice is withdrawn from these, there remains about 70 gallons of juice containing the lime,
superphosphate as used in clarification, and the impurities of the subsidence. This is run down to tanks,
where it is brought to the boiling point, and by means of a unont-jus with a 'steam pressure of 70 1
to the square inch is forced through the Biter presses, where the clear juice is disengaged, leaving in the
presses all the impurities in dry solid cakes. These cakes, by this process, are^very valuable as a manure.
It will be noted that if these presses are not worked with extreme care, and under constant supervision,
ignorant and careless men may cause considerable loss, and mill managers eniiuot be too careful in having
all their connections fixed iu such a manner that waste in this quarter should be easilv detected.
Superphosphate should always be added first and neutralized with lime— if the lime be added first it tends
to colour the juice, which no after process can rectify. There has been considerable discussion in some
quarters about the benefits or otherwise in the use of sulphur, and in 18861 had -a communication from a
home firm requesting me to put the question to the tost and report my experience, From close attention
to the mill work night and day for six months 1 was perfectly satisiied that the use of sulphurous acid
did increase the quantity of crystallizable sugar, and so reported then, which was adverse to the opinion of
an old refiner, J£or the last two years 1 devoted my whole atteution to the mill work in its every detail
THE GBITERAL CONDITIOX OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY rN QUEESSLAIfD-
and am still of the same opinion. I may here add that the report of the Commissioners of the Agricul- K - B -^ me ie -
tural Department of the Uuited Statea, who have been engaged for three years practically testing the
manufacture of sugar by the diffusion process, has just, been published, in which they animmce the fact 21 Jan., 18S9.
that the use of sulphurous acid docs increase the quantity of evystalli/;ublc sugar extracted from the cane.
This company has also a complete charcoal plant, but for many reasons I prefer the Despessies process as
carried out by ua and described above It is more rapid, we get a better defecation, leas liable to waste,
and no sweet waters to evaporate. The chief use of filtering syrup through annual charcoal is to
decolorize it, but if this colour is caused by material impurities held in solution, it ha. 1 ? no power to do so,
and hence defecation must be very perfect in order that the full benefit of charcoal may be obtaiued.
This is very difficult by the ordinary lime process in so general use, and the only process I know of to
attain this object is to largely overlime the juice, and to discharge it with c;irbonic acid.
2958. Havo you used any other process ? Yes, we have tried the Bulphur process.
2959. And do you find that you make better sugar, and get a higher percentage by the'process you have
just named? Tea, but not much difference in cost.
2960. And the advantage so far as you have gone ia in favour of the Bespessies process ? Tes, with it you
can always maintain a uniform quality of sugar. Like all other processes, it requires a, great deal of ctire
and attention.
2961. By the Chairman ; In order to carry your sugar from Jthe mill, you have constructed a. two-foot
railway to tlie Mourilyan Harbour ? Tes.
2962. What was the cost of it ? About £20,000.
2963. By Mr. Cowley: Or nearly how much per mile? Nearly £3,000 per mile. It was an expensive
line, on account of the difficulty in getting through the scrub.
2961. By the Chairman : Who was the contractor ? Mr. Bashford.
2965. What labour did be carry out his contract with ? He commenced with Europeans, but had to
abandon Europeaus and employ Chinese, on account of the enormous death-rate amongst the Europeans.
2966. Were all the wharves, &c, at Mourilyan erected by yourself ? No, they were all m the contract,
and are included in the £20,000.
2967. Are the buildings included in that ? Tes, the building of the store and the wharf.
3968. What is the carrying capacity of the store? We can on emergency store 1,000 tone.
2969. Can steamers come alongside the wharf ? Tes, steamers of 1,500 tons can. The " Barcoo " and
" Maranoa" can come in. The" Cintra" came in at the begiuning of the year with stores, horses, &c.
2970. By Mr. Cowley : Then with these facilities you can ship sugar to market at a very low rate ? Tes.
We have got every facility. When shipping to London we send the sugar by the s.s. " Paliner" to catch
the steamer at Townsville. The cost of sending a shipment to an Australian colony is just as much as
sending it to London direct. There is this advantage in sending sugar to London, that the charges are
just half what they arc in the colonies.
2971. By the Chairman : Have your shipments to England paid ? We have not sent anything but the
very lowest clues sugar, and for the last we sent we got £11 a ton net. That is about £-1 a ton more
than we would have got in the Australian colonies.
2972. Then in point of fact you have every facility for whipping by means of the railway and the hnrbnur
at Mourilyan for nearly four times the amount of land under cultivation? We have facilities for
shipping sugar up to 10.000 tons, and more. Were it not for the drought and tho urub, we woild
average 30 tons of dine to theacre here. I have not the slightest hesitation in sayingthatiuthisrich scrub
land by the river, with high class cultivation, ive could produce from thrive to five tons of sugar to the
acreevery year ; and I believe in high class cultivation — the very highest. It is the cheapest, and best.
Kitherto the cultivation of these heavy scrub lands has been done in a very primitive way — hoeing is a
primitive idea. I believe that the sugar industry is the greatest industry iu Queensland, not excepting
gold, tin, copper, or any other minerals, or even squatting. I believe if this industry was flourishing we
would export from Queensland over £10,000,000 worth of sugar, &c, per annum. Hitherto it has got
no encouragement, and the planter and all his operations has been looked upon as if he was an enemy to
the country. Tou must not look at it in the lightof the number of Europeans working on the plantations.
Look it at it in the light of the enormous number of Europeans who areemployedon board ships carrying
sugar, working in offices and stores all over the colony — all overother colonics — who arc dependent on the
success of this industry. The steamship companies who send their steamers up north just now could
carry our stores at a great deal less rate if they had a back cargo from the north to the south, and nothing
in the north can give them that but sugar. They say it themselves. Here planters situated as we are,
far from the south, pay enormous freights for everything that we require ; those enormous freights would
be reduced immediately it' we could give them full shiploads of sugir down to the south, and they can-
not get that without sugar.
WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY, 1889.
JOHNSTONE RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Geraldton.)
Present. :
W. H. GROOM, Esq. M.L.A. | n. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLET, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq, M.L.A., in the Chair.
William Ca>nt examined :
2973. By the Chairman .- What are you, Mr. Canny ? I am manager of the Queensland Sugar "W. Canny.
Company's Plantation, rnnishowen. ^—^y^^-^
297 k How many years' experience have you had in sugar-growing ? About twenty year;*. 23Jani889
2975. 'What
1IENTJTES OJ? EYH)E>eE TAEEX BEF011E THE BOYATj GOKMISSION TO INQUrBE I2CTO
W. Canny. 2975. What is the total area of your estate?— Including all the properties ? Ye s ; three blocks of 1,2S0
^"~*^- A —"~> acres each.
23Jan.,iS89. 297o". How much of that is under cultivation? 600 acres.
2977. With cane only ? Cane only.
2978. How many acres of cane did you crush last season ? Something over 400 acres last season.
2979. How much sugar did you make ? #mly 300 tons.
2979a. How much molasses ? W e do not keep any account of molasses.
2950. "What do yon do with it ? Pump it into the creek.
2951. Are you able to tell us what amount of capital is invested in the estate? Roughly stated, it is
about £80,000.
2952. Does the plantation pay interest on its outlay and the working expenses ? No.
2983. About what is the amount of your animal working expenditure ? For the past year, or for the
three years ?
29S1. For the past year ? Something between £7,00tand £8,000— say, £8,000.
29S5. What labour do you employ ? Do you mean all classes of labour ?
29'-6. What labour do you chieily employ ? Kanakas, Malays, and at crushing times, Chinese.
29S7. By Mr. King : Europeans also ? Yes ; Europeans also.
29s8. By the Chairman ; State the number' of kanakas, &c, employed at present. At the present titne
fifty kanakas, about sixty Malays and Javanese. AVe have no Chinese at present ; the crushing is finished.
During 1 he crushing time we have g^ngs of Chiuese, to whom we pay 28s. a week for cane cuttimg. During
crushing time we have a stall' of about from fifteen to twenty Europeans.
2989. A nd all the year round how mam Europeans do you have on the plantation ? Apart from the
present time our regular staff would be fclleen ; but at present I have instructions to reduce everything
down to the very lowest. I had a letter from Mr. Gray, the managing director, to say that if a gooi
crushing: could not be made they would hare to close the plantation, as it is not paying.
2990. What wages did you pay each class of labour, commencing with the kauakas ? Kanakas engaged
in the islands, an average of from £8 to £10, in addition to the cost of introduction and return passage,
clothes, tobacco, soap, all medical comforts and attendance, besides rations. The time-expired boys that
are re-engaged are paid £20 a year, with the same rations, clothes, tobacco, soap, &c. The Malayt
we pay at the rate of 50s. a month and ration!". To the Chinese we pay 2Ss. a week without rations ;
they ration themselves. We p.iy the engineer £1 a week, the sugar-boiler £3 a week, a second sugar-boiler
£2 JOs. a week, a blacksmith £2 10s. a week, a carpenter £2 a week, a baker £2 a week, and the over-
seers average £90 a year.
2991. By Mr. King : Are all those men getting rations aud quarters ? Yes ; rations and quarters. The
bak°r, carpenter, and blacksmith are married men. and they have quarters and double rations. The other
overseers who arc not married have quarters, and their rations are specially cooked for them. The men
in charge of the pants for taking the sugar down the river get 30s. a week and found.
2992. By the Qlmmmn: How many acres of the estate are you able to plough? I have ploughed
something like 15 acres during the past season. 1 would like to stump 200 acres, but having uo
labour, it cannot be done.
2993. What description of labour do you find most suitable for fiekkwork ? The kanakas.
2994. Have you employed European labour in field work ? Yes.
2995. With what result? The result is that they do not work, and do not care for the work even at a
high rate of wages ; and since I came n»rth I find that they absolutely refuse to do hoe work or trash
cane in the field.
2996. What is the kigkest rate of wages you have paid Europeans for field work ? 25s. a week and
rations. The rations are always cooked and served nicely in the boarding-house. I mention that because
in my early days in the c»lony the men had to cook their own rations.
2997. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for every coloured labourer employed ? To cultivate
properly we would want one ma* to every four acres.
2998. Now, if you had more of the laud under the plough, do yon think that you would be able to employ
more white labour ? Yes. That is labour for cultivation, such as ploughmen. But white men will not
do the trashing or hoeing. There would be a percentage of ploughmen on the plantation, a large per-
centage ; but they will not do other labour. I am speaking from my experience for the last twenty years
on the Mary River, the Herbert Tiiver. and here.
2999. Then, in all your experience during the past twenty years you have found a general disinclination
on the part of white labourers to do trasbiug or field \v«rk? Yes ; except ploughing.
3000. Uo the blacks employed in field work suffer in health ? Not at all. 1 may explain that the new
arrivals, on first coming from the islands, suffer slightly, but after keing here for a year or so are much
better in physique aud health than when on their islands, and boys who have returned home and come back
to Queensland again, you can at once tell they are old hands because they have more of the appearance of
the sturdy Britisher. %n plantations where an exceptional number of deaths have taken place they have
all taken place amongst the new arnvals,
3001. Does the field work affect the health of the Europeans ? Not that I know of.
3002. Would it affect the health of Europeans if they were to do the field work that is now done by
the kanakas ? 1 do not believe that they could stand the heat— weeding, hoeing, and trashing. I have
tried cutting cane with white labour, but they have knocked up at it and returned to the house. They
refused to cut caue in hot weather.
300'3. Was that refusal caused by their getting low wages, or was their reason for refusing their inability
to work in the hot climate ? Inability to work. They were getting good wages.
30*4. How do the Javanese compare with the kauakas in field work ? The kanakas are very much
better. J
3005. Ta that the result of your experience ? Yes. The kana kas tire infinitely superior in field work.
3t06. "Were those men engaged in Java? No. I engaged them in the district for periods of six and
twelve month a.
3007. What is the cost per acre«f clearing the scrub land on this plantation? From £6 to £7. Thatia
ialling and clearing off only.
3008. Supposing
TTIE OENERAL COJTDITIOS OT TH.E SUGAR I>T)TJSTBY TN QTTKEN'SI . \>"1V
91
30*8. Supposing tlifit in addition to clearing and burning off, the land were all stumped and rendered fit Canny,
for the plough, what would be the cosb per acre ? Dnyou mean old cleared land or new land ? f — ^-^\
3009. Take it all together ; take a piece of scrub? The cost of stumping would be £15 an acre in 23 Jan., 1889.
additiou to cutting down and burning off. It would cost from £13 to £20 an acre.
3010. What machinery have you in the mill ? Crushing plant, triple effet, vacuum pans, centrifugals,
&c.
3011. Where "as it manufactured ? By the Fives-Lille Company, France.
3012. Have you any colonially manufactured sugar plant ? No.
3013. Do you make an annual overhaul for repairs ? Yes.
3014. What is the cost of such overhaul ? The average general cost of overhauling French machinery is
more expensive than English machinery. I could not say what would be the exact expenditure.
3013. Could you give us an approximate idea? I can give you what it is for the coming season. With
material and labour, it would hit something like £109 or £500.
3015. Will that all be done by European labour ? All by European labour.
30L7. Do you employ coloured labour in doing skilled work that Europeans can do ? Not at all.
3018. During your twenty years' experience have you seen Europeans at work in the cane field trashing
and hoeing? Yes; in a small nay. After a very short trial they always give it up. I may mention
that before the (-irympic Goldneld broke out the average wages paid for labouring work was 15s. a week,
but since that I h.ave never known field labour to be less than £1 a week.
3019. Have you any female labour on the plantation ? About five females.
3020. Do they work by themselves in the cane, »r with the male labourers ? By themselves.
3021. Have you a hospital on the plantation ? No.
3022. How do you manage if one of the men is taken ill ? We place them in a boat immediately and
take them to the hospital at Geraldton.
3023. Does the Polynesian Inspector pay periodical visits to the plantation ? Tes ; and if a kanaka has
any complaints to make they make them to him. He musters the boys and asks them if they have any
complaints to make.
3024. Hoiv often does he visit the plantation ? Every sis months.
^•25. Do you give the mouey to the boys themselves, or pay it into the Savings Bank ? We hand the
money to the boys iu presence of the inspector. The inspector asks the boys if they wish to deposit
any money in the Savings Bank, and, if so, how much. The amount they wish to deposit they hand to
him, and he enters it in the book, and deposits it in the Savings Bank for them.
3026. By Mr. Cotvley : And you witness it ? Tes, I witness it. The inspector then asks me to witness
the deposit, which I do.
3027. From your experieuce do you consider that system preferable to withholding the money from the
labourer until the three years of his time has expired ? Most decidedly ; I think it is a very dangerous
thing to allow the wiges to run over six months.
3028. By Mr. King : From your experience do you think that the climate of this district is more trying
to white men than that of Maryborough ? Very considerably.
3029. How so ? I may mention that I am chairman of the Divisional Board and a case came before me,
which is a case in point. About a month ago a large contractor doing work for the board wrote me
a letter, not asking for extension of time, or to stop, but saying that he had knocked off work on all of
his contracts, as the men could not go on on account of the excessive heat. If you like I will have the
letter put before you.
3030. We would like to know from the contractor whether he knocked ofE on his own account or whether
in consequence of the men refusing to work on account of the heat? On account of the men.
3031. Will you read the letter ? Tes, it is as follows :—
[Copy.]
" December 16th, 1888.
"To the Chairman Johnstone Divisional Board.
" Dear Sir,
" I have to stop all Board contracts on hands at present as none oEJmy men can stand the heat. I will
start when the weather gets a little cooler.
" Trusting you will not he strict ou appointed time.
" I have, &c„
" DAFT. BEHON.
"William Canny, Esq., Chairman."
3032. Is the writer of that letter available ? I believe so.
3033. Is the heat of the district considerably greater than in "Maryborough ? Oh, yea.
3034. Do you lind the climate suitable for the growth of cane? Ye3.
3035. What average crop do you get per acre in a good average season? From 20 to 26 tons.
303G. Has the season been good lately ? Fairly go«d.
3037. llnv« y«u hud any short crops ? We have had very short crops for the last two seasons.
3038. What was th ■ reason ? I believe that the reason was not being able to cultivate eane during the
crushing season. We have now what may be called a very dry season for this district. We were aot able
for want of labour to trash all the cane, and then it was attacked by the grub.
3039. Was that the cane grub ? Yes.
3040. To what extent did it affect your crop this year ? We lost 50 per cent, of the crop. The crop was
just about half of what it should have been.
3041. What do yon consider.an average crop of sugar per acre ? That all depends upon the management.
With double crushing you will be able to get much more sugar than with single crushing. I consider
that this district should average 2 tons of sugar to the acre. It ivould be more with plenty of cultivation
and labour,
3042. Have tou employed any aboriginals ? Yes.
3*43. What 'work did you employ them at? Working in the fields weeding, and sometimes loading cane
on the truck*.
3044. Do thev work well ? They work very middlingly. I consider them expensive labour— very
expensive. 3045. How
92
JtrXTTTES OF ETJDEXCE TAKEN BEFORE. THE BOTAE COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
W. Canny. 304a. How many of them do you employ ? The most we ever had working was about twenty-five. This
— \ average all through last season was about twenty.
23 Jan., 1889. 30-16." What did you pay them ? These men are worked by a native of t he island of Mare — old Charlie
Mare. We look on him as a sort of chief, and he has great influence with them. We give them food,
clothes, tobacco, &c, and pay Charlie Mare £:> a week, aud he works a gang of from twenty to twenty-
five. I consider them very much more expensive labour than kanaka s, and much more unreliable, as they
go away just as they please.
3047. How long has your land been under crop— the older portion of it ? I should say about five or six
vear.s. I have only been here myself for two or three years. I can get the exact information if you
want it.
3Q1S. Is there any sign of the yield falling off from exhaustion of the soil? No j I do not think so. The
short crops were due to the grub and the drought of the past two years.
3049. Do you buy any cane from the settlers? No.
3050. Wonld youbuy cane if it were grown ? Yes.
3051. What price per ton would you be prepared to pay ? 1 consider thnt 9s. per ton for cane standing
on the ground would be a fair price.
3052. If cut and delivered in trucks? I might say 3s. per ton more delivered at the mill.
3053. Hare you had any Polynesians die in your employment? Yes.
3054. What was done with the w.iges due to the men at the time ? Paid to the Government officer in
Geraldton — the inspector.
30.">5. What becomes of that money — the money in the savings bank and in the inspector's hands ? Do
the relatives of the deceased get it ? Hardly ever. Relatives of deceased kanakas bave very great
difficulty in getting this money from the Government. It is hardly ever giveu to anybody except a wife.
If the boy has a brother he seldom gets it.
3056. By Mr. Coiclr.y : You have had considerable experience on tho Herbert Eiver on plantations? Yes,
30;"i7. Can you give us your experience there on the labour question ? Yes. At Gairloch and Macnade,
where I was manager, we found it necessary, in consequence of the expense and difficulty in obtaining
kanaka labour, to import to each plantation fifty Chinese, through agents in China ; capitation fee,
poll- tax. and all expenses costing the plantation about £20 a head. The labour was most unsatisfactory.
They gave us a great deal of trouble in trying to get them to work, and to keep them from absconding;
but in three months I do not think we hai.l three men in each plantation uut of the lot, the others had all
absconded. We found great difficulty in ideutifying them, and the police did not come to help us as they
should have done.
3058. You would not recommend a repetition of the experiment ? Certainly not, under those conditions.
3059. As chairman of the Divisional Board, have you leased any land to Chinamen ? No. The reserve-s
have been leased not by the board, but by the Laud Commissioner here.
3060. Do you — that is the board— ever employ a iy coloured la.bour for contract work ? No. We passed
a resolution to the effect that contractors were not to be allowed to employ coloured labour in carrying
out contract work for the board. We include in that Chinamen, Malays, kanakas, &c.
3061. That materially increases the cost of the work? Yes. 1 feel very strongly on that point myself.
I consider that iu such work white labour should be employed and no other. That is my own private
view.
3062. You say it would cost you from £15 to £20 an acre to stump your land. Is this branch of the
river more keavily or more lightly timbered than the north branch ? I believe that there are mors
heavy trees on the north branch — more hard wood. We have no hard wood on the south branch.
30S3. How many miles «f tramway have you on this estate ? Two or three miles.
3064. Have you any wooden sleepers ? No ; all steel. When the tram was laid down we had wooden
sleepers.
3065. Did they stan d ? No.
3066. Does this man Charlie Mare, who employed the ftboriginals, treat them kindly? I never knew
anybody treat the aboriginals so well as Charlie Mare, or take such care ef them.
3067. Is he an educated man ? He reads tho Bible and writes. He was working for me in Maryborough
seventeen years ago.
3«G8. What varieties of cane do you u se on this plantation ? The principal variety is rappoe and rose
bamboo. We have meera. Those are the best varieties.
3069. Have you any disease in them like the rust of some years ago. Very, very little. The only
disease is the grub.
3070. What remedies have you tried to prevent the ravages of the grub? We Inure dug all round the
cane stools, picked the grubs up, put them into a bucket, carried them away, and destroyed them.
3071. Have you done anything further in the matter by consultation with ' scientific men? Yes ; I sent
a specimen of the grub to Mr. Gray, and he laid them before the curator of the gardens in Brisbane.
Tho two last lots went to Mr. Souter, of the Acclimatisatiou Society, Brisbane. We have had no report
on them yet.
3072. Do you trash your cane ? Yes ; whenever we have the labour.
3073. Where did you get your plants from— Did yon import thevn ? I got some from Iunisfail.
2 * 74 !- . From 7? ur experience of twenty years, do you th uk it advisable to change the plants ? Yes ; I
think it is desirable to introduce new plants into a district.
3075. Have you everfound it beneficial in auyother part of the colony to do so? Yes ; in Maryborough.
3076. You say that you would be prepared to purchase enne— Are yon prepared to lease your land to
farmers to grow cane ? Certaiuly. The proprietors of the plantation I managed on the Herbert would
be too delighted to cut up the whole of their estates and lease them on reasonable terms to selectors and
farmers if they could get them lo take it, and thus pe t rid of the whole of the field cultivation. 1 may
mention that when in the employ of the proprietors of Macnade we tried everything to enter into terms
and conditions with the farmers, but could nut get the laud taken up. I believe that if the system could
be carried out it would be the solution, to a great extent, of the question of labour on plantations.
3077. You say that you do not have double crushing machinery? No.
3078. Is your machinery otherwise of tho most modem pattern ? Yes.
3079. Have you filter ba.gs, or press filters ? Press filters, but no filter bags.
3080. Do
THE OEJTEBAL CONDITION O? THE STTGAB rSJH r 8TRT IN QL EENS l. ttTD.
3080. Do you think that if the Government rendered you any assistance or any encouragement to work W. Canny,
a still it would assist you to pay interest and make the plantation pay ? I do. The great thing in work- ^^-A-^—
ing alt mills is to have no waste whatever, and any distillery which turns refuse into an article of 23 Jan., 1889
commercial value is good and would help to meet the expenditure.
3081. Are your South St>a islanders easily managed ? Very.
3082. Have they committed any crimes ? No ; at one time they gave us some trouble. That was owing
to their getting drink, but they are getting »ver that now.
3083. Have you done everything you could to stop their getting drink ? Yes ; I have offered rewards to
anyoue convicting people of supplying kanakas with grog, and I have had five or six case? in court and
got convictions in each case.
3#S<i. Then aiv we to understand that the evil is decreasing ? Yes.
3085. Do the kanakas agree amongst themselves ? Yes.
30H(j. Are there ever any tribal lights ? No; occasionally two boyn may have a quarrel, but they set to
work ami fi^ht, the satne as Englishman do, and there it ends and the whole thing is forgotten.
30H7. Then that is a persona) quarrel and not tribal ? Yes.
3088. You say that ymi are very short of labour. How is it that you are tfa ort ? What is the cause?
The principal cause is want of capital. The planter*, when they have large capital invested in their
plantations, cannot go to the c.-pitalists and borrow money, and the consequence is that they cannot
extend their operations.
3080. How was it that you could not obtain those islanders ? What is the difficulty in the way ? I
believe the great difficulty is that the plantations have uo more capital to spend and can't borrow auy
money, and the cost of getting islanders is so great that they can't do it.
301)0. What is the average amount of their passage money and everything ? The total cost is from £25
to £30 a head.
3091. Tf those islanders were more easily obtained, would you extend your operations? Yes.
3092. You havo had twenty years' experience. Can you suggest any way by whieh they eould he more
easily obtained. From your knowledge «f the men, is there any impediment in the way which, if
removed, would induce diem to come? As long as the trade is left in the hands of the shipowners they
will not lower the price. The first boys 1 employed only cost £10 a head landed at Maryborough, and if
it was now tinder the Government control, by which large profits need not be given to the agents or
shipowners, the cost would be reduced. That is the only remedy that J can see.
309:3. From your experience of twenty years, do you think it would pay to grow cane by white
labour exclusively ? 1 believe it would if the land was cut up into small blocks, and worked by people
having families of their own. I believe it will never pay in any part of the North that I have seen to
attempt to cultivate or grow cane with wages men.
3U9JL Would a man be content to allow his family to grow cane if they could make higher wages else
\nhere? No ; 1 don't think he would ; but it would be an inducement for a man to get a home together,
and give employment to the whole of his family.
3U95. Are you awurethat some years ago the Government distributed two varieties of cane, the Creole and
the Iahina ? ILi.vo you grown any of it ? Yes; the Creole. Lt is much i he s;i.m© as the meera. I could
never distinguish any difference between them. I have never seen the hthina up here.
3090. Could you tell us of any other crop that could be grown in the district besides sugar ? Nothing;
unless on a limited area. Youcan grow fruit, I know of no other crop.
3097. Do you know if this is being done by any one in the district by white labour? No; by Chinese.
There are two fruit growers in the district. They are Fitzgerald and Joyce, and their farms are cultivated
by black labour.
30!)S. Do the South Sea islanders often re-engage ? Yea.
3099. "What percentage of those y*u have now are re-engaged? All the boys I have are re-engaged.
I have eniragod twelve during the past week, and some more came in this morning, and wished to be
re-engaged. They were men I had just paid off. I re-engaged them and they commence work on
Monday next
3100. Jiy the Chairman .- If the popula.tiou of this district were to increase considerably, and the scrub
land became more settled upon, and the hind cleared and stumped, and made in a fit state to be cultivated
by the plough, do you think that European labour would then be more generally employed ? Not exeept
in the way I have told yon ; as teamsters and ploughmen, but not as wages men. I do not think that
any estate could be carried on by white wages men, except those named.
3101. By Mr. Kivff : Then they could not be employed hoeing? No, they will not take the wages that
will pay. If the land wasi stumped we would employ more teamsters and ploughmen, but in a cane field
there is a cer tain amount of cultivation that mus t be done by hand hoeing. About a farm, where wheat
maize, and oats are sown, there is not so much hand labour as in a caue Held.
:il(J2. By the. Clminntin : Then from the knowledge of the district you have, and your experience in
Maryborough and on the 1 1 er bei't and Johnstone levers, do you think the climate in this pa,rt of the
colony suitable for families settling on the land, as you mentioned just now ? 1 do.
310:4. You do uofc sufferiu health yourself ? No; not very much.
dlOl. Nor any of your family ? J have no family.
U105. You are aware, M r. Canny, that this Commission has been appointed to inquire into the sugar industry
of Queeiwliinil, tho causes of its depression, and to obtain suggestions, if possible, from those eitga'Ted in
it, as to how the industry can be improved. Now, from your own knowledge, are you able to explain the
cause of the present depression? [ think so. I think the first and principal cause of the present
depression in the sugar estates is, that some four years ago the capital, so far as regards investment in
sugar plantations, got limited in consequence of the uncertainty of labour. I know, from my own
knowledge, that even good people, with good estates that had been unproved, who were willing to go in for
further extension, but could not get the capital to do so, and that was the first check it got. It is a very
good :md a very line iulustrj, one of the finest in the- country, and 1 think that if the labour question
could be settled that not only would we find that prosperity would again eoine back to the sugar growers,
but capital would come to their assistance aud enable them to again come to the front.
3106. How long have you been manager of the present plantation ? Three years next April.
3107. How long have you been manufacturing ou it ? This is the third season.
. 3108. What
94
IffiTUTES »P EVIDENCE TAKEN liEFOKE THE B»YAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
W. Canay. 3U)8. What was the price of the sugar of your first output ? I think the crops netted, after paying all
/ — — *^^\ charges, about £1~> per ton. I am not speaking exactly, but very near it.
23 Jan., 1S89. 31t9. Was that in 1886 ? Yes.
3110. Do you not think that the low price of sugar has had something to do with the depressed state of
the sugar industry ? Yes ; but I do not think that we will ever have the high price for sugar again.
3111. A nd do you not think th;tt the large increase in beetroot sugar, supported by bounties, has had
something to d« with it ? Test ; there lias been a combination of circumstances.
31 L2. In uew of this combination of circumstances what would you suggest as the remedy to be applied
for the improvement of the iudustry, so as not to allow the plantations to collapse? The "first thing that
will be any benefit to the plantations is to give them a certain amount of reliable labour for field work.
Eeallv without it capital will not come back, and without it fine estates, on which a large amount of capital
has already been invested, will be crushed. That is one of the principal remedies I think, and 3 think tiat if
the bounties paid for the manufacture of beet sugar in Europe were removed, it would be another factor to
assist the industry, as it would ensure a higher price being obtained for cane sugar than we get at
present. I do not think we need ever hope to get a system of bounty fed sugar here, so I do not mention
that.
3113. Tou are aware that the importation of Polynesians for work on sugar plantations ceases at the end
of 1890 ? I am.
3114. Are you able to state what, suppose the Act is enforced, will be the effect on the plantation
of which you are manager ? I believe it will be shut up.
3115. Do you not think that the company will resort to the employment of European la-tour ? I
am certain that it would be absolutely impossible for them to do it without the loss of many thousands
every year.
3116. Then in that case the land would return back again to its original condition? Yes.
311". When you speak of reliable labour do you refer to the kanaka ? Yes, I consider that it is the best.
I do not think that a kanaka ever deprived a white man of a day's work ; hi fact, I thiuk that the
employment of kanakas has increased the number of white men employed, and secured labour for them
that they would not get otherwise.
3L1S. Idave you ever heard the white population object to the employment of kanakas in field work?
Yes, in the oid days, whea they were first employed, but since they find that it is the only labonr for field
work I have never known any one object to it. 1 have heard working men themselves on plantations
say that instead of the kanakas doing harm they do good.
3119. Have you, in the course of the evidence y«u have given "before the Commission, been speaking in
relation tm the employment of thes e men in field work only ? Yes, field work only.
;H2#. You would not engage them in any employment on the plantation that couli be performed by
white men ? Mill work can be done very well by European labour.
3121. Eor how long a. time do you think that those South Sea Islanders can be employed in future on this
plantation ? That is a quest ion I would not like to answer. I think there must be something definite
aud reliable before the confidence of capital will again come back into the chaun^l from which it was
taken. You will find on inquiry that what I say is correct. You will find that none of the sugar estates
are extending their operation?, except the Colonial Sugar Company, and they seem to have an enormous
capital at their back. They have gone in heavily, and are doing so now.
3122. I think that you are in full sympathy with the employment of your fellow countrymen if possible?
In all cases. I will give you an illustration. AVheu I first took Eton Yale, Maryborough, I employed
from seventy to eighty whit-e men, and the result was a very heavy loss to me. Mr. Cowley knows the
Mary Eiver district.
3123. By Mr. Cowley .- What was the price of sugar at that time ? About £30 a ton. I only tell you
this to show you that I have always gone for white labour.
3124. Then you w r ould not recommend the employment of kanakas now if you were satisfied that your
own countrymen could do the work in the field — hoeing and trashing? No. At the same time there
would be no profit if we had to pay £1 and £i 5s. a w r eek and rations for white labour.
3125. That is at the present price of sugar? Even at an increase of 15 per cent, on the present price
The field w r ork cannot be carried on by wdiite labour.
3126. Is that owing to the rapid growth of w^eeds in a tropical climate with a tropical rainfall ? Yes.
3127. Have you ever employed newly arrived immigrants in field work? Yes, on the Herbert Eiver, a few
years ago.
3128. What rate of wages were they'engaged at ? £1 a week.
3129. Were they a success ? Yes. as ploughmen and horsedriv ers, but not at hoeing in the cane field or
work like that. We got new 7 arrivals for three years at from £1 to 25s. a w r eek ; the head ploughman got
30s. a week.
313*. Did none of those men engage in hoe w r ork ? No.
3131. Then, practically, excepting at Maryborough, you have not employed white men in hard field work?
Yes, at the Herbert Eiver w r e gave them enployment cutting aud loading cane, but they could not do the
work.
3132. By Mr. King: They could not do the work? No, they could not.
3133. By Mr. Cowley: Will they contract to do this work? They were offered a contract, but they
would not accept it. W e bad to pay Cbinameu high wages, and I wrould never employ Chiuitmen when I
could get white men to do the work.
3134. By the Chairman : Have you found any difficulty with the deceased islander's friends because they
could not get the money of a deceased relative ? The effect in many cases is that the boys will not deposit
as much money into the Savings Bank as they otherwise wrould do, because they say " If me die, Govern-
ment he keep it."
313.5. Then you think thnt some steps ought to be taken by which the money of deceased islanders ought
to be given to some relative of his, whosie relationship cnuld be established to the satisfaction of the
Government ? Yes. It could be established by the police magistrate, oi* by tw r o justices, and evidence
given by owners of plantations or their officers, by which tho identity of the relationship could b<* proved,
and thero would be no trouble about it. It would have a good effect on the labourers, and would only be
justice. 3136. There
THE GENEHAJj condition of the SUQAK INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
3136. There would be no difficulty in ascertaining the tribal rights in eases of this kind, would there ? W. Canny.
No. A boy should be able to leave his money to whom he likes. i — ---^--^
3137. By Mr. Cowley : Do you think it practicable for the Gov ernment to take the introduction of 23 Jan., 1889.
islanders into their own hands ? Yes, I do ; I believe it would do away with all abuses, and all that the
boys complain of. The officers in charge of these vessels should be the very best class of men obtainable,
and be paid a much higher salary than at present, and as the cost comes out of the pocket of the
employer of the labour the taxpayer would have nothing to complain of. If necessary the capitation fee
should be increased, so as to get first-class men — men paid as much as our best police magistrates.
3138. And from a planter's point of view you think that would be a wise experiment to try ? I do. I
think it would be a wise and a humane one.
3139. Do you know of any other cause that prevents the islanders from coming to Queensland ? #ne
cause is that they are not allowed to carry firearms.
3140. Are you aware from your own knowledge that that is a grievance ? Yea.
3141. Can they get them from any other country ? They can get plenty from French and German
traders.
3142. Then you think that our refusal to let them take away firearms docs not prevent the islanders from
obtaining them ? The fact is that they get the arms, and in consequeuce the trade is taken out of the
haivls of our people and put into the hands of foreigners, I also think that it is merciful that they
should have firearms to protect themselves.
3143. Do you think that if there was a Government scheme of immigration and plenty of islanders could
be obtained the estate would pay even at £15 per ton for sugar? I do.
3144. Is that the lowest price that sugar has ever netted from your knowledge on any plantation you
have been engaged on ? Y es, the lowest.
3145. You have heard some talk about a reciprocity treaty with the other colonies, would that benefit
the plantations ? Yes, it would.
3146. To a very considerable extent? Yes; they would benefit in sending their sugar to the Victorian
market to the extent of £3, and in sending it to ihe New South Wales market to the extent of £5. But
it would not make much difference in New South Wales because they are large growers themselves.
3147. From what you know of this district, is this town of Geraldton supported by the sugar industry ?
Is there anything else to support it!" Sugar is the only thing that supports Geraldton except a few
hundred buuehes of bananas. If the plantations were to close, four-fifths of the people would be away in
less than six months.
314S. Do you think that this district would benefit by the establishment of an experimental farm here, if
properly conducted? I do, if it was conducted on the proper line, and I think it would be the means of
proving what variety of cane could be profitably grown by white labour A properly established
experimental farm would benefit this district greatly, because new varieties of caue could be cultiv ated in
a satisfactory manner.
3149. You hare a wonderful area of rich agricultural land, and yet there is nothing of any moment
going on here except the cultivation ot sugar. Do you think that state of things arises from ignorance
of what the land will bust produce? 1 do not think so, because they tan see before their very eyes what
it will produce. An experimental farm would be a great boon, and would give a great impetus to this
district, where we have sin area of rich agricultural land, such as 1 believe does not exist in any other part
of Australia, and any scheme that would prove what could be grown properly in it would, be a national
benefit. Whether we choose to grow tobacco or sugar cane on our land, what we want to do, in my
opinion, is to produce national wealth.
3150. By (he Chairman : Do yo not think that the establishment of au'experimental farm would be the
best means of increasing the national wealth? I believe it would, if it|was the^means of letting settlers
know what could be grown profitably.
3151. Have the planters ever formed an association in this district ? I believe they have ; but it has not
been carried on for some time. They used to hold frequent meetings for the exchange of ideas.
3152. By Mr. Cowley: Were you a member of the Planters' Association in the Ingham District?
I was.
3153. Did you meet regularly ? Yes ; we'met regularly, and made notes of the general working of
the plantations, and dealt with important questions.
3154. Did you consult the best authorities on sugar growing? Yes; and on one occasion, when the
district was overrun with a plague of locusts, the planters combined and adopted means whicTa resulted in
the plague being cleared out of the district.
3155. What was the sum expended in that effort ? Nearly £1,000.
3156. Were you chairman of that association ? Yes.
3157. Did you as chairman of that association apply to the Government to assist you in your object 1
Yes ; and we were flatly refused. The Minister for Lands said the Government could not help us.
3158. Then the whole of that cost was borne by the plantation owners ? Yes.
3159. By the Chairman .- Then you can say, from your owu knowledge as manager and owner for twenty
years, that the planters have always acted together, and in consultation for the successfulgrowtli of sugar ?
Yes.
Thomas Georoe White, examined:
31G0. By (lie Chairman : Your are a duly qualified medical practioner residing at Geraldton ? Yes; and T.G, White.
Government medical officer. ^_a_^— ^
3101. How long have you been in the district ? I had been here four years on the 14th January. 23 j an _ \s8d.
3162. What is the general health of the locality at the present time ? It has greatly improved from
what it used to be.
3163. You mean that as the scrub lamd becomes cleared and settled on the health of the residents
improves ? Yes.
31 Do you visit the sugar plantations in the immediate neighbourhood ? YeS; frequently.
3165. How do you find the general health of the kanakas on the plantations ? It has greatly improved
during the past two years.
3166. Do you receive many of them into the Geraldton hospital ? Yes; all the severe cases.
3167. What
96
MJNT7TES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOHE T11E UOYih COMMISSIOS TO INQUrEE INTO
,T. Q. whit*. 3167 What is the mortality ? From May 1886 to the end of that year there were twenty deaths, or
f—**-^ \ #ue in eight of those admitted. Tn 18S7 there were 4&> admitted, out of which there were twenty-four
23 Jan., 1889. deaths, or one in eighteen of these admitted. In 1SS8 there wore 459 admitted and twenty died, being
one in twenty-three of those admitted.
3168. Tou are speaking of the Polynesians admitted into the hospital ? Yes.
3169. Do you know what is the mortality in the district generally amongst the Polynesians ? I cannot
say. The majority of the deaths that take place outside of the hospital are caused by accident.
3170. By Mr. King ; Is this mortality due to any defective management on the plantations ? No ; the
boys are exceptionally well treated.
By the Chairman : Do you think the establishment of au hospital at Geralton was conducive to the
suving of life amongst the kanakas ? No doubt about it at all, ad shown by the return I just read.
3L72. Do these islanders get everything that they require in the way of medical attendance and medi-
cines ? Yes.
3 173. By Mr. King: What are the diseases from which they suffer ? Chest disease, such as consumption,
pneumonia, and pleurisy, are the primary cause of death.
3174. Is this district, in your opinion, a healthy one for Europeans? It is getting more healthy every
year.
$175. What do Europeans principally suffer from ? Malarial fever.
3176. Is it of a bad type ? About three years ago it was a very bad type, but now it is gettug better
every year ;
3177. What was the number of deaths last year amongst the whites ? I cannot speak of those on which
no inquiries were held. In the hospital, besides kanakas, there were 174 admitted in 1886, and there were
eleven deaths, and seven of th»se were Europeans.
3178. What were the others ? Javanese and Chinese.
3179. Whut was the number in 18S7 ? Admitted, 103 ; eight deaths, of which five were Europeans. In
1888 there were 118 admitted; sis died, of whom three were Europeans. There were only three adults
who died in the whole district last year, and they died in the hospital.
3180. Then the rate of mortality is not extremely high ? No.
3181. Did any of the deaths amongst Europeans result from sunstroke ? No ; I have not seen a case
of sunstroke since I have been here.
3182. Any cases of apoplexj? I have had one case of apoplexy during the last few months.
318:1. By the Chairman .- Do 3'ou think that the climate here, now that the scrub land is being cleared, is
suitable for Europeans ? It is improving yearly, but in summer it is very trying for Europeans.
3184. By Mr. King: As clearing extends you can expect tho climate to get more healthy? Yes. In
the early days there was a great deal of sickness. I may add that the Javanese and Japaneseand Chinese
who come into the colony are very subject to small-pox, and, in my opinion, they ought to be re- vaccinated
before they are allowed into the colony. I merely draw your attention to this. If it once got a footing
it would be a very serious thing.
3185. By the Chairman ; Are you aware that in Honolulu the Chinese and Javanese are not allowed to
land till they have been vaccinated? No. It ought to be the same here.
James Walker Cutten examined :
J. W. Cutten. 3ig(j i), e Chairman : You were a farmer on the Darling Downs? I was.
z^""**-*-"^ 3187- What part ? Felton Homestead.
23 Jan., 1889. SIH8. Have you taken up a homestead selection in this district? My brother has done so. I am
manager here for him.
3189. Where is the selection? Near Clmnp Point.
3190. How many acres have you selected ? Altogether 90# acres.
3191. How long have you been iu possession ? We have been residents there only four years.
3192. How manyacres have you cultivated at present? Nearly thirty.
3L93. What are you growi ng ? Fruit principally.
yl94. What kind? Pineapples, bananas, mangoes, citrons, oranges, and lemons. We have a few odd
plants, such as eocoa and coffee, but this has been a bad season and nearly put an end to them.
3195. f lave you had any yield from any of the fruit trees you have planted? Not from any of the fruit
trees.
3196. Then all this time up to the present you have been living ou your means ? No, we have had.
returns from pineapples, bananas, and maize. As we cleared the country we planted maize before we
tried trees.
3197. How did the maize yield with you ? Not well. The land is too rich, the maize does not do well
the first two crops.
3198. Hnve you tried sugar ? Yes, and it grows very well.
3199. What Inborn* do you employ ? Aboriginal.
3200. Have you many of them ? At times we have as many as fifty, but as an average we have about
tun. We keep a record of all the boys aid the days' labour they do. We have at present— since 5th
November— live kanakas. They are time-expired boys. The aboriginal labour is unreliable— we could
never be certain of having them.
3201. Have you employed any Europeans? N«ne, except our own labour.
3202. Will your industry admit of the employment of wbite labour ? No, not at present.
32l>3. By Mr. King .- What do you contemplate growing ? Fruit.
8204. Uow do you ship the goods to market? By the steamers " Palmer" and "Burdekin." We put
the fruit in our own boat and take it to the steamer, which calls once a week. The "Palmer" calls
regularly at Clump Point.
32U5. Have you anything to complain about in the manner in which the fruit is treated ? The case fruit
they can't treat very badly, but the buuehes of banaim they suiUsh dreadfully, and take no care of them,
32U6- Have you had any complaints from the agents a9 to cases being empty ? Our cases never go
further than Townhville.
3207. Where do the ba»anns go ? Townsville.
3208. What
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SU*AR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
97
3208. What is the average loss to the bananas from injury in the boats ? I have no record, because the J- W. Cutten.
bananas are sold direct to the agents at so much a bunch. /-~^-^~~\
3209. By ihe Chairmen : What do thev charge per bunch for taking them from your place to Towns- 23 Jan , 18S9.
ville ? fed.
3210. Are there any other selections in the immediate neighbourhood of where you are ? About one and
a half miles away there is another selection.
3211. By Mr. King : Do they go in f or the same busines s ? Yes, They grow tobacco.
3212. By the Chairman : Ha.ve you tried tobacco ? We have a small patch of tobacco with which we are
experimenting.
3213. Do you think that it is likely to succeed? Smith is doing very fairly with his.
3214. By Mr. King: What quantity does Mr. Smith grow? lie has nearly four acres this year. It has
been too dry for his crop this year.
3215. Have you heard Mr. Smith say wha,t average crop he gets to the acre ? No. I know that he gets
9d. alb. for his tobacco.
321(5. Is he satisfied with the result? He is planting move.
3217. By the Chairman : Are you satisfied with your prospects ? I think that after a time it will pay.
3218. With the labour you are at present employing ? Yes.
3219. Would it pay you to employ Europeaus ? JSTo, not at present, because we would have to wait too
long for returns. Two of my brothers are at present at Croydon, and they send down money to keep the
farm all oat. The last year has been a very bad one for bananas, and we had a small crop of pineapples,
bananas only realised from Is. 3d. to Is. 9d. in Townsville.
3220. How has your health been since you ha ve been here? For the first eighteen months our health
was not at all good, and we had fever continually, but for the past twelve months it has been very good.
3221. Is the soil good ? Very.
3222. How does it compare with the soil on the Darling Downs ? It is nothing like it, nothing to be
compared to it in strength ; it grows anything. But if we had the Felton soil here it would be mostly
unmanageable, on account of the extreme wet weather.
3223. By Mr. King : Is this laud of yours scrub land ? Yes.
3224. By Mr. Coicley : How many of you are there carrying out the work ? Two, myself and my brother.
For the first eighteen months there were four of us.
3225. During the four years, with the help of aboriginals, you have only put thirty acres under cultivation?
Yes, but we had a house to build, and fencing to do and other buildings to put up. We have made a
breakwater to land our goods under, because without it we could not laud anything from a boat.
322(5. Does it pay to employ aboriginals ? Yes.
3227. How do you recompense them for their labour ? We give them rations, and to those who are
suliciently civilized to wear clothes, we give clothes to. You have a certain number of the friends of
those who work to keep as well — women, boys, and old men. Just aa we are wanting these aboriginals
the be~ehe-de-mcr fishers come and take the boys away. We should get assistance to put a stop to this.
We should be allowed to engage the bays under agreement.
3228. By Mr. King : J )o they take these boys against their will ? No, but they offer inducements which
they have no right to, and which I canntt.
3229. What inducement do they offer ? I do not care to say.
3230. By the Chairman : Do they leave y»u no labour at all ? They leave us all the refuse labour and
they take away all the best men, whom we have clothed and fed, just as we want them and leave us noth-
ing but the very voung and very aged.
3231. What do the beche-de~mer men offer them that you do not give them ? We do not give them •
grog.
3232. Do they give them opium ? I am not aware. They take them away at the best part of the season
and land them again without feeding them during the wet season, and we have to feed them all when we
have not sufficient labour to keep them employed.
3233. Who run the beche-de-mer boats ? Europeans.
3234. What port do they come from ? All the ports between Townsville and Cooktown.
3235. Do they pay the boys anything ? Yes; they pay the boys they take away. When the boys are
lauded, they have a lot of flour and tobacco, but that is all cousumed in a very few days.
3236. By Mr. Cowley : During that time they do nothing at all ? No. When I left on Tuesday last we
had had no boys for a week.
3237. By Mr. King : Do the boys go into the bush after working a short time? They will at times.
323S. If the boys were iudented to you, you would not object to their going into the bush? No ; it
would simply be a protection against the boys being taken away from us. You cannot use compulsion
With the aboriginals. At the present time they are a very heavy charge on us, because, being a, bad
season, we have not enough potatoes to give them, and if rain does not come soon, and cause the potatoes
to grow, it will be a serious expense to us, because they have to be fed, and in bad seasons the fruits in
the scrub are not such good crops as they usually are.
3239. Have you made any application to the Government for the establish incut of an aboriginal reserve ?
No; because I do not think they are of any value. If you establish a, reserve, and it is known that they
can get food and clothes without work, it becomes a harbour for loafers. If an aboriginal reserve were
established, the motto should be " No work, no ki ki."
3240. Are there any missionaries amongst the blacks up here? None.
3241. By Mr. Cowley -. Do your kanakas work well ? Yes, very well.
3242. Have you got as many as you want? At present J have as many as I can pay.
3243. What wages do you pay them? Its. a week and their rations ; that is £1 a week and their clothing.
Their clothing a:id tobacco comes to about £6 a year. Tobacco is mentioned in the agreement. They
are engaged under the Act.
3241. And medical attendance ? Yes, when they require it.
3245. From your experience so far you prefer kanaka labour ? Yes.
3246. And do you find them suitable labour? Yes.
3247. Have the blacks (aborigiuals) ever committed any depredations on you ? Very slightly.
h 3248. If
MTNCTFS OF EVIDENCE TAK.EX SETOSE IHE ROT AI. COMMISSION TO INVOKE LSTO
J. W. Cn««n. 32 4 ^ jf t {j e Government were to assist you in supplying rations to the aboriginals would you undertake
A -^~\ to distribute them ? Yes. .
23 Jan. f lS*. 3049. If von could not obtain either aborisjinal or kanaka labour would youcarry on operations here atter
you have'f ulfilled vour conditions and get "full possession of the land ? Xo ; we would not unless we
made an experiment first to find if it was useless. We settled ou this piece of land as a home, and we
would either lease it or do something else ruth it.
3250. How many brothers are assisting you to keep the farm going ? Two.
3251. Do they remit their wages to yon? They take contract work and remit their earnings to be
invested in the farm.
3252. Without that assistance it would be impossible for you to carry on? Yes, it would be impossible.
Mabtts O'DoxOHrx examined :
M. 3253. By the Chairman: What are you ? I am acting land agent and am ranger of Crown lands for
O'Dooohne- the ^fourilvan district.
/-*"^--"-\ 3254. Can you supplv us with any information as to the area of land taken up in the district, the amount
23 Jan., 18S9. uoder cultivation, ami the amonnt under homestead selection ? Yes. There are 66 occupied conditional
purchase selections, with an aggregate area of 76.831 acres ; 9 forfeited conditional purchase selectious,
with an aggregate area of 7,880 a«res : 14 occupied homesteads, having an aggregate area of 2.238 acre,*;
4 forfeited nomesteads. having an aggregate area of 610 acres ; 19 occupied agricultural farms, h;uing an
aggregate area of 6.4S0 acre-s ; no forfeited agricultural farms. I may explain before closing this part of
the return that there are three other selections, the owners of which have giveD notice to forfeit, but
thev have not yet been dealt with by the department. They have not been surveyed, and I do not know
their area Then there are four special leases to Chinese, having an aggregate area of 36 acres. The
approximate area of cleared land held under the " Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1 S76 " is +,232 acres.
The approximate area of cultivated land held under the " Crourn Lands Alienation Act of 1^7$," including
that used for fruit growing, and excluding that used for the cultivation of sugar cane, is SS2 acres. The
approximate area of cleared land held under the '• Orotcn Lands Alienation Act of ISS4-5 " is 125 acres.
The approximate area of cultivated land held under the " CVoiwt Lands Alienation Act of 1S84-5" is 125
acres. The area of cleared and cultivated land as mentioned above was originally covered with a dense
jungle. I may mention that the area of 882 acres of cultivated land held under the *' Crotcn Lands
Alienation Act of 1S76 " comprises ahout 500 acres of grass land, and the balance, about 3S2 acres, is
used for corn and fruit growing.
3255. "What are those special leases to Chinese? They are market gardens, under a certain section of
the Act. They applied for them. The first Chinaman who applied for a lease got it on sufferance for
six months, and is liable to be removed at any time ou six months' notice. The second Chiuamon got his
lease on the same terms. The two last leases, one for fourteen acres and the other for twelve acres, to
two different Chinamen, were for five years. That is about two years ago, and there are three years to
run, The lease b conditional only. There is a clause u their, lease to the effect tbat if the land is
wanted at any time for public purposes they are to give it up.
3256. What rent do they pay ? £1 an acre. It is very good scrub land.
3257. Are the two Chinamen you mentioned first paying rent now ? Yes ; the same as the others.
325S. You are well acquainted with the country here ? I know it well. This morning I received notifica-
tion that those two leases are to be cut up into areas of three and a-half and five acres. This is simply in
compliance with the wish of some people. The surveyor has received instructions to cut up certain areas
of laud, which will include the two large special leases held by the Chinese.
3259. By Mr. King : Do the settlers in this district lease their land to Chinamen? They have done so
after making it a freehold.
3260. "What rental do they get from the Chinamen ? I know some selectors who are getting 30s. an acre
rent from the Chinamen.
3261. How many Chinamen are there in this district employed upon the land ? I should say that each of
these small Chinamen employ from three to four Chinamen, and they do the same in other "places.
3262. Can you give auy estimate as to the total number of Chinese employed in cultivation ? There are
altogether about eighty. Those are labourers.
3263. By the Chairman : You are not speaking of sugar plantations ? No ; only Chinamen employed by
Chinamen, and the owners of private property who employ the Chinamen themselves.
3264. By Mr. King: Is all the land that we could see from the top of the Basilisk open for selection?
No ; not the whole of it.
3265. By Mr. Covley .- You say that out of the SSO acres of cultivated land 382 are under fruit and
corn. Does that include any of the waste land ? No ; it is all under crops of some sort.
3266. Is that the total area of iand under crops except the sugar land ? Yes.
3267 . By Mr. King ; Have the conditions on those large selections been Iperf ormed ? They have been
very well performed.
3968. We were in Cairns the other day, and wo were told that in one case fruit trees had beeu planted
on a conditional purchase, and thtit as 'soon as a certificate was issued that the conditions had. been
fulfilled they were taken up and replanted on another selection. That could te done. I know a case
of a man named Hamilton, where trees were put in and planted well and a certificate giveu.and they were
removed across the river to another selection, and the homestead as well.
3269. The selector's house ? Yes.
3270. Was this done after or before he had obtained his freehold ? Nothing was dono till hehad obtained
his freehold.
32-71. By Mr. Cowley .- Are any of those Chinameu naturalised British subjects ? I do not believe
they are.
3272. Are those leases let subject to compensation for improvements ? No.
3273. Then a Chinaman might spend £10 or £l"> nil aciv planting his land, and it eouhl be taken away
from him at the end of sir months? Yes ; there is no compensation.
3274. And some of these leases are about to be resumed ? Yes.
3275. And the Government will reap the full benefit of the Chinaman's labour? There is nothing to
compel the Government to give any compensation. 8»olto
THE GENEEAL CONDITION OE THE 9TJGAK INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
Sholto Stillingi'la.t Bowles examined:
3276. By the Chairman: You are Polynesian Inspector for this district? Yes. S.S. Bowles
3277. How long have you been here ? I have been in charge of this district since September, 1886. I ^—
was for two years before that under Mr. Pennefather, at Ingham, when the districts were worked 23 Jan.,
together.
2278. What is the number of Polynesians employed in this district ? Six hundred and thirteen ; that
includes twelve ticket boys. This is the return up to 31st December last.
3279. What are those Polynesians ein ployed at ? Sugar.
32S0. Are there any employed outside •( sugar plantations? Yes; there are some.
3281- In what occupation ? Tropical agriculture.
3282. With selectors? Yes ; with selectors. Some of the selectors are freeholders.
3283. What is the general health of the Polynesians ? I think that they are pretty healthy.
3284. You visit the plantations regularly, and see how the boys are ? Yes ; I am often at the
plantations.
3285. Do you see that the hospital requirements are always in accordance with the Act? Yes ; always.
3286. Do the men receive their wages money themselves, or is it deposited in the Savings Bank for them ?
They receive it from the employer, and if they like they deposit a portion of what they receive.
Sometimes they deposit one-third with me.
32S7. Are they ready and willing to receive the money? Yes; they like to get it themselves.
3288. Do many of them hand the money to you to be put into the Savings Bank ? They very seldom
send their money to the hank.
3289. By Mr. King : Do the time expired boys hand you their money to be banked ? Yes ; a good
many.
3290. By the OJwirman : When a kanaka dies, and any money is due to him what do you do with
it ? The money is sent to me by the planter and I forward it to the officer in charge of the department,
in Brisbaue, and if there are any claims by relations the balance of the money in possession of the
Minister, after paying all burial expenses, whieh amount to £2 10s., axe given to the relations.
3291. Do you know of any case where the money has been paid to the relative of a deceased kanaka?
Yes, often.
3292. Have any complaints been made of such applications having been refused ? Sometimes, but seldom,
it bas been refused. As a rule, if the claim is at all a good one, the relative claiming the money gets it.
The claim of a cousin is never recognised,onlya brother, or a husband or wife or child. At one timeboys
used to come from the islands and say, " Brother long o' me die; me want money," but there was no
relationship.
3293. By Mr. King : Will they pay a person named by the deceased if the deceased says he wishes a cer-
tain party to get his money when he dies ? No, I do not think so, I have sent in claims from cousins,
but they hav« been refused.
3294. Then a Polynesian is not allowed to will his money to whom he chooses? I f the money is in his
own hands he can, but not if it is in the hands of the Government, except in the case of relations.
3295. Have you ever sent in a claim where a deceased has said that he wished his money to be paid to a
certain party ? No.
3296. By the Chairman : Have any complaints been made by the inlanders during your visits of being
over- worked or ill-treated? If there is any thing that they think is wron;* they come in and complain to
me. Boys have come in and complained, and I go out and inquire into the matter.
3297. Have you had many such cases? Not many.
3298. Have you ever found ground for complaints ? Yes ; two cases last year. I have only taken two
cases for ill-treatment to c»urt during the »ast two years.
3299. What iid the ill-treatment consist of? Of aboyrefusing to carry logs and sleepers. They were not
excessive in weight, but he used some very rude language to the white man, and the white man lost his
temper and hit the boy hard. There was something to be said on both sides.
33iO. As far as your experience has gone in this district do the kanakas appear to be very well satisfied
with their position ? Yes ; I think so.
3301. By Mr. Cowley : You say that money has often been paid to the relatives of deceased islanders.
Can you give us a return, showing us how much money has been paid and how much refused ? Yes ;
I think I can do so.
3302. Have you ever known an instance in which it has been refused to a near relative ? No ; I do not
think so. There is only one casethat I might mention. It is not of the exact kind you refer to, bnt £10
was deposited by a boy in Maryborough some years ago. He himself tried to get it hut it could not be
traced. I think there must have been some mistake in the spellingof the name of the boy. I could not do
any more than forward his case to the department. He is a boy who has been back to the islands once.
I got the history of the case as well as I possibly could.
3303. In c;i«h of the cases of ill-treatment that you have named did you get a conviction against the
offender? Yes.
3304. Were they employers of labour or servants in the employ of the plantation? #ne was an overseer
and the other was a ganger — both servants.
3305. Have yon ever had any cases against any employer of labour ? No.
3^06. Do you know if the employers themselves are anxious that their kanakas should be protected?
They are.
3307. Then you do not think that such ill-treatment is done at the instigation of the employer ? No, no.
3308. Do the anplojers assist you in your prosecution ? No.
3309. Did you ask them ? No. I did not want th en.
3310. By the Chairman: I asked you to prepare the Commission certain returns as to the boys employed
on the different plantations in the district. Do you now furnish us with those returns ? Yes. [See
Appendix C]
331 1. Do you find that the Polynesians show any desire to obtain liquor? Yes, I think they do.
3312. But not with the knowledge or consent of the employer? As a rule, I do not think they do. Some
employers* arc more particular tlian others.
3313. Have
Miyr/TES OP ETTDE3TCE TAKEN BEFORE THE E0TA1 COMMISSION TO IT»"QUIBE INTO
w lee. 3313. Have you found any persons supplying those islander!? with liquor surreptitiously ? Tes, ice have
— N obtained several convictions against those people ? Here is a list of the prosecutions and convictions.
1889. [See Appendix D.]
3314. By Mr. Cowley .- Do you find that the employers are desirous of putting a stop to this ? Tes, they
certainly wish to have it stopped.
3315. .have they a.ssisted you? Tes and they have taken cases into court themselves. The employers
are opposed to this sort of thing, and it is their desiro to stop it.
3316. As Polynesian Inspector of this district can you offer any suggestions to the Commission by
which the supply of liquor to the islanders may be prevented ? An attempt should be made to prevent
other coloured races, such as the Chinese, from supplying these kanakas uifh liquor. They get it and it
would be easily prevented. Eut the staff of police is so small a.t present that it is utterly impossible to
prevent it.
FBI* AY, 25 JANUARY, 1889.
JOHNSTONE RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Geraldton.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Es«„ M.LA. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLET, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GE.OOM, Esq., M.L.A., in this Chaik.
Geobge Kerb examined:
err. 3317. By the Chair-man ■. Haveyou taken up a selection in this district ? I have bought a selection.
331S. How many acres ? 1,2H0 acres.
1889. 3319. What is it called? Cessford.
3320. Have you got any under cultivation ? I have.
3321. How many acres have you cultivated ? Fifteen acres.
3322. And what have you cultivated? Orange trees, bananas, and fruit trees. I have tried several
kinds of fruit trees; I have not, however, been successful with all kinds. All tropical fruits grow well.
3323. Have you gone in for maize or English potatoes ? I have tried both. The English potatoes grow
very fairly in certain seasons.
3324. And maize ? Maize will not do well at all. It was a failnre.
3325. Do you grow coffee ? Tes ; I have about twenty coffee trees bearing.
3326. How have they succeeded? Very well.
3327. Do you think from your experience of coffee that it is a plant that will grow well here ? I have
every confidence in coffee doing well in this district.
3328. Have you made any of the berry into coffee? No ; I have not tried it.
3329. Doyouknowhow to doit ? No; lammerelygrowmgtliisasan experiment. TVbenDr. Eaneroftwas
on the river he got a large collection of plants from the A cclimatisation Association, and when he left
he handed this collection over to me, and J have been growing most of the plants I got then.
3330. "What lakour do you employ on your selection ? I liave one kanaka, and use aboriginal labour. I
can always have a few boys when I want tbem.
3331. How long have you been working on your selection ? Three years.
3332. Are you able to make a living on it ? No : not at preseit. If there was a mill on the same side
of the river, and I could grow cane for it, I would do very well. 1 tried cane when I went there first
and it grew a very pood crop.
3333. By Mr. King : How do you make a living ? I have a partner, and we go in for contracts. We
have a contract for clearing the undergrowth off the telegraph line to Cardwell.
3331. Then it is by working off your selection that you keep your selection going ? I had a fair amount
of capital when I started, but for the last year or two I found that I could not keep myself, and I had to
go in for other work.
3335. Are you able to sell the produce off your selection ? Nothing to speak of. I believe I would have
had a good crop of bananas, but last year the grub got into them and they cam* to nothing.
3336. Does the grub attack the banana ? Tes ; very badly.
3337. What do you think are the drawbacks to carrying on tropical agriculture in this district? Labour
is the principal drawback, and want of capital is the other. There does not seem to be any enpital in the
district to speak off, unless it is that of the Colonial Sugar Company.
3338. When you say that labour is a drawback, do you mean that you cannot get labour ? Tes ; we
cannot get rt-bablc labour. The cheapest labour you can get, if it is not reliable, is not cheap.
3339. Tou say that you would go in f or cane growing tf there was a mill on the same side of the river.
— Would you go in for cane cultivation vtith European labour ? No.
3340. What does it cost you to clear land ? For falling and burning off and clearing, about £7 or £8.
That is now; a year or two ago it was a good deal m«re.
33-41. What would it cost to stump new land immediately after burning and falling ? Taking the average
of the country in the district, I do not think it could be done for less than £30 an acre.
3342. After five or six years could it be done for less? It could be done for a trifle after six years. I
liave not had much experience at it, but I think it could tben be done for £6 an acre.
3343. By the Chairman : How have you cleared your fifteen acres ? I have them cleared very well, and a
good many of tbe stumps are out.
3344. J5y Mr. King : What description oflabourwouldyourequiretoinakeitprofitableforgrowingcane?
Kanaka labour is about as suita ble as we could ha ve.
3345. I suppose you know all the selectors in the district ? Tes.
33A6. Do
THE OENEHAL CO>T)ITrO^ OF THE SUQAB rNTJUSTBY IN QUEENSLAITD.
334G. Do you think th:itthe selectors generally would wish to have kanaka labour? I think so. I have Ch^e
spoken to men who were in favour of emnloyiug nothing but European labour when they first came into the ^ — *"~ A -
district- They were working men, and now, after about a year or two's residence here, they are con- 25 Jan.,
vinced that the sugar industry cannot be carried on by European labour.
3347. Thenthe kanakas are the best of the different classes of labour you have seen employed in the
district ? Tes ; 1 consider them the best.
3348. Have you cultivated any land by Chinese ? My land is rather far back from the river, and China-
men like to be near a river. I had Chinamen looking at it once or twice, but it is l£ miles from the
river, and that is too far for them.
3349. If you had kanaka labour, you would be prepared to go in for extensive cultivation? There is no
mill. I might go in for cultivation if there was a mill.
3330. If you had kauaka labour and a mill to which to sell your cane, you would put the land under
cultivation ? Yes.
3351. How do the white selectors in this district keep their health ? Their health has been better during
the past two years than it used to bo. There was very little fever last year.
3352. Then you think it is a bealthydistriet for Europeans ? 1'es ; afterthey get acclimatised. For two
or three years they are liable to fever, but after they got over that they are healthy enough.
;}353. Have you seen any new chum emigrants employed here ? Yes ; any number of them.
3354. How do theystandthe climate ? Theystandit very well. There were a number employed at Goondi
last year all tli rough the crushing, and there are a good many there still.
3353. Do they make any complaints? No; except of the heat.
3:150. By Mr. Cowley : Are you a practical farmer ? I was brought up on a farm in the old country.
3357. Have you been farming in any country before you came up the Johnstone? No ; I had a cattle
station.
33.3S. How old are your coffee trees ? Three years. They are not quite three years yet ; they were
planted out in the autumn.
3359. Are they bearing ? Yes ; all bearing.
3360. Do you find that they have suffered at all from leaf disease? No. As for as I can see there is
nothing, unless it is the seale which is hi a few of them. The citron and orange trees gr«w near the
coffee, and I believe that the auts have carried the scale from them.
3361. Are your trees perfectly healthy at the present time ? Yes ; and showing no signs of disease
in the leaf that I can see. It might be se-en by a practical man.
33(i"2. Do you prune your trees at all ? I have topped them, as I thought it best to keep them under.
3363. Judging from your experience as a coffee grower, do you tlunk it would pay to grow it with whtte
labour, taking into consideration the pruning and picking? It would pay if the land were stumped and
clear of roots, where a horse hoe could be used ; but coifee trees do not cover the ground like cane, and
the weeds would come up very strong, and it would require more labour to keep the land clear under
coffee than it would under cane-
3304. But you would not be able to use a horse in a coffee plantation ? Yes ; if the plants are sufficiently
far apart. I plant mine 15 feet apart.
330.5. Are you a coutraclor at Goondi ? Yes.
33GG. To carry out your contract what labour do you use? Aboriginal.
3307. Do these men work satisfactorily ? Yes ; they do.
3368. Does it pay you to employ them ? — Can you make a profit out of their labour ? No ; there is just
barewages, and sometimes not that.
3369. How do you recompense them for their labour ? I generally give them food and tobacco, and
pa vthem at the rate of about Is. a week.
3370. And you make no very great profit out of them ? No.
3371. Can you rely on them, or will th^ygo away at a moment's notice ? They will go away at a moment's
notice, and if they want to go away it is no use trying to keep them.
3372. What is the largest number that you have had working for you at one time ? We had over
seventy, I andfmy partner. My partner's name is Peter Forbes.
3373. Do you kn»w of any other contractors in the district who are employing aboriginals ? Yes ; there
are three men who do.
3374. Do you know how many they have had at one time? They have had between seventy and eighty
on Goondi, working for the sugar company.
3375. Can you form any estimate of the number of aboriginals working in the district ? Yes ; I think
there might be 20# actually at work. That is all told, counting boys, gins, and pickaninnies — they all do
a little.
3376. You saifl that you had seen Europeans working on Goondi without any complaint. Were they
employed in field work or in the mill ? Both.
3377. What was the nature of their work in the field? Drawing in trucks, and laying rails, and such
work as that.
:^378. By Mr. Ring : Did you ever see them weeding or hoeing ? No.
3379. By the Cliairmrm : ll ave you any objection to tell us what you paid for your laud? No. It was
a selection taken up by Daniel Dupont, and he bought a selection from me in Cairns. I made all the
improvements and took the selection off his hands, and the Government consented to the transfer. I
went on as bis bailiff at iirst, aod made the improvements out of mv own pocket.
3380. By Mr. Csivley .- Was the land under the-' Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1876" or the A ct of 1884 ?
It is under the " Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1884" now. Hetook it upunderthe 1876 Act, but bad it
transferred under the Act of ISSi. He did that just before I came to terms with him. It is virtually
now an agricultural farm under the Act of 1S84.
3381. By the Chuii mnn .- What contracts have you taken on Goondi in which you employed aboriginals ?
Weeding and cane cuttiug,
33SU. Would you undertake to carry on farming on an agricultural farm such as you have now, and in
the way you arc doing now with European labour, if you could obtain it ? No ; unless it was very much
cheaper than it ever has been yet. A certain portion of the work could be done by European labour, but
not exclusively.
3383. By
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOBE THE BOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
3383. By Mr. King .- Do you think that a Europe,™ labourer can work with the hoe ? No ; I hardly
thiak so Chinese do a lot of that sort of work ; they do it for considerably under £1 a week and touud.
. They do it for about 16s. or l7a. a week and found. .
3384. By the Chairman : Where were you working before you came to this district i Un the lower
part of the Dawson. , , , , , . ,. . »
3385. From your experience in working at Goondi Plantation, do you think that the climate in the
summer time is suitable for Europeans to work in ? Yes, certainly ; certain kinds of work.
3386. Do you think that the climate is adapted for Europeans doing the work that kanakas now do ? I
have no doubt that Europeans could do the work, but I do not see that it would pay anybody to employ
them. , , . T T ,
3387. Have you ever known Europeans refuse to weed, or trash, or cut cane*" No; I have never
employed Europeans at that sort of work.
338 8 Would you be willing to do such work yourself iu the field ? No ; I would not work at hoeing or
anything else like that in the field amongst the cane. It is not so bad felling scrub in the open, but I
would not work in the cane field. , . _
3389. When you were working out the conditions as bailiff of the selection what labour did you employ.-'
European and aboriginal. „ , „• ^ j -l
3390. What; is the nature of the improvements on the land ? I let a cont raet for felling scrub, and bunt
off part of it myself, and let a contract to Chinamen to burn ol¥ the remainder.
3391. To whom did you let your contract for felling tlie scrub ? To Europ eans.
331)2. By Mr. Cowley .- Who took the contract ? Four Europeans worked it themselves.
3393. How much did they clear ? Fifteen acres.
3394. Did they only fell the scrub ? Yes.
3395. What did you pay for felling only ? £4 Its. That is over four years ago, and labour was much
dearer than it is now. That amount counted on the improvements to the selection.
3396. Then if you had paid £10 an acre would the Commissioner of Crown Lands have accepted that if
you could produce a receipt ? Yes ; I believe so.
3397. By the Chairman : Outside of cane-growing, what do you think this district is capable of growing
that would prove a profitable occupation "for settlers ? There are several tropi'cal products that I think
would do very well here. But there ia no market for them. There is the Chinese fibre grass, I believe
that would do well in this district. Then there are coffee and rice. I have grown rice and had a fi ne crop.
I grew about a quarter of an aCre.
3398. By Mr. King .- Did you try tobacco? Yes, it grows wonderfully ; it is a weed with me, and I
have a lot of trouble in keeping it off the land.
3399. Does it make a good leaf ? It would if the plant was attended to. I believe it would grow
a fine leaf. I have had leaves eighteen inches long, from self-sown plants.
3400. By the Chairman : Of your own knowledge c:in you suggest anything by which the industries
you have enumerated can be assisted? No. There is not much that I can suggest in the meantime. I
would like to think the matter over . There is one thing. The moat of the land has been taken up by
people who took it up for speculati "oiin connection with tlie sugar industry. That Land is still being held
and there is no capital coming in to open up the country. If capital were introduced into the district
many industries would flourish.
3401. By Mr. King : You mean that those unoccupied selections are a hindrance to the prosperity
of the district? They are.
3402. By Mr. Cowley : Have you been made aware that if sufficient inducement were offered in the shape
of the growing of cane a central mill would be started here ? No, I have not.
3403. Do you think that there would be 1,000 acres of cane grown by small farmers if a central mill was
started ? No, there are no small selections on the river. They are all 1,280 acre selections.
3404. If the land were leased to them at 5s. an acre per annum for ten or twenty years, do you think
they could be got to grow cane ? That is a very difficult question to answer.
3105. By Mr. King .- At what price would you be prepared to sell cane, cut and delivered, on the river
or line ? It could be cut and delivered for lis. a ton.
3406. By Mr. Cowley : You say that many products could be grown if there was a market for them, and
you enumerate coffee, rice, and maize. Are you not aware that there is a splendid market for all those
articles, and that they are in great demand? Yes; but the producer never gets any value for his
products.
3407. By the Chairman -. Do you think that if a botanical station or an experimental farm were established
somewhere in this or the Cairns district, where tropical plants could be grown, and information given
thereon to fanners and settlers as to what were the best plants to grow and how to grow them, it would
cause those lands to be more opened up than they are now ? Certainly -, it would be a first-class
insti'tutiou.
34*8. Would you, as a local agricultural farmer, avail yourself of an opportunity of that kind? I should
certainly.
3409. Do you thiuk that other fanners in the district would do the same ? There are very few who take
any interest in agriculture iu this district. There are only two or tlircc selectors on the river who ever
took upland with an intention of making a profit out of it by tanning or fruit growing.
3410. Do you notthi'nk that it is the want oi'labour that keeps famiers from growing produce on their land?
The greater portion of them think of making sugar for a protit, and they are too far from the mills.
There is one mill in the centre of the district, on the Delta, aud they seem to have as much c:uic as they
can crush .
3411. But you yourself acknowledge that you can grow coffee, rice, and lemons? Yes; but I have no
market and no labour, and the grub destroyed the bauauas.
3412- After these three years' experience, and supposing that therewere no grub, do you think you could
grow coffee and make it pay with the labour you now have ? Yes ; with aboriginal and kanaka
labour I believe I might.
3413. Then it resolves itself simply into a question of labour. Do you think it would be possible for
families to make it pay? Yes; twenty or thirty acres is sufficient for a man here. It is equal to
three times the amount of ground in other districts.
3414. Am
TTIE OEJTEBAT, COSDITIOK OF THE 8TTGAB IH"DUSTIIT TS QCEENSLAJTD. 196
3414. Am I to understand that the only obstacle is labour ? Labour ia a great obstacle. G< Eerr '
3415. What other obstacle is there ? Want of capital.
3410. But supposing that a man had capital, what ia the great obstacle ? Well, labour principally. 2S Jan., 1889.
3417. What agricultural land is there here available for small farmers? There is no land excepting
what is far back and far up the rirer.
3418. Then all the best available land having water frontage haB been selected already ? Tes.
3419. Are the lands that are open for selection now accessible ? No, there are no roads, and if there are
they are too bad
3420. By Mr. King .- Do you know if all the best land has been selected ? Yes, all the best land.
3421. Is that the best situated land for selection ? Yes ; there is the scrub further back. I have not
been far up the branch. I have been up towards the Russell and out that way.
3422. By the Chairman: In clearing the track for the telegraph line, what was the character of the
country you passed through ? There are a good few mileaof it all dense scrub, and the rest is openforest
country.
3423. What labour do you employ in clearing the telegraph line ? Principally aboriginal.
3424. By Mr. Cowley -. Is it not a fact that the Government surveyors in running these telegraph lines
choose the most open country ? Yea.
(At Mourilyan Harbour.)
James Totjtan Proctor examined:
3425. By tJie Oftairman : What are you, Mr. Proctor ? I am an American citizen J
3426. What is your occupation ? I am in charge of Captain Seymour's property — managing for him- f
3427. By Mr. King : What do you call the estate ? Esmeralda. 2
3428. By the Chairman : How many acres are there ? 1,28#.
3429. How many acres areeultivated ? We have sixty-two aces of eleared land, and there are now under
cultivation eighteen acres.
3430. What aroyou cultivating? India-rubber, bananas, and pineapples.
3131. Arc you growing the India-rubber trees with success ? They are growing very well, but it is rather
soon to say whether they will be a success or not.
3432. By Mr. Cowley : How old are they ? Three, four, and five yearB old. The oldest are not quite five —
say, four and a-half years.
3133. Where did you get the trees from originally ? Fr«in Ceylon.
3434. Do you find any difficulty in propagating them ? No.
3435. By Mr. King : Have you had anything to do before with the] cultivation of India-rubber ? No
ncvar. ;
3 13G. By the Chairman : How old have the trees to be before they commence to yield ? Between four
ami five years, from what I have read.
3437. By Mr. King : How do you obtain the rubber ? We atrip the bark off for about five or six feet
— the outer bark — and the substance ooy.es out and formB a contiug which when thick enough we roll
up into bulls. We do not take off all tho bark.
3438. That does not destroy the tree? No; the wound grows up immediately and is covered up.
3439. Can the operation be repeated every year ? YeB ; the trees suffered a good deal from the recent
drought. We have had very little rain here.
3410. What is the yield supposed to be per tree? I cannot say in this country, but the tree is supposed
' ' -al A
Yes.
ie had some sent to the Melbourne Exhibition, but
r if it will be marketable ? No ;
lupposed
to yield 1 50 lbs. in Central America.
3441. By Mr. Cowley: That is from very old trees?
3412. Have you obtained any rubber yet? Yes; v
the trees were rather young.
3413. How much did you send ? Three or four pounds.
3444. Have experts passed any opinion on it ? Not yet.
3445. You do not know if there will be a market for it, o-
to be worth from 3s. to 7s. per lb.
344G. By the Chairman : Have you grown any coffee treesj? Yes ; but merely experimentally. It has
done very well indeed.
3447. What kind? We have Liberian and Arabian coffee.
3448. Which succeeded best ? They both did well.
3419. By Mr. King .- Have you tried any tobacco ? There have been some plants put in tfhe ground.
It Reem s to do very well.
3450. Can you tell us what quality it is? No ; I do not know much about tobacco. I understand
coffee and sugar cane, but tobacco I am not experienced in.
3451. By tho Chairman : What labour have you been employing ? We were employing Polynesian
labour, bat for the lust year we have been employing Javanese and Malays.
3452. How many? ( have from two to six. I also have a lot of those bushmen — aboriginals. They are
veiy handy and work very well, but you can't rely on them. Some days I have had fifty aboriginals at
work, and next day 1 have not had ten.
3453. How does the selection support itself at the present time? It has been merely an experiment ;
the gentlemen who own it have not gone in very entensively.
3454. You mean that the selectors are keeping you here experimentally ? Yes ; they are both men of
money — Messrs. Seymour and Allan.
3455. By Mr. Cowley : Is it freehold ? Yes ; for nearly three years it has been freehold.
3456. By Mr. King : Have you tried to employ any European labour ? YeB ; I had some when I came
here firBt. I had some men clearing.
3457. In your opinion which of the different classes of labour you have employed ie the beet? The
white men are (he best, if they do not get sick, and can carry out their contracts.
.3158. Did those men get sick in your employment ? Everyone of them, without exception.
3159. Were they able to complete their contracts ? One man was, with help. I had a lot of pressing to
do to persuade him. The man worked very well, and I helped him with some of my own men, and he
completed his contract. 3460. Then
104
MINUTES OF ETIDI^CE T \ KPN BEPOIIE THE IIOTAL COMMISSION TO INQCTB*: INTO
J. T. Proctor. 3 ±qq Then the others were not able ? No, they did not stop for two weeks, and after they went away I
t — -- A -— -\ told the man who had taken the contract to take some of my boys and finish the contract, which be did.
25Jan.,iS89. 3161. By the Chairman: What do you consider the best class of labour that you hare employed?
Personallv I like the kanaka best.
34(52. What did you pay to white men for working by contract ? From £6 to £9, according to the
character of the clearing.
3463. Bid you fall and burn and stump, or fall and burn only? We felled and burned off; we did not
stump.
3464. By Mr. King : What wages did yon pay the kanakas ? I think abiut £G a year. I had four boys.
3465. By the Chairman .- What are you paying the Javanese now ? From 12s. to 15s. a week and rations.
3466. How do you pay the aboriginals ? I give them tobacco, clothing, and food.
3467. Have you exported any bananas or pineapples ? Yes ; we hav e done so.
3168. Bif Mr. King ; Bid it pay ? Well the bananas pay sometimes, not always. Pineapples do
not pay.
3169. What prevents the bananas from paying always ? The great competition from Fiji.
3470. By Mr. Cowlty .- You say that your coffee trees are doing well. Have you picked auy coffee off
them ? I sent some to the Exhibition, Prepared.
3471. How much per tree do they yield"? I can't say. We may be able to tell this year. This was a
very peculiar year with tke coffee trees. Buring the drought they flowered sparsely, and the young
coffee came on it, and as soon as the rain came, where the flowers had been wauting they all came out agaio,
and so there are berries of t\?o different ages on the trees.
3472. By the Chairman : From your experience of coffee growing does it appear to be well adapted
for coffee growing in this district ? les, with good seasons. I have seen it growing in the New
Hebrides and in Cevlon.
3473. Then the experiment that you are tryingon the part of theowners is to develop a trade, if one
can be developed? Yes ; I think that is the object.
3474. Did you plant the iudia-rubber trees ? I planted some of them. The others were planted by
Mr. Thompson, who was here before me.
347-j. And are your trees healthy and give promise of bearing well ? Yes.
!I476. Is the climate here healthy ? Well, we cannot complaiu. We have been exceptionally free from
fever. I can't speak for the balance of the population-
3477. lou said that Europeans were afHicted with fever ? Yes ; the Europeans who were working here.
But recently the climate has been dry and healthy. I have not suffered from it myself. There have
been no other Europeans here.
3475. By Mr. King : You say that you have had considerable experience in tropical climates ; have you
seen any tropical production that you think would be suitable to this climate that you could recommend ?
Above all I couli recommend coffee. I really believe that coffee would grow remarkably well here.
3479. Have you been amongst cocoa? No ; I do not understand anything about it.
3460. Have you planted any cocoamuts? A few. They are doing very well.
3481. Are they bearing yet ? No, not yet ; they are not old enough. Cocoanuts do not generally bear
until they are seven or eight years old.
3462. By Mr. Cowley : What labour do you think could be employed in the cultivation of coffee to
make it pay ? It would have to be very cheap labour, because when you commence to gather the coffee
it requires a lot of people to do it.
3483. It would not stand paying a high rate of wages to Europeans ? No ; it would not.
3484. I niependent of picking, is not pruning a big item? Yes; ^pruning and weeding the trees is a
very bi g item.
3485. Have you had any practical experience in coffee planting? Yes. I have been overseer in the
New Hebrides Company in the New Hebrides islands.
3486. Is coffee grown successfully there ? Yes.
3487. Is it exported ? Yes thev export it to Noumea. The company was called the Societe de Caledonie
et Nouvelles Hebr ides.
3488. Do you know what yield the trees gave there ? I would not like to say at present. I would haro
to hunt the figures up. I would not like to say too much.
MOX3AY, 28 JANUAJtT, 1SS9.
HERBERT RIYER DISTRICT.
(At Halifax.)
PllESENT :
W. II. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H, E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., is the Chaie.
John Alm examined:
J. Aim. 3-489. By the Chairman : What are you ? A fanner.
3490. You are a member of the Herbert River Farmers' Association ? Yes.
28 Jan., 1889. 34S1. And you have been deputed by that body to attend and give evidence ? I have.
3492. Have you a selection in the district? Yes.
3493. What is its extent ? 160 acres.
3494. Homestead? Homestead.
3495. Under the Act of 1876? Yes ; under " The Homestead Act of 1876."
3196. What
THE GENERAL CONDITIO* OF THE SUGAH INDUSTRY IS QUEENSI/AND.
34 96. What area of that have you cultivated ? About 115 acres the present year.
3497. What is it cultivated with ? Su«?ar cane chiefly.
349s. By Mr. King : ut of Unit 11 5 acres, how much is sugar cane ? Ninety acres.
3499. By the Chairman: What is vour average yield of cane per acre ? Last rear 14 tone.
3500. What was it the previous year ? 22 tons.
3501. And the year before that agai n ? The year before about 30 tons.
3502. What is considered an average crop per acre to be payable ? Well, that depends very much upon
circumstances. The labour that we are employing, and many other considerations. The first year when
we had a good crop we were uuder a great disadvantage, because we had to pay a very high price for
labour. Then the price of cane was higher the first year than the years after.
3503-4. What is considered a fair average annual crop ? About 23 tons per acre.
3505. Did you crush your cane or sell it ? Sold it.
3503. How much did you get for it ? By the agreement which was made first, 10s. per ton— in any case
I had to grow tliirty acres. The agreement made afterwards was for 8s. per ton.
3507. By Mr. King : Did you cut the cane far that ? No.
3508. The company cuts and takfjs away ? Tes.
3509. By the Chairman ; What labtur did y»u employ to grow that cane ? I employed different kinds of
labour. I tried white men ; I have employed Chinamen, and the last two years 1 employed s«me
kanakas.
3510. What rate of wages have you paid to the three classes of labour? To China, men I have paid 24s.
a week and they keep themselves. Previously I paid 16s. and found ihem.
3511. By Mr. jC'uuj .- What did you pay to the whites ? £1 a week and rations.
3512. By the Chairman : What did you give to the kauaka labour? I have given from 6s. to 10s. a
week, and found them as provided by the Polynesian Aet.
3513. Those are time-expired boys you have employed ? Tes.
3514. In growing cane what labour do you find most suitable? Kanaka, labour.
3515. Would it pay you to give 20s. a week and rations to white labour to grow cane at8s. a ton ? Cer-
tainly not.
3516. Have you tried any other tropical productions ou your selection besides sugar cane? I have tried
maize, if that is called a tropical product.
3517. It is hardly a tropical product. — Was it a success or failure? It was not a, success. The crop
was very unreliable.
3518. Beyond sugar cane and maize you have not grown anything else ? I tried to grow English potatoes.
Sometimes I got a fair crop, but it is not to be depended on. What we would call a fair crop would
amount to 3 tons to the acre.
3510. How much a ton do you pet for them ? I have sold them locally at 10s. per cwt.
3520. That is £10 a ton ? Tes ; and I have had a yield of 10 tous to the acre under favourable
circumstances.
3521. What do you call favourable circumstances ? There arc very fuw years that you can get a crop.
Sometimes it is ton wet. ] have often planted them, aud the wet has come on and killed the seed in the
ground. When we get suitable weather, not too much rain and not too dry, then potatoes succeed.
3522. Tou have not grown coffee or tobacco ? No.
352:1. Is there any particular matter that the Parmers' Association desired you to bring under our
notice ? Well, the Farmers' Association tbink it would be a very desirable thing to establish experimen-
tal farms throughout the district.
352-1. Do you think from your personal knowledge that if such a farm were established the farmers
would avail themselves of it ? I think so.
3525. Have you discussed this matter among yourselves at your meetings? Yes; it has been often
discussed.
3526. And favourably received ? Tes.
3527. Is there any other matter they desired you to bring under our notice ? With regard to the
cultivation of sugar cane, they desire me to state that if suitable labour is not provided the sugar industry
must collapse. We have tried growing cane with white labour, but white men do not like the labor; they
will do any other hard work outside rather than go into the cane field. Chinese labour is reliable, but too
expensive, and we consider the Chinese a very undesirable class to encourage amongst us. The farmers
think that ka.naka labour is the niost suitable. With regard to the regulations, we have at present to pay
£5 return passage money, and that adds considerably to the price of kanaka labour. Sometimes we
might not have a kanaka for more than six months, yet we have to pay the £5 return passage money.
Well, at the end of the six Inonths perhaps that kanaka goes home, and we will not be refunded the £5;
or lie goes away from the district, andweliav e great trouble in getting the money, because we cannot
find out who his next employer is. It would be fair to make some alteration in the Act in that respect.
3528. Tou are aware that the importation of Polynesians ceases at the end of 1890? Yes.
3529. What will be the probable effect of that in this district ? If it ceases I think the ultimate result
will be the collapse of the sugar industry. The farmers are in one mind on that subject.
3530. Have you never discussed at any meetings of the associatiou the probable contingency of that Act
being put into force, and the steps you will take when that is done.— Have you considered the subject of
changing your erops? That has been properly discussed. We have given it consideration, but we have
not come to a conclusion as to what crops we could get in, as it has not really been tried what will do
best here.
3531. Are the facilities for conveying produee to market satisfactory ? No.
3532. Can you suggest in what way they could be improved ? By having communication with deep
water at the port.
3 533. By 31 r. King : That is railway communication you mean ? Yes.
3534. By the Chairman : Can you give us any idea of what it c sts to take produce to Townsville from the
Herbert River ? It costs about £2 a ton taken away from the river bank at the present time, bat of
course it costs the farmers whoare awayf rom the rivermore to bring it to the bank.
3535. Then all the goods consumed by you arc liable to the same charges backwards ? Tes.
3536. Is
106
■MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
J. -Vim. J s vour i an j uo j er plough ? About fifty acres are under plough. I think a. supply of kanaka
f — \ labour is absolutely necessary for several years to come, until the land can all be put under plough. Even
28 Jan., I889. then the labour wouldbe necessary to a certain extent, but more of the work could be done by white
men.
85:37. Was it scrub or forest land that you selected ? Scrub land.
8638. How was it cleared— by white or black labour ? I cleared a good deal of it myself, and afterwards
1 let it by contract to Chinamen.
3.339. What did it cost per acre to clear ? About £5 an acre to have it cleared, and an extra £3 an acre
to hare it planted with Cane.
3510. By Mr. King: When you speak of clearing, you mean fellingand burning? Tea.
3541. By the Chairman : How much did the lan f l cost when it was cleared, and burnt, and stumped, and
made ready for the plough ? I should say it would cost about £12 au acre. After clearing and burning
it is planted, and then the crops have to be worked with the hoe until most of the stumps have rotted out.
Then there are stumps to take out afterwards and make it ready for the plough.
35 42, By Mr. Kinq .- That is what you say will cost up to £12 an acre? Yes.
3543. By the Chairman : How do you find tlie climate of the Herbert River, so far as the health of
Europeans is concerned? The climate is generally healthy. In opening up the country, we suffered a
good deal from fever, but new country is always to a certain extent unhealthy. It improves afterwards.
3544. Speaking as a farmer resident in the district, are you satisfied with your prospects here? No; I
am not satisfied.
3545. Can you make a good living here? I have not improved my position since I started cultivation.
There are many drawbacks, which I have explained.
354G. By Mr. King .- How many farmers are there inyour association ? Twenty-five are registered.
3547. Are they all small holders— homestead men? 1 es; most of them are.
3548. Do they all cultivate cane ? No.
3549. How many of them grow cane ? About ten.
3550. What area of cane do you suppose they cultivate altogether? Between 500 and 600 acres.
3551. Supposing that the company's mill on this river slopped working, and there was no one to buy the
eane, what would the farmers on the river do. — How would it affect them ? Well, they would cease to
be farmers. They would have to give it up if nothing else cropped up.
3552. I* it your opinion that white men could do such work as trashing, and weeding, and cutting thecane ?
No ; I do not think that they could do it. They have never proved that they can do it.
35o3. If you were looking for a job would you take one of trashing, or cutting, or weeding? Certainly
not. I have been a working man on the river, and would rather do any hard work than go into the cane
field.
3.554. Did the cane last year suffer from anything besides the drought ? Tes ; it suffered from grubs.
3555. Have you tried any remedy for the grubs ? No; I have not.
35,56. By M r. Cowlr.y .- You might state what the association has done ? They sent down grubs to the
Agriculturn I Department, and it is having them investigated. Experimeuts are now being carried on in
the department to find out, if possible, a remedy.
3557. Bjj Mr. King : 3id the grubs do your cane any damage last year ? Yes ; a great deal. I had five
acres completely destroyed. It did not go to the mill. Through the field the cane was more or less
damaged and the growth impaired.
3558. How much per cent, was destroyed? I should say 10 per cent.
3559. Ten per cent, of the whole ? Yes.
3580. Including the five acres ? Yes ; the five acres were completely destroyed.
3561. Has your cane ever suffered from any other pest besides the grub ? No.
3562. We heard something of locusts some years ago ? They did not come down this way.
356:-$. What are the wages paid to white labourers, outside of farming work, in this district? I think
from 25s. to 30s. a week.
35S4. What do the Divisional Board men get? There is no weekly labour employed by the Divisional
Board.
3;565. By Mr. Cowley : There used to be ? Yes.
3566. What did the men get ? 7s. per day and found themselves.
3567- You say your crop averaged 14 tons— was that ratoons or plants ? Ratoons and plants.
3568. How many acres of plant cane did that include ? Fifteen.
3569. Did that include the five acres that were destroyed ? No ; what was destroyed was just ratoon
cane.
3570. Have you ever employed any indented kanakas ? No.
3571. Why have you not introduced them ? Because they are too expensive at first. It is beyond the
means of the farmer in genial, and me particularly.
8572. If you could procure these men at £12 or .£13 per head would you take them ? Yes.
3573. I11 j^eference to taking other men ? Yes.
3574. Had you the offer of a Government central factory here ? Yes.
3575. Bid you accept ? No.
3576. Why not ? Because one of the conditions was that we should employ nothing but white men, and
we could not see our way to growing sugar cane by employing only white men.
3577. After two or three years' experience, bave you any reason to chiTige that opinion ? No.
3578. Do you, as an association, compare notes and read papers on agriculture or sugar cultivation ?
Yes ; we d q
3579. You have said that you object to this £5 return passage money. Jo you think it would be a
benefit to the farmers if the Government undertook to collectthat money from the next employer ? Yes ;
if it would make it surer to get the money.
3580. Befo re a man agreed with another employer, if the Polynesian inspector collected the money would
it be of assistance to you? It would assist us so far that it would make sure of getting the money when
the boys went away from us ; but it would not alter 1 the fact that if you employ a Polynesian for six
months you have to pay his passage home again if he wants to go home. That increases the wages very
much when you employ a man for a short period. 3581. You
TJTE OEKEEAT. CONDITION OF THE 3TJGAE TNDT/STEY ITT QXTEENSLAWT).
107
8581. You say there are twenty-five members belonging to the association. Does that include all the J A5 '"
farmers itt the district on this side of Ingham ? Not all ^— »^\_ — — ^
3582. There are ten cane-growing. Do the others grow crops for the mill owners, such as sweet potatoes. 38 Jan., 1889.
• o they produce sweet potatoes or corn, and are they dependent on the millB? They are to a certain
extent dependent on the mill owners. They are selling their cr«pa to them.
3583. If the mills were removed those farmers would be robbed of their livelihood to a certain extent?
Yes.
3584. Do you think it would be a good plan if the Government were to undertake the introduction of
kanakas? Yes ; if it would cheapen the cost of them ; but that is the objection at the present time.
£28 per head is the first cost.
3585. What amount do you think you could afford to pay, provided the islanders were indented for three
years ? I think £10 or £12 a head would not be considered too much.
3586. That is independent of the capitation fee ? Yen.
3587. You could aiford to pay that well ? Yes ; I think so. At present the kanakas are got from the
islands at about £6 a head per year.
3588. By the Chairman : Do you know they are asking more than £6 a head ? Yes.
3589. By Mr. Oowhy ; How do you fi nd the kanakas you have employed agree with the white men in the
district r Very well. 1 iind no objection among the white men to kanakas.
3590. Did you ever have trouble yourself with the kanakas? Never.
3591. Do you pay their wages regularly ? Yes ; I pay them every six months to the kanakas, before
the inspector.
3592. You said Chinese were objectionable labour. Am I to understand that you would never employ
them if you could get kanakas? Yes ; certainly
3593. You prefer to deal with kanakas entirely ? Yes.
3594. What do you do with the islandei*s after they have been taken ill ? Send them to the Polynesian
hospital .
3595. Have you had any deaths among them ? No.
3596. None at all ? None at all, and, except on one or two occasions, have had no kanakas in the
hospital.
3597. Then your men have always been exceptionally healthv ? Yes.
3598. Have you ever employed any aborigines ? Not since I began cane growing ; I did a long time ago.
3599. What varieties of cane do you grow ? JVleera.rappoe, and some cheribon was planted last year.
3600. You have confined yourself exclusively to these varieties ? Yes.
3601. Has your cane sihown any sign of rust ? No.
3602. Theu you have had no loss except through the grubs ? No.
3603. Are there any signs of the grub now ? No. I think it is not time for them to appear yet.
360-1. Bid you receive a letter from the Agricultural Department in Urisbane saying that as far as
experiments' had gone yet they believed that cultivation would destroy the grubs ? No. I had a letter
Baying that they were still experimenting and hoped"to find a remedy.
3605. Hav» yon had any cane attacked on ploughed Luid ? Yes.
3606. Are the grubs worse ou the ploughed land than on the hind that has not been stumped ? J could
not say if they were worse but I have seen plenty cane inland that has been as wel l cultivated as any on
the river, and that cane was destroyed by the grub.
3607. By Ihe Chairman : Are you well acquainted with the district and know most of the farmers in it ?
Yes.
3608. How many of them have leased their land to Chinamen to cultivate. ? I know of one block which
is almost entirely given to Chinamen to cultivate.
3609. By Mr Cowley : What should you think would be the area under crop by Chinamen here ? About
200 acres.
3610. Leased by Chinamen I mean? It is leased by Chinamen but the agreement is made by white men
with the Colonial Sugar Company. They have an agreement to grow the cane.
3611. By Mr King : On what terms is it leased to the Chinamen ? I could not say how much is paid per
acre. I think a nominal price.
3612. By Mr. Coivlcy .- Have you leased any ? I have four acres of a garden that the Chinamen keep.
3613. By the Chairman : What do they pay you foT it ? 30s. an acre.
3614. Do you know of any land that is let on tribute for sugar growing to Chinamen — that is, the land is
leased to the Chinamen to be cultivated, and the proprietor takes a certain amount of sugar cane as
equivalent to the rent for the land ? I know of land that has been leased to Chiuamen, the Chinamen
grow the cane and get from the proprietor a certain price for it. The proprietor is under agreement with
the Colonial Sugar Company. He sells the cane to them and draws the money from the company.
3615. By Mr. Cowley : fs that done because the company will not recognise Chinamen? No; the company
has made agreements with Chinamen.
3616. By Mr. King : What price did this man give to the Chinamen for the sugar cane ? 7s. a ton.
3617. By Mr. Coivhy : And what did he get ? 8s. a ton.
3618. By tht: Chairman: Do you know whether the farmers have been trying experiments with other
articles besides sugar and maize ? Kice has been tried.
3619. Has it succeeded ? Yes ; it yielded a fair crop.
3620. Have they gone into fruit growing — the growing of lemons, limes, and mangoes ? There is a great
deal grown in the district, but there is no market for the fruit.
3621. Has anyone attempted to grow grapes? They have been tried, but have not given a satisfactory
result.
3622. Is the result of your observation and experience that the land is more adapted to sugar growing
than anything else ? That is my conclusion.
3623. Beyond what you have stated the association desired you to make known to usas their wishes, have
you any suggestions that you can yourself offer f»r assisting the sugar industry or any way in which
tropical agriculture can be assisted? The suggestions of the association have been put down. I know
of nothing else. I do not know of any other way of helping thesugariudustry than by giving it the labour
it requires. I think it could be helped by entering into reciprocity treaties with other colonies.
326-1. For
108
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOUE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQT7IBE INTO
J. Aim. 3(;2i-. For the admission of sugar free, in consideration of our taking articles from them duty free ? Yes.
^*«-*— — \ 3625. Fou think that would be an advantage to the sugar industry ? Yes. A great disadvantage atthe
'8 Jon., 1889. present time is the extra duty put upon everything by the new tariff. If the sugar industry were pro-
tected by reciprocity there would not be so much said about it, but now everything we use has risen in
price and the sugar remains the same.
362(5. Then you think that when the tariff was revised something should have been done for sugar ?
Yes.
Neils Christian Rosendahl examined :
N.C. 3(327. By the Chairman : You are a farmer on the Herbert River ? Yes.
Rosendahl. 3(328. You are a member of the Herbert River Farmers' A ssociation ? I am.
^-A— — 3(329. Have you been deputed by them to attend before the Commission and give evidence? I have.
8 Jan., 1889. :J(330. Ifow long have you been a resident on the rim- ? About, fifteen or sixteen years.
3031. How long have you been farming during that time ? About eleven years.
3<>32. What area of land do you hold ? 16t acres.
3«33. A homestead? Yes-
3634. How much of it have you cultivated ? About forty-five acres altogether. Some of that is not
under crop at present.
363.3. What have you chiefly »rown ? First I grew corn and sweet potatoes, and si»ce the Colonial
Sugar Company entered into agreements with ua I have been growing sugar cane.
3636. How did you succeed with your maize and potatoes ? Not at all. I succeeded rigtt enough for a
year or so, but aphis got into the corn and I only got five bag* out of six acres.
3637. Since then you have been growing sugar for the Colonial Suga.r Company ? I gave up growing cane
for a year until I entered into an agreement with the company.
363s How many tons of cane does yonr soil produce per acre? It varies. The first year I had a good
return of 49£- tons ; the second year it was something like ;38 tons ; the third year it was about 16 tons,
and last year about 134. tons.
3639. Can you explain to us the cause of that difference ? Yes. Of course the second and third years
were the ratoou crop, but there came a very heavy wet season, which stunted the growth of the cane, and
it has not recovered since. Last year I planted a good lot of young cane, and it looked very ■srell up to
this time of the year, but the grubs came and destroyed it by eating the roots right away. I had to plough
it out again this season.
36-10. Grubs attacked your cane, even in the ploughed laud ? Yes.
3011. What labour have you employed in the growth of sugar cane ? All kinds — white men, Chinamen,
and kanakas.
3612. What wages hare you paid the white men ? £1 a week.
3643. And their board? Yes ; I had one man for six months working for £20, and I have had two on
weekly wages at £1 a week.
3(5(4. Are you satisfied with the employment of European labour? I cannot say I am. I could get
very much more work, in proportion to the wages paid, out of a Chinaman.
3(54-5. Why cannot a European work as well as a Chmrumwi ? I do not know. I have been working
between Europeans and Chinamen myself, and it was just as much as I could do to keep up with the
Chinamen. I got a sore finger and had to go away, and when I came back I found that the two
Europeans were losing more and more ground every day as compared with the Chinamen.
3646. Ha7c you done the work yourself, as the owner of the land, which the Europeans have refused, to
do ? 1 have. I have done all kinds of work.
3647. Then you think it is not the climate that prevents Europeans from working here? It all depends
on the kind of work.
3648. I asked what labour you had employed for the growth of sugar cane, and you said you bad
employed white men, Chinamen, aud kanakas. I desire to know whether there is anything in the
cultivation of sugar cane that a white man is incapable of doing? J do not think so; but he is not
willing to do it. You cannot get him to do it.
3649. What wages have you paid to Chinamen ? 15s. and 16s. a week and rations, and 24s. without
rations.
36.10. What wages have you paid to kanakas ? 1 have paid them £1S a year.
3651. Those were time-expired boys ? Yes.
3652. Which labour do you consider most suitable for the work of the cane fields ? I consider the
kanaka labour by all means the most suitable, because the kanaka does work that even a Chinaman
objects to do.
3653. Have you experienced any difficulty with them in working in the cane fields? No; I have not.
Of course they want looking after.
3(551. You have discussed the matter of this Commission in the association ? Well, the sugar industry is
a matter that is pretty often discussed, and it has been discussed outside a.s well.
3655. It was understood that three out of your number should represent the whole ? We did not under-
stand perfectly at the time if the Commission was willing to take evidence from everybody, so, to cut the
matter short, it was arranged that three should be deputed to give evidence for the whole.
36,") 6. By Mr. Kiny : You can say that the farmers agreo with what you have boen telling us ? As far
as I am aware.
3(5/57. By the Chairman : Were there any other suggestions that you were desired to lay before us
by which your industry on the Herbert Riv er could be improved or assisted ? I think that if the kauakas
are taken away from us it will look pretty bad for us here.
3658. That is not the point I am alluding to. Hid the association empower you to make known any
particular request ? Yes. If thi- Government were willing to establish something like an experimental
farm, or school, or college, or uhaterer it might be called, tho farmers could be instructed what to grotv.
We are all Europeans coming into a tropical country and we really do not understand what can be crown.
We have to struggle for a living to keep the pot boiling, and have verv little time for experiments. In
fact, up to this time none of us have made anything that I am aware of.
3659. Supposi:
osing
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP THE 3D GAE IKDUSTB3T I>' QUEENSLAND.
3639 Supposing that an experimental farm were established, would you as a farmer avail yourself of it ? R
By all means. I would avail myself of the experiments.
3660. And grow the tropical products that the gardeu would show you could be grown ? Yes; if it /^~* V - A -
could be shown that they could be grown with profit, so that 1 could make a liviug out of them. 28 Jan.,
3661. Was the difliculty of sending produce to market discussed by the association ? Te3 ; that is a very
serious question indeed.
3662. Can you give us any information about it? It has become a rule of late that nothing has been
sent off tfie river, because people after sending away fruit, and f»ddcr, awl sweet potatoes have had
nothing in return. Hie freight, commission, and" landing charges in Townsville swallow up the whole
concern, aud consequently it has not been very common of late to send anything away.
3663. You think that ia a very serious interference with the ■agriculture of the Herbert River ? Very
serious. Of course the planters have opened up communication of their own, and we have relied upon them
in growing the eorn. I have a good bit of coru growing this year, and if the planters would not buy it
from me — and corn becomes very cheap after a wet season— I would get very little return by sending it
to Townsville, after paying 10s. freight to Dungeness and another 15s. to Townsville.
3664. You are aware that the importation of Polynesians ceases at the end of 1890 ? I am aware of it.
3665. Has your association discussed the probable cousequences of that? Tt is a very seritus thing to
discuss. 1 think what is uppermost in everybody's mind is that if we cannot see anything better before
us we will have to leave off. I do not think sugar cane can be grown by white labour, and it is
important that we should find out the way to grow something else.
3666. Then supposiug that the mills should cease manufacturing sugar what would be the nextbestthing
for the farmers to turn their attention to? In my own case the best thing [ could do would be to pack up
and go, because a 100-acre farm is not big enough for cattle to run ou, and under the present circum-
stances it would not pay to grow any produce to seud away.
3667. By Mr. King : You said just now that white men could do the work in the cane field, but they
were not willing. You haie been a working man yourself, have you not? I have, all my life.
3668. If you were looking for a job, and you were offered wages to trash cane, would you take the job 1
It all depends on the wages.
3669. What wages would you want for such a job? I would not like to trash cane for £lor 25s. a week.
I could not do it. 1 do not thiuk it is a thing that my health would, stand very long.
•'3670. You would rather hump your drum than do that ? I would indeed.
3671. Or plant cane with a hoe in scrub land ? That is hard work, but it is not so bad as trashing cane.
It is very hard beeause the temperature in the cane field is very humid, and yon get wet through. I have
tried it and have had to go home. I could not do it.
3672. You do trash your cane ? I have *ot to do so.
3673. It is considered advisable to do it? It is considered advisable by the company. In fact, they
make it a stipulation.
3674. How much of your crop w as destroyed by ^rub this year — how much per cent, did you lose ? The
grub destroyed over one-third. I had about GOO tons from thirty-five acres, when 1 should have had 1 3 000
tons, accoi'ding to the way the crop looked,
3675. Do you Consider this a healthy district For whites to liv« in ? [ have been living here a good many
years. I daresay 1 would be very healthy if I had a change somewhere else, but 1 have t« stop here.
Home prefer this climate, and some say it is not healthy, but I do not think the climate is really uaheal thy
if a man does not work over his abilities.
3676. Is yours scrub land ? Partly.
3677. Is it under plough ? A good part of it is under plough now.
3678. When you get the whole put under plough could you work it with less black labour ? As far as
the white man's work is concerned on my place I can very well do that myself, and have always done it.
I cannot work the land without some labour to clear the rows and do the trashing.
3670. A white man would be able to do more cultivation when the laud is cleared and horses and
machinery can be used ? So long as a man can sit on a " Sulky" plough and drive along he can stand
that; but he cannot stand to work with the hoe.
3680. By Mr. Cowley : Are the kanakas you employ free men, or are they under an engagement for
three years ? They are time-expired boys.
3681. Can you get as many as you want of them ? At times you ean, and at times you cannot.
3682. What wages do you pay them ? £18 a year.
3683. Government scale of rations ? Government scale of rations, but no clothing.
3681. Yon have forty-five acres under crop. If you could get as many kanakas as you want, would you
plant more than forty-five acres ? I think I might go in for more, but then the kanakas are not
extraordinarily cheap. There is XLS a year, and there is the hospital fee. If you engagcaboyforsixmonths
you must pay the hospital i'eeof £1. Then there is £5 return passage money, which a man must reckon in
the wages, because he is not certain that the boy might not go home. Or he might go away to another
district and von never see I ho £5.
368-5. Your ratoon crop gav e 16 and 13% tons per acre. Is it not a rule to get less every year off tke same
field ? Of course it is, but in the 13^ ton crop I had sixteen or seventeen acres of plant cane. Ibat was
growing in laud that had been lying over f'«r several years, aud I stumped it aud ploughed it out and
put cane into it.
3686. That was almost wholly destroyed ? Yes.
3687. When you got the 16 tons per acre, was that allratoons? All ratoons, and it got hurt by the
heavy wet when it was small.
36f}S. Did you find that the grubs attaeked the cane on the land that was not ploughed? I had four acres
of scrub land alongside ploughed laud, and the grubs did not attack that part.
36S9. Did they confine themselves specially to the ploughed land ? Yes. There had been no crops there
for several years.
3690. It had been thrown out of cnltivation for several years ? Yes. Four or five years.
3601. When you were ploughing the land did you see the grubs? Yes.
3692. Did you pick them out or kill them? I never took any notice of them, because it is a common
thing to see grubs in the land, and I never knew them to do any harm. 3663. Have
110
JIIKTJTES OE ETTDENCE TAKES BEFOEE THE EOTA1 COMMISSION TO HTQUTBE rSTO
S. C. 3693. Have you formed any idea as to bow it is they did harm last year ? I think it was on account o
liosendahl. exceptionally ivy weather.
3694. Do vou think that if you had labour you could grow other crops besides cane, and make them pay i
28 Jan., I889. 'r na t is what I do not know. I onlv wish that I did know what to grow.
3695. You are not wedded to cane. You have not made so much out of it that you would not try
something else? I have not made anything out of cane.
3696. Do you know of anything at the present time that you could grow to pay, and use white labour
exclusivelv. Is there anything that would pay a man and 'his family— you have some boys growing up ?
You see there is no market for anything a man might grow. For instance, fruit. Well, in the
fruit season there are a lot of mangoes, but it would not pay to send them away. Tobacco has been tried.
I have not tried it, but it seems to grow very well. I have also seen rice growing here In fact, I have
experimented with it, and have even tried wheat.
3697. Is there anything, of your own knowledge, that you could grow to pay — other than sugar ? I do
not know of anything.
3698. You alluded to the £5 return passage money. Do you think it would be a good thing if the
Government would collect that money instead of allowing the employers to collect it ? If the Govern-
ment would collect it from the last employer I think it would be fair, because there is a lot of humbug
about it. If you get a boy who bas been in other parts of the colony he may give a lot of trouble. I
cannot say thut I have lost anything, but my neighbour, Mr. Carr, has lost £15.
3699. Have you ever obtained any kanakas from the islands? No.
3700. "Why not? Because I could not afford it. The price is so high.
3701. If these men could be procured at £12 a head would it pay you to take them then ? Yes, it would.
Some of the new chums, I believe, are better than the old chums.
3702. How much could you afford to pay per head and find them in the Government scale of rations and
clothing ? I could afford to pay them the same rate of wages as is given on the plantations at the present
time — £(> per annum. I would be satisfied with that.
3703. What kinds of cane do you grow here? First I planted Cheribon, and then Bappoe and Meera.
3704. Is the cane healthy ? Yes.
3705. No rust? No rust.
3706. The crops last year have been free from disease, with the exception of the grabs? Yes.
3707. By Mr. King : Docs the land in this district stand cropping well, or does it get exhausted after one
or two crops? I have land on which there is splendid-looking corn, and there was splendid cane on it.
It bas been cropped for eight years and nothing bas been returned to it.
3708. So far you think the land has not shown any sign of exhaustion ? No, it is not exhausted. The
land I speak of is some of the poorest I have, because it is close alongside the road.
:V709. By the Chairman : Have you leased any of your land to Chinamen ? No.
3710. Have any of your neighbours done so i* One of them, but he is not growing cane.
3711. What do the Chin/unen grow ? Sweet potatoes and corn, but they have turned away from that,
and are growing cane too, now.
3712. Are you pleased with your position as a farmer in the district ? I have never been anything but a
farmer, and have always been working ou a farm. I cannot say thatl am very prosperous, but I should
like to stick to it.
9713. By Mr. King : Are you making money ? No; certainly not.
371 4. By the Chairman .- Are you rearing your family and milking a good living ? "Well, we have got a
home, but if we get another season like the two last, I do not know bow it will go.
3715- Then you think the drought of last year and this have had a very serious effect on the agricultural
industry generally ? I do not think it has had a serious effect upon the plant crop. I do not think
it has hurt the cane much. "When the land is well cultivated it seems to stand the drought very well. I
do not think there is anything that will stand the same amount of drought as cane.
3716. The drought was* not the only cause of your getting 13^ tons of cane per acre ? Not altogether.
The drought did not affect my cane. It might have affected other farmers' cane that was cut long after
mine. Mine was some of the first that was cut. It was cut in August, and the drought was not so far
advanced then.
3717. By Mr. Gowley. Did you get any cane at all off the fifteen acres attacked by the grubs? I got
some off a six acre field ; I got 60 tons.
3718. Ajid now you have thrown that entirely out of cultivation ? I have put some under corn.
3719. If you fi nd that the season is favourable, will you plant with cane after you take the corn off?
Decidedly.
'3>20. How many acres are yon under contract to supply to the company ? About forty acres.
Chaiiles "Watson, examined :
C. Watson. 3721. By the Clmrman : You are a farmer on the Herbert Kiver ? Yes.
^— ^v_^— s 3722. You are a member of the Herbert Hiver Farmers' Association ? Yes.
28 Jan., 1889. 3723. "£ou havo been deputed by that association to sptjak in their behalf before this Commission?
Yes.
3724. How long have you been a farmer on the river ? About five years ; but I have been a resident on
the river for seventeen years.
3725. What is the extent of your holding ? One hundred and sixty acres homestead.
3726. How many acres have you cultivated ? I had about fifteen cultivated, but I have not got as much
under cultivation now.
3727. What are you growing ? I grew mostly sugar cane; butl found it would not pay me, so I knocked
off.
372S. Have you no land under sugar cane now? Yes ; I have about five acres.
3729. When you say that you found it would not pay you, what price were you obtaining f or the cane ?
I was getting lis and delivered it at the tram line. The company allowed me 3s. to cut and deliver it,
and it would not pay me. I reckoned I was only receiving about 6s. a ton for growing it. Tliey gave
me 8s. if they cut it themselves. 3730. And
THE GENEEAI CONDITION OF THE SUGAE iLNDUSTEY IH QUEENSl A3fl>.
Ill
3730. And did it not pay you to grow it then ? Not with the labour obtainable. c - Wataon.
3731. What labour did you employ ? I have tried Chinamen andkauakas. t — — ^
3732. Tou have had no European "labour ? Tes ; I have had some Europeans as well. 28 Jan., 1889.
3733. Why did you not continue to grow cane with European labour ? Because I found it the very
worst labour of the lot.
3734. How was it the worst of the lot ? If I set a white man to work, I bad to watch him closer than
a kanaka. If you seut a kanaka into the field to hoe, h« would contiuue to do so, but as soon as I left a
white man to himself he lay down and did no more until I came back.
3735. What wages were you paying the white men ? £1 a w-eek.
3736. What did you pay tho Chinese ? 24s., and they found themselves.
3737. Tou have employed some kanakas ? I had kauakas for about a month. I could not get kanakas.
I had not the means. Tou have to pay £5 a head to the inspector before you get an overtime boy, and
when the time is up it is very difficult to get the £5 back aga in. In that way the labour becomes more
expensive than white men or Chinamen.
3738. Do you think the work of the cane field is suitable for European labour ? I do not think so. I
have tried it myself, and I would much rather do any other bush work than go into the field.
3739. Have you tried any other production on your selection besides sugar ? I have tried corn and
potatoes. The potatoes grew very well, and so did the corn, but you cannot depend upon them. If you
do not happen to get a suitable season the aphis gets into the corn and destroys the whole crop.
374f. Have you tried tobacco or coffee? No, I have not. «
3741. Have you grown fruits ? Tes, I have tried mangoes and they grew very well. I have some orang*
trees, but they are too young yet.
3742. By Mr. King : Can you not ship the mangoes to Townsville ? No, because the charges are too
high. By the time they got to TWnsville I would get no return. It would cost me somethiug to bring
them to where I could ship them, and £2 a ton before I got them down.
3743. By the Chairman : Do you follow any other occupation besides farming ? I take any contract
work I can get, because the selection would not pay me to live on it,
3744. The produce of your farm does not keep you ? JN"o, nor my family.
3745. Was there any particular matter that the Farmers' Association desired you to bring under our
notice ? The kanaka labour question, and the expenses of getting kanakas. That is one of the principal
things settlers have to contend against — the excessive charges and the passage money. If I want three
or four boys I have not got the money to pay the inspector £5 a head. If 1 3iad and went to engage a
boy the inspector would not be at home, and I would lose two or three days before I found him at
home. Another thing is, that if there is the least thing the matter with a boy I have to take him to the
hospital. If the inspector finds the boy lying down, even if he only has a sore fbtger, I will very likely
be summoned. When I had the boys one was sick for a week, I gave him medicine, but the inspector
told me that if I did not send him to the hospital he would summon me. I told the boy that and he
went to work again.
374S. Did the association supply you with any suggestions by which the present state of affairs could be
altered? If they could get the passagemoney reduced to a certain extent it would make a difference.
Another thing is about the agreement. It would be better if we could get it signed before a justice of the
peace. That would often save us two or three days. Tou lose a day in going to Ingham and fi nding the
inspector, and the same when a boy is discharged. Those are the only objections to kanaka labour. It
is the best labour we can get.
3747. That was the principal thing the association desired you to bring under our notice ? Tes.
3748. Do you think the establishment of an experimental farm would be advantageous? I think it would
be the best possible thing for the district, because the farmers are so far apart that they canuot afford to
experiment. I have tried rice, and it grew well enough, but I have no means to go on and grow it in any
quautity.
3749. Do you think an experimental farm would be made use of by the farmers ? Tes,
3750. Would you, as a farmer, make use of it? I would, indeed. Sonieof the settlers have done farming
at home, but had done none in the colony before they started on the river, and they want an experimental
farm. The productions here are very different from those of the old country. Tou may get information out
of papers, but it is not like seeing the produce actually growing in the field.
3751. Have not the farmers themselves discussed the growth of other articles besides sugar cane ? They
have, but no one has the means of trying the experiment.
3752. Supposing the importation of kanakas ceases at the end of 1890, as provided by statute, what will
be the effect ? I expect to see the whole country with nothing but cattle on it. 1 do not see how we
can possibly get on without kanaka labour. I am quite certain the plantations will not exist without
kanaka labour. I have seen fifty white men strike on Monday morning and say they would not work unless
they got 5s. a week extra, and if the company were confined to white labour and that happened in
the crushing season it would be the ruin of any company. Besides, the number of men that the company
require they could not get in North Queeusland. An estate like Victoria plantation would want 4#0
or 500 white men in crushing season, and they could not be had.
3753. By Mr. King s Did your cane suffer at all from the grub? No, not mine.
3754. By Mr. Cowley .- Did your association go in for au experimental farm ? Tes, but we had not the
money to go on with it.
3755. How long did you keep it going ? About two years.
3756. Did you work it at your own expense or did the Government assist ? At our own cost.
3757. Is the farm abandoned ? We still keep it g»ing, but it is next do»r to abandoned. We had some
coffee and tea and different plants that seemed to do very well for the time we looked after them.
3758. Have you been in the habit of buying and shipping produce, and did you make anything out, of it ?
In the early days I used to make something out of bauanaa and oranges, but I lost money on it about
four years ago because the charges were too high. In the north they can ship much cheaper than wo
can, because the big steamers go right alongside the wharf.
3759. If you had railway communicatiou would it assist the farmers to grow other produce besides
BUgar ? 3 think if we had railway communication it would assist the farmers greatly.
3760. What
112
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAXEX BEFOEE THE EOS AL COMMISSION TO ESQTJIEE I^fTO
C. Watson. 3760. What do you consider was the cause of your failure in cane growing ? The want of labour. I
, — \ could not get kanakas, and if I got Chinamen, I paid 2 Is. a week, and if I did not watch them I did not get
28 Jan., 1889, half a dav's work. To kanakas I had to pay Ss. a week hesides finding them, and then the £5 return
passage w.os lost at the end of three or four months when the kanaka went away. The Cbinaman was the
cheapest man of the two even if he did not do the work. Then I have tried coolies and they were worse
than any.
3761. liy the Chairman -. Your association reprcseuts all nationalities ? It does.
3702. And they were unanimous in the selection of you three ? They were.
3763. What you three witness have told us are the unanimous opinions of the association ? Yes.
3764. By Mr. Cowley: What countryman are you? A Swede.
3765. You are naturalized, of course ? Yes.
Fbank Neame examined :
F. Neamc. 3766. By the Chairman : What experience hive you had in the cultivation of sugar ? I have been culti-
^— — n vating for about fourteen years.
28 Ja,n., 1889. 3767. What is the name of vour estate? Macnade.
3768. What is its total area'? 6,S56 acres.
3769. How much of that is under cultivatiou ? 913 acres — 690 under cane, L5 under potatoes, and 210 .
fallow.
3770. How many acres of cane were crushed there last season ? 500.
3771. And and. how much sugar was made ? 725 tone.
3772. How much molasses? About 25,000 gallons. We do not keep any definite account of the
molasses, but it was about that amount.
3773. What do you do with it ? It very often goes to waste, and sometimes is used as manure.
3771. What is ihe approximate amount of capital invested in the whole estate? It is rather a difficult
matter to say that. The MacnadeSugar Company had about £13.5,uOO invested, and we have spent about
another £1S,000 since we have had it. Wheu we took it over the place had very much deteriorated,
the cultivation was very much out of order, and it cost us a lot of money to get it right again. I should
think about £130,000 would be a fair aiLount.
3775. What we would like to know would be the amount which has been expended on the estate altogether,
by yourselves and those who had it before you took possessioo of it ? 1 should say about £130,OtU.
3776. Does it pay interest on that expenditure now ? No.
3777. By Mr. King : None ? No, it pays nothing. I am sorry to say it is worked at a loss.
3778. By the Chairman : What is the approximate annual expenditure of the estate ? About £15,000.
3779. What labour is employed chielly in working the estate ? We have bad last year on an average
thirty Kuropeans, twenty Chi nese, ninety kanakas, and seveuty-three Xa.lays.
3780. What wages do you pay each class of labour? Europeans on an average £S0 a year, Chinese 16s.
a week, kanakas £S 13s. 6d. a year, Malays 29s. 2d. a month.
3781. By Mr. King : Do you give rations in all cases ? Yes.
3782. By the Chairman ; Have yoa employed Europeau labour for field work, and are Europeans able and
willing to do it ? I cannot recollect employing them in field work. I never found any willing to take it.
1 have tried to let cane cutting by contract, but never succeeded.
3/83. What description of labour have you found most suitable for Held work ? Pacific Islanders.
3784'. How much of your cultivated laud is fit for the plough ? The laud is chiefly under plough.
3785. You do use the plongh now ? Yes.
3786. You have steam ploughs employed ? Yes.
3787. Aud they give employment to European labour ? Yes ; they employ about five men.
3788. Do you think that bringing the land into such a state of cultivation that the plough can he used will
reduce the number of black labourers that are employed ? Yes ; I think it would. Scrub land requires
much less weeding when under the plough. When under the plough it can be worked more with horses.
3789. How many acres of land do you cultivate for each labourer employed ? About three and three-
quarter acres.
S790. Do you find that the kanakas employed in field work suffer in health ? No.
8791. llow is the health of the Europeans employed on the plantation ? Generally very good.
3792. Where was the machinery of your mill manufactured ? In Glasgow.
3793. What is the cost of your usual overhaul for annual repairs ? I could not say. It is not kept
separately.
3794'. Do you keep your staff of engineers all the year round ? We keep two engineers all the year
round, and* generally another man assisting.
3795. 1 hey are occupied solely in overhauling? In keeping the machinery in repair.
3796. What wages do you pay these engineers ? #nc has £200 a year and the other £3 a week.
3797. And rations ? Everything found.
379S. Liy Mr. Kiny : What was the original cost of your machinery ? I could not say. It was obtained
at different times.
3799. Has your crop suffered from the grub at all ? Slightly ; not very much. About ten acres were
destroyed last year.
3800. Have you any information about the best way of dealing with the grub ? No ; I have not.
3801. Has your crop ever suffered from any other pest besides tlie grub ? Caterpillars. I have seen it
checked by them, but not destroyed.
3802. You were not one of those who suffered from locusts some years ago ? No. I was not growing
cane at that time.
3803. Is thcreany disease in the cane? We had some suffer from rust in 1876.
380i. But since then there has been nothing? Since then it has been very free from disease.
38*5. You consider this district is well suited for growing cano ? Yes ; very well.
3806. Does your soil show any signs of exhaustion yet ? In operation we find it beneficial to manure.
3807. l"»u ilo manure? Ye6.
3808. Supposing
TEE OENEEAL CONDITION OF THE SXTGAE INDUSTBY IN QUEENSLAND.
113
3808. Supposing that the Polynesian Act as it at present stands is carried out — that is, that the importa-
tion of kauakas ceases at the end of 1890 — will t that have any effect upon you ? AVe should have to close /
our plantation. 2£
3809. Would you not attempt to carry it on with white labour ? No. I should simply close down as
gently as I could, by planting no more cane and crushing what was left.
3810. What would you do with the land then? Let it go back to grass again and put cattle on it.
3811. Would you not attempt to cultivate some other crop? No; I should be tired of cultivating.
Without coloured labour I do not think that any tropical production can be grown to advantage.
3812. You would not attempt it ? No.
3813. By Mr. Ctwhy : What kind of cane suits this climate best ? Kose bamboo, rappoe, meera,
Mauritius yellow, and Mauritius gingham.
3814. Where do you get your plants f rom ; and have you introduced any other varieties ? We have
lately introduced some varieties from China.
H815. Are they doing well ? We only received them this mouth.
3816. Have you introduced any from the southern plantations? Not for A long time.
3817. Did you get any cre«le or lahiua that the Government circulated some years ago ? Yes.
3818. Did they do well? I think they died out at Macnade, but I had some last year and it
promised very well.
3819. Do you purchase any cane from auyone for your mill? We have some Chinese growing for us now.
We will purchase nest year.
3820. Have you let- your land on lease? Yes.
3821. To white men or Chinese? To Chinese. I could not get any white men to take a lease.
3822. Did you try to get white men to take it ? Yes; we tried for a long time.
3823. What rent' per acre did you charge for y»ur laud ? Five shillings an acre per annum.
3821. Is it cleared ? Some cleared and some uncleared. I thick the same reut is charged for both.
3825. What do you call uncleared ? Yirgin soil.
3820. Is any of it under the plough ? No.
3827. How long have you leased this land for? Five years.
38 28. What price do you give, per ton, for the cane? Eight shillings, or 10s. 9d. delivered on
the main line.
3829. Are you prepared to lease more land at the present time|? Yes.
3830. (Jan you get anyone to take it ? No ; I cannot.
3831. Were you compelled to let your land to Chinamen because you could not get anyone else to take
it ? Yes.
3S32. How do the Chinamen answer — do they carry out the contract-faithfully ? Some are working very
well and some very badly.
3833. Have you double crushing ? Yes.
3834. Have you all labour-saving appliances in the mill ? Yes.
3835. Have you all the different methods for extracting the juice that are known? I think so.
3830. Does your machinery consist of triple effets, vacuum pans, and press filters ? Yes.
3837. Do you know of anything you have not got — -auy late improvement? Not that are in use in the
colonies.
3838. Do you macerate ? Yes.
3839. What percentage of sugar do you extract from the cane — how many tons of cane did^it take last
year to make a ton of sugar ? Ten tons.
3840. You have employed kanaka labour for many years — do you find it suitable to your requirements?
Yes.
3841. Do the kanakas give you any trouble in the matter of breaking the law or refusing to obey orders ?
They work very well, generally speaking.
3S12. Do they tjuarrel with the whites much? No; nat at all.
3843. Are the white men on the place antagonistic to them in any way ? No; I think that they are quite
willing that they should be employed.
3844. Have you as many kanakas as you require? No; not nearly.
3845. Do you make every effort to get them ? Yes ; we had a vessel chartered last year to bring 150 for
us and another company, and the vessel only brought thirty-nine- That was just as we commenced
crushing, and it threw us out very much. We had nineteen instead of seventy-five.
384C. Have you any vessels now out ? We have applications in for 171 islanders by three vessels, and
we have another vessel under charter.
3847. What is the cause of this ? We have had great difficulty in getting islanders lately, and the price
has been very high. The ship owners say it is on account of the very heavy restrictions that have been
put upon them.
3848. Do you think it would be feasible for the Government to take the introduction of kanakas entirely
into their own hands? I think it would lie a very good thing indeed. I think the cost would be very
much reduced to planters.
3819. Would it uo away with all abuses ? Yes; it would do away with the possibility of any abuse
arising, and would ensure a much more regular supply.
3850. Have you ever heard from the kanakas any reason why they do not come here as freely as they
ought ? No ; I have not.
3851. Have you a hospital ? Yes.
3852. And a medical attendant ? Yes.
385:3. Have you much sickness among the labonrers ? Not a great deal. On an average about 6 per
cent, are sick.
3854. Can you give us your death rate for the last year? No ; I have not got it.
3855. Do you pay the islanders every six months? Yes.
3850. Is the Polynesian protector present when they are paid ? Yes.
3857. By the Chairman: What is your experience in the employment of Javanese? They are very
expensive.
r 3858. You
114
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN SEFOEE THE BOTAJj COMMIsai»N TO INQUIRE INTO
F. Neame. 3858. Tou would not desire to introduce any more ? No ; not at all.
^*-~ A -^"~*> 3859. Some time ago you sold your estate, did you not ? Yea; in 1882.
28 Jan., 1889. 3860. And left the colony, as you thought, not to return again ? Tes.
3861. "Would y»u kiiilly inform us tow y»u came t* take over the estate again ? In 1886 Mr. Panning
wrote, asking whether I would lend some m»ney on mortgage •£ th« estate, ani I thought at that time
from what they had spent on it that the money would he quite safe ; hut in 1887 1 was compelled to come
out here to look after my interests, ani it eventuated in my taking the place over again.
3862. Do you of your own knowledge know that, so far as the purchasers were concerned, it resulted in
a heavy loss to them ? Tes.
3863. Have you grown on the estate any other tropical productions but sugar ? As garden specimens we
have grown coffee and cinnamon, but not for commercial purposes.
3864. Were those experiments a success ? Tes ; the plants grew very well.
3865. Are you of opiniou that they could he profitably grown ? Tes ; with coloured labour.
3866. Can you state the causes which in your opinion have depressed the sugar industry ? High price
of and iitculty in procuring coloured labour, and the low price received for sugar. In 1877 kanakas
were recruited for our estate at £10 Its. per head, and the wages were limited to £6. We now pay for
recruiting the same labour £28, and wages up to £12, clothes and rations all being in excess of the earlier
period.
3867. Can you offer any suggestion by which the industry could be relieved of the depression ? I
believe that if the South Sea Islanders were recruited by the Government, and dep6ts established at the
islands, it would ensure a miore regular supply, and at considerably less cost, than at present. It
would at the same time do away with the possibility of all abuses in recruiting. The uncertainty of
supply at present is a great drawback, for one may make applications for hundreds and only get one-
tenth of the number, and at other times perhaps the full complement. I would suggest that New Guinea
may possibly be a good field for recruiting, and by placing a tax upon those leaving the country the
revenue might be advantageously raised. A regular supply of cheap labour is absolutely necessary. The
idea that black labour on a plantation competes with white is, I consider, as erroneous as the idea
formerly held that machinery would lower the price of wages, whereas it does just the very reverse, and
creates a demaad for labour at higher prices. Treaties with the other Anstrahau colonies to permit our
sugar to go iu free, or under more favourable duties than those levied on the production of other countries,
would also greatly assist the industry. With a regular supply of cheap labour and reciprocity, I believe
the industry would develop lacgely, and give employment to a much larger European population than at
present. Further, if the small farmers could be assured of a few coloured labourers at reasonable rates
I believe many more would grow cane for the mills.
3868. By Mr. Cowley .- At present you say all your molasses goes to waste ? Tes.
3869. Could you not utilise it in any way ? No ; except as manure. We use some of it as manure.
3870. Do you not distill at all? No.
3871. Why not? As far as I can learn, I do not think it would pay.
3872. Would it be of assistance if the excise duty was lowered or removed altogether? I have no doubt
that that would stimulate the industry.
3873. At present this loss of 35,000 gallons on 750 tons of sugar is a very considerable item ? It is.
3874. Do you know of no way in which the waste product could be utilised ? No ; we know of no way
in which it could be profi tably utilised.
3875. Tou have heard of saccheureka being made — have you ever tried to make it ? No.
3876. Have you ever tried to ship your mtlasses south ? Tes, I did once ; bat it was left about on the
wharf, some of the casks exploded, the molasses leaked •ut, and it was not a profitable speculation.
3877. By the Chairman: Can you «ffer any suggestions for the promotion of tr»pii/al agriculture
outside of sugar growing? By the introduction »f coloured lab»ur, I thiuk the northern part of the
colony is capable of producing all the tea, colfee, rice, sugar, and spices required by Australia.
3878. Tou give that as your opinion after fourteen years' experience ? Tes.
3879. By Mr. King : Yon sold your plantation in 1882 ? Tes.
3880. Part of the price remaining on moi-tgage ? I was paid cash.
3881. Then you afterwards advanced something on mortgage ? Tea.
3882. What was the amount of the mortgage ? £35,000.
3883. And that was the amount for which the purchasers gave you back the plantation? Tes.
3884. Did they in the meantime expend any money upon it? About £50,000.
3885. Did they increase the machinery ? They increased the machinery, and the area under cultivation.
3886. How many years did they have it? Between four and five years.
3887. Then at that rate they must have lost about £20,000 a year ? Tes.
3888. By Mr. Cowley : Can you tell us of your own knowledge the amount that was lost from experi-
menting in introducing labour ? No ; I cannot.
3889. Do you know that they did lose heavily on that ? Tes.
3890. What was the labour that they iutroduced ? Javanese and Cingalese.
3891. Tou are not aware that they iutroduced a large number of Chinese ? I think I have heard that they
did.
3892. How do you manage with deceased islanders' wages? They are paid to the inspector.
3893. Have you ever applied for them to be paid to the relatives of the deceased ? I applied lately in one
instance, but there has been no result yet,
3894. Has sufficient time lapsed for there to be a result ? No ; I think not.
3895. Tou say you cannot possibly grow cane without the assistance of black labour — now if you could
employ as many islanders as you required, would it pay you to grow sugar atthe present price ? No ; I
do not think it would. _ The prices for the last three months InTse been better. At the prices that are
ruling just at present it would, but not at the prices that were averaged in 1887-8.
3896. Wouldit pay o»an average of £15 or £16 a ton if you could get a sufficient supply of South Sea
Island labour to cultivate as much land as you required ? I could hardly say. It w«uld pay a very small
interest at that price.
3897. What is the capacity of your mOl if worked to its full extent? About 150 tons of cane a day.
3898. That would be 15 tons of sugar ? Tes. 3899. Were
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE ST/GAR INDUSTRY IH QUEENSLAND.
115
3899. Were you able to keep the mill supplied with cane at that rate last year ? No ; we only F - Neame.
averaged 100 tons a day.
39l)i. What was the reason of that ? Shortness of labour. "We could not getsufficient cane supplied to 28 Jan., 1889.
the mill.
3901. My Mr. Kiny .- That would increase the cost of manufacture ? Very much so.
3902. My Mr. C'owle y .- You have not only suffered from a want of ca ne, but you have a!so suffered from
being unable to get that cane to the mill in sufficient quantity to l#cep the mill profitably employed ?
Tes.
3903. How many acres of land are there that you could let to white farmers ? A good many hundred
3904. Are you willing to lease it ? Yes.
3905. What length of lease would you give to a good man f Five or seven years. Before my evidence
closes I might suggest that the wages of a kanaka when sick and in the hospital should be allowed to be
deducted by the employers and go towards the hospital fund.
3906. lit/ Mr. King : If a kanaka is sent to gatl has his employer to continue his wages during the time
he is in prison? 1 believe so.
3907. My the Chairman .- You said just now that the annual cost of working the estate is £15,000 ?
Yes.
3908. The whole of that money is expended in the district ? The larger portion of it.
3909. At present the estate is being worked at a loss ? Yes.
3910. Then at present there is absolutely expended in working the estate more than you receive in the
produce of the estate? Yes.
3911. Where it is possible for you to employ European labour you generally do so ? Yes.
MR. ARTHUR XEAME'S STATEMENT.
Mr. ..Arthur Neamf., who was unable to attend before the Commission ia consequonceof a severe
accident, hauded in the following statement: —
'• I consider the true causeofthe depression in the sugar industry to bethe uncertain and insufficient supply
of labour. Sugar at the present prices would give a good retnrn on capital invested could the planters rely on
getting the labour to put a sufficient area under cultivation, maintain it in good cultivation, and in course «f time
gather the crop. As at present, the labourers may be on the plantation to plant the crop, their tim« expires before
the crop can be taken oft, and a fresh supply of labour cannot be procured in time to take their place.
"The labour is alsovery expense. The passage money for each islander is £2S,including Government fees,
this sum to be paid in cash before a day's work is done, and wages have to be paid whether the men work or not.
This price makes it quite prohibitory for the small selector to grow cane, a3 lie caunot do all the work himself and
he caDnot, afford topayforthe labour toassist him.
"On all these northern plantations a larger supply of labour is of necessity maintained all the year round
than in other sugar-producing countries, there being no spare labour in the district available that can be drawn
upon in busy times.
"To relieve the sugar industry of the depression under witch it labours, I would suggest that the Govern-
ment bike into their own hands the work of procuring and distributing the coloured labour (the planters of course
paying all expenses); that the labourers should be received at some central dep6t, to which all applications should
be s?nt, ami from whence the labour required should be forwarded to the applicants; and as soon as the time of
any labourers expired they should at once be returned to the dep6t for transmission to their islands.
"This question of labour is most pressing.as, should no remedy be found, I can see nothing to hinder all the
northern coast lands reverting to small cattle stations with a minimum of population.
" The suggestion I would offer for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing is :
" To introduce a large supply of coloured labour entirely for field work, at rates not much in excess of those
paid in other countries. In the course of a few years I then believe that the northern coast lands would be amongst
the most prosperous in the world; a large white population would in time get settled on the land, as is self-evident
at {he present time, in spite of all difficulties, and would probably, when the next generation grew up, be able to
dispense entirely with coloured labour ; but if the coloured labour is stopped or checked at the present time, the
white population will gradually disappear till there arc hardly any left; even'now there are a number of deserted
land*.
" If a supply of Labour could always be relied upon, I feel convineed that in a snort time most of thelands
in this district would be under cultivation as far as the coast range. The agricultural labourers who come into
the eolony, and many others, would, as soon as they had saved a few pounds, either buy or lease land and grow
sugar cane for the mills to erush. also rice, arrowroot, cassava (tapioca), cinnamon, and coffee, all of which grow
to pcrf cction in this district, as also most tropical fruits and many kinds of fibre. I have had numerous appli-
cations from Europeans to lease land, but they have iuvariably wanted me to assist them with labour wbieh I
have been unable to agree to,"
TUESDAY, 29 JANUARY, 1889.
HERBERT RIYER DISTRICT.
(At Ripple Creek.)
Present:
W. 11. GROOM, Ebq., M.L.A. j A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
H. E. KING, Esq.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Robert Mitckeii. Botd examined:
3912. Bit the. Chairman : Are you a partner in the Hippie Creek plantation ? I am.
3913. What experience have you had in the cultivati on of sugar ? Twenty years' experience — since /
3914. Ilavt' you grown any other tropical produce? JN"o ; not with a view of finding a market.
3915. What is the name of thiti estate? Ripple Creek. 391G. What
116
MINUTES OE EYI»ENCE T-AXEN BEPOBE TH.E EOTAX COMMISSION TO 7NQUIBE INTO
R. M. Boycl. 391G. What is the total area of it ? 1,650 acres.
3917. How much of it is under cultivation ? 800 acres.
2E> Jan., 1889. 3918. Under sugar cane ? Under sugar cane, 720 acres.
3919. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? 620.
3920. And how much sugar was made ? 1,025 tons.
3921. How much molasses ? 38,000 gallons.
3922. What do you do with i t ? Throw it away.
3923. What amount of capital is invested in this estate? £85,000.
3924. What rate of interest does the estate return on that amount of capital ? Nothing.
3925. What is the annual working expenditure ? The expenditure for three years was £60,095 from
June, 1885, to September, 1888.
3926. By Mr. King : An annual expenditure of £20,030 ? Yes.
3927. By the Chairman: That amount represents the capital expended on the estate in working
expenses ? That is what 1 have actually expended since 1885.
3928. What have been the receipts during that period ? £49,464, showing a total loss of £10,631 in
three years.
3929. Then during those three years there was no interest whatever, you say, on the capital invested ?
Not a penny either on capital, wear and tear, or anything else.
3930. What labour is employed in this mill, specifying the number of Europeans, kanakas, Chinese, and
Javanese? 50 Europeans, 71 Chinese, 36 Malays, 6 overtime kanakas, 116 kanakas under agreement;
total, 229 coloured labourers.
3931. What wages are paid to each class of labour ? Average wages of white men with rations, valued
at 6s., £2 4s. 4d. a week ; Chinese, £1 Is. 9d. per week ; Malays, 15s lOd. per week ; overtime kanakas,
14s. ; and agreement boys, 17s. 2\ d. That is the amount paid to the kanakas under agreement, iucluding
proportion of cost of introduction, return passage, and all other expenses under the Act.
3932. What description of labour is found most suitable for field work ? The kanaka is as good as any-
body as far as I have learned here.
3933. Have yon ever employed European labour for field work ? Not for hoe work.
3934. Have you ever employed European labour to do what the kanakas are doing ? Not in Queensland.
3935. Are you of opinion from your experience that the European can do workthatthe kanaka does now?
He certainly can not— not for twelve months. They can do it for a few weeks, but to follow it up as a
living they cannot.
3936. Is much of your land under cultivation by plough ? About 400 acres, and all will be directly,
3937. When your land is perfectly free from stumps would not Europeans working horses and machinery
be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour ? Wot more than we are doing at present.
3938. By Mr. Cowley : You mean that the proportion will not be altered ? The proportion will not be
altered. White men can do the horse work and machinery work but not anything else.
3939. By Mr. King .- When the ground is fully under cultivation, you will be able to do much work that
you now do with the hoe, with horses ? But I shall have more hoe work to do.
3940. By the Chairman ; How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each coloured labourer employed ?
About three acres at preseut.
3941. Do the blacks employed in the field work suffer in health ? I thiuk they suffer more from laziness
than anything else.
3942. By Mr. King : You do not find it affects their health to work in the field ? I do not think so. As
a rule the climate suits them very well. What makes them "suffer in health is bai Government regulations,
too much clothes, and the wrong sort of food. There is do doubt about that. We arc bound togive
thern so much meat to eat whether they are used to it »r not.
3943. Are the Europeans affected by the plantation work? I do not think so, so far as working in. the
open is concerned. They stand the elass of work that they do.
3944. By Mr. Kimg : At present the district is a fairly healthy one for Europeans? Fairly healthy, at
the work in which they are engaged.
3945. By the Chairman : Were these Malays indented by yourself, or did you hire them in the colony ?
Some were indented by myself, and some I picked up.
3946. What is your experience of them ? If you can get the right class of Malay— the real Malay coolie
— he would do very well for the couutry, but if they are got from Singapore or Batavia they are simply
no good. They are simply a trouble and a nuisance, and are no gooi, unless they are brought in under,
proper regulations.
3947. You are aware that, according to the existing statute, the importation of Polynesians ceases at the
end of 1890 ? Yes, 1 believe it does.
3948. AVhat effect will that b;ive upon the operations of this plantation ? If we cannot get coloured
labour the plantation must just shut up. If we cannot get suitable labour, that is to say, labour suited
to the eliimte, we must close.
3949. What is the cost of the inachineiy in your mill ? £30,107.
3950. Where wan it manufactured ? Glasgow.
3951. Do y«u make an annual overhaul for ropairn ? Yes.
3952. Cau'you give us the average cost of that ? In 1886, £1,557 ; in 1S87, £l,53;i.
3953. That is for putting the machinery in order for erusbuig ? Yes.
3954. That is the whole cost of putting the mill in order ? Yes.
3955. By Mr. King Has your cane suffered from any diseases or vermin ? We lost about 10 per cent,
last year from grub, and we lost one season, I should say, about 10 or 12 per cent, from rust.
3956. You have had no sign of rust lately ? Not the last three years. 1 ploughed one planting out and
we never planted it again.
3957. What variety was it that rusted? Ribbon cane.
3953. By Mr. Cowley : Big or small ribbon ? Big ribbon.
3959. By Mr. King : What are the average wages paid to white labour outside of sugar planting in this
district ? Handy men get Us. a day and find themselves.
3960. What does the Divisional Board give ? From fis. to 7$. There is a man working on this side who
gets 7s. a day and finds himself. Maintenance men get from 6s. to 8a. 396L What
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP THE SrOATl UTDT78TRY IN QUEENSLAND.
3951. "What is tlie cost per acre of felling and burning scrub ? Taking one season with another, I should E- M.
say £10 an acre. A great deal depends upon the season.
31)62. What would be the cost of stumping it and making it fit for the plough? £20 to £40. I never 29 Jan.
saw scrub land stumped straight out.
39G3. What is the eost of preparing forest land for planting ? Our laud cost on an average over £25 an
acre; that is, to make it ready for planting.
3961. Is the forest land here suitable for agriculture ? Tes.
3965. Do you consider it equal to the scrub ? No.
3 l J66. Does the forest land soon become exhausted ? Not heavily timbered land. It stands pretty well,
but I have only had six years' experience.
3967. Han any of your iand shown signs of being exhausted ? Yes; the whole of it. It all deteriorates
after one crop.
396s. By Mr. Camlet/ : You mean one planting? Tes ; in five years.
3960. B>) Mr. King- Do you manure? I commenced this year, and can give no results.
3970. What manure do you use? The sameas the Colonial Sugar Company. We sent for three different
varieties, and I hare one coming from England. I am experimentalising this year.
397 L. Tou are frying several kiuds of chemical manures ? I am trying three sorts, and getting another
from England.
3972 Tou said just now that the working expenses for the last three years have averaged £20,000 a year.
Has that been spent in the district — tlie whole or the greater part of it? I believe every penny »f if ;
with the exception of a few thousand pounds for goods imported from Sydney, the whole lias, been paid
out through the plantation cheque book.
3973, Have you had any experience in distilling? Yes.
3971. Would it not pay to turn your molasses into rum ? No.
397.'i. Why not ? The coat of freight, casks, cooperage, carriage, and excise would prevent i t ; besides
which it would be impossible to work under the hours ami rules of the Excise Department in an outside
country like this. It simply could not be done.
3976. Could yon not dispose of y< ir in 1 -s to some of the "Brisbane distillers? No ; they will not
take it away as a gift, and pay the cost. Even if Gd. a gallon could be got for it iu Brisbane, the whole of
that amount, if not more, would be entirely swallowed up in freights, packages, and charges.
3977. By Mr. Cowley •. Itave you had experience of growing sugar iu New South Wales ? Tes; ten
years' exjMJrience.
3978. On what rivers were you ? Port Macquarrie, the Maclay, and Clarence Rivers.
3979. Did you ever grow cane for a factory ? Tes.
39S#. What labour did you use ? "White labour.
3981. Did you make it a success — was it profitable ? I lost every sixpence I had in the world, and took
a billet with £15 iu my pocket after the experiment
3952. How does the yield per acre down there compare with the yield per acre in Queensland? I have
known it oti the Clarence average 42 tons an acre for a two-year old crop. That was an exceptional
Crop.
3983. What area would that, comprise ? Over 1,300 acres.
3981. What price per ton was paid for tlie cane? 10s. on the field.
3985. To the grower? To the grower.
3980. What labour was used in growing the cane ? Mostly white labour
3987. Can you tell us the wages paid, including rations ? They varied from 12s. to 18s. a week with
rations. The labourer lived as one of the family.
3988. Tou employ fifty Europeans on this plantation directly ; how many do you employ indirectly ? I
should say that £l9,#i0 out of £20,000 a year goes to the white population.
3989. The bulk of the money spent here ffoes in some form or other to thewhite inhabitants ? Tes; not
5 per cent, gets away from them.
3990. Have you ever had cane cut by white labour— contract or otherwise ? No.
3991. Do your white ploughmen stay long with you, as a rule ? No ; the ploughmen do not, as a rule.
3992. Do you readily find those men in the district, or have you to import them from outside? In nine
cases out of ten we get them from Townsivill^.
3093. Do you pay their passages up here ? Yes.
3991. Ami by cont inually lostug the men you add to the cost of working the plantation? Tes ; it means
nearly £1 apiece to every man every three months.
399.3. Tou have £85,000 of capital sunk in this estate. — I wish to know whether that is actually cash
sunk, or includes interest from the date of operations ? It is accumulated interest for four years on an
overdraft of £50,000. This overdraft has gone from nothing to £50,000.
3996. The interest has been added annually ? Yes; interest is being charged at the rate of 3 per cent.
3997. What cane do yon grow here for your crop ? Big yellow, lillian green, rappoc, meeru, and Creole.
3998. Whicli do you find the best variety ? I nice the big yellow, but I nru told it is liable to disease.
3999. Is creole tilt' cane that was distributed by the Government some years ago ? Tes.
40(10. [ I nw lias that done with you ? I do not think it is worth planting ; it is too light a crop.
4001 . Then it does not, return th» same yield as you were led to believe ? No.
4002. Have you any of the lakinu cane distributed by the Government? I do not think so.
4003. Tou sti ffcred from grubs last ytiar.— Did you try to remedy that in any way ? I ploughed the cane
out of the fields.
4004. Has that destroyed the grub ? We cannot tell till next year. The grubs turn to beetles, and
there are millions of beetles. If they come back to deposit their eggs, and those eggs come to maturity,
there will not be a stick of cane next year.
4005. Tou arc not iu a position to say whether cultivation is beneficial ? No. I believe the birds have
destroyed millions of grubs — the kite and magpie lark.
4006. Have you taken any steps to chauge your plants by tutroduciug from other districts ? I have a
few varieties sent from the Clareuce.
4007. The bulk of your plants are of your own growing ? I exchange with my neighbours.
4U0S. Do you get better crops by a change of plants ? I do not know that I do. It depends upon the
season. 1 have no doubt it is beneficial. 4009. Are
118
MT5UTES OF EVTDEJfCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE EOT4L COMMISSION TO IJTQTJIEE INTO
R. M. Boyi. 4009. Are vou purchasing cane from anyone ? I am purchasing all the cane I can buy. I am under
*-~\ agreement "for fifty acres at present.
29 j»n., 1869. 4010. Who grows the fifty acres? Chinamen.
4011. Do you get all you want, or can you take more ? I could take more.
4012. Have you made any efforts to lease your land to white men? Yes; I have advertised the property
three times. ...
4013. A nd how many white men have you obtained ? None. I have only had two inquiries out of three
advertisements.
4014. What was the character of the land that you offered to white growers ? I offered to lease the
whole property in farms.
4015. Cleared land? Yes; cleared land under cane.
4016. What was the annual rent you asked ? £1 an acre for the cleared land.
4017. By cleared land do you mean land actually under plough ? Under cane itself. Cane growing on
the land.
4018. Did it include the crop ? The crop* wanted renewing. I took 1,170 tons of cane off the crop
that I offered to give in with the lease.
4M.9. You have been unsuccessful in obtaiiing any white growers ? Wc could not get a man to come
on at all.
4020. What price did you offer for the cane ? When we first advertised to lease farms we offered Its.
a ton.
4021. In the field or cut ? Standing.
4#22. That is the iame price as given in New South Wales ? Yes.
4*23. And since then ? Since the fall in price of sugar we have offered 8s.
4024>. Have you double crushing in your mill ? Yes,
4025. And do you macerate the cane ? Yes.
4t26. Is your machinery of the best description known for the manipulation of sugarcane? I do not
know of a single improvement that could be made. Not one. I followed the Colonial Sugar Company.
Our machinery is a duplicate of theirs on a smaller scale.
4027. You are an old manager of theirs ? I was in their employ for ten years, and managing four
years.
4028. Do you strive to avoid all waste in your mill? Yes.
4029. Can you tell us how many tons of cane it took to make a ton of sugar in your factory last year ?
Ten tons making white sugar. I have never done it before under 12 tons. Two seasons it has taken
12 tons, two seasons it has taken us 14 tons, and this season it has taken 10 tons.
4030. What system are you adopting for the manufacture of your sugar? When I am making white
sugar I use Despessi's process.
4031. Are your South Sea Islanders easily managed ? They are no trouble, so long as they are allowed
to do what they like.
4032. I mean, do vou hav e any trouble with them? Yes.
403:3. AVhat does that arise from ? Being too much pampered by the inspector and grog.
4#31. How do they obtain the grog ? They buy it. They can get as much as they like. They have no
difficulty at all in getting it.
4035. Have you taken any steps to prevent this ? Yes ; we have complained to the inspector three or
four times. We have complained to the police half a dozen times. We have informed the magistrate.
We have informed and got convictions in two or three cases ourselves, but we have had very little
assistance from the police, as they say that prosecutions should be undertaken by the Excise Department.
4036. Does this seriously affect the labour question ? I reckon it is a loss of 5 per cent, on my
kanaka labour.
4037. Do your South Sea Islanders and white labourers ever quarrel ? No ; we have never had a serious
row on the plantation.
4038. Do the white men object to the employment of kauakas ? No ; there is no objection.
4039. Are you full-banded at the present time ? No ; and never have been since I have been on the
plantation.
4040. What steps do you take to obtain islanders ? We write to all the known owners of labour ships,
and very often put advertisements in the papers asking for charters.
4041. Do your ships tome with full complements, as a rule ? I have only had one ship with a full com-
plement in six years.
4042. Can you give us any reason for that ? Simply, I believe, because they cannot get the kanakas.
4t43. What is the cost of the passage money at the present time, including all charges ? To land them
on the plantations they cost from £27 to .£30. I luave three charters out at £27.
4044. Does that include capitation? Yes ; that includes the £3 capitation and £24 to the shipper.
4015. Can you suggest any idea by which kanakas can bo more easily obtained ? I suggest that the
Government take the labour question in hand. There would be a great deal more satisfaction given. We
never know now when we can get men. We make a charter before a ship is in port, and perhaps she
nevor gets there. If she docs and goes out again, perhaps she never comoe back. In the meantime our
hands are tied from making other charters.
4046. AVould you suggest that the Government introduce islanders on a somewhat similar plan to the
introduction of white immigrants ? I suggest that the Government introduce the labour aud allot it to
the planters according to application, and return it to the islands ; the planters, of course, paying the
expenses.
40±7. By Mr. King : What was the average crop of cane per acre last year ? I65 tons.
4048. What is the capacity of your mill? It can make 1,500 tons of sugar, workiug a single shift.
4049. Plow many tons of cane would you require per day ? 140 tons.
4050. Were you able to keep the mill working with that last season ? No. Twice during the seasou we had
to stop to take our labour from the factory into the field to keep the weeds down. We wanted another
fifty men on the plantation.
4*51. Then your working is more expensive in consequenceflof not having sufficient labour to work the
mill to its full capacity ? Yes; I am losing interest on tho machinery, and the same management and
supervision would do double the work. 4052. Do
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
4052. Do you employ a steam plough ? I had steam ploughing done last year by contract. K - M -
4053. To whom does the plough beloug ? A man named Brims. He bought the steam plant, and takes /""""^
contracts for ploughing. 29 Jan.
4054 How many horse ploughs do you employ ? I am working at present nineteen teams.
4055. What number of horses do you employ ? Seventy-four, and two teams of bullocks.
4056. Are all your horse and bullock drivers whites ? Yes.
4057. What length of tramway have you got ? Six miles.
4058. Do you work it with horse power? Yes.
4059. By the Chairman .- How long have you been on the Herbert River ? I came here in 1882.
40(i0. Or course you are aware that the depression in the sugar industry commenced in the year 1883 ?
Yes; 1883-4.
4061. Have you any personal knowledge of the loss sustained by planters in this district during the last
three or four years iu consequence of the depression ? Yes ; I have a personal knowledge of one estate
losing over £100,000.
40(52. What became of the plantation ? It was sold.
4063. Did it realise anything like its proper value ? It was offered to me for £20,000.
4064. Were there mure than one plantation in the same position? Yoa ; another — Hanileigh.
4065. What wis the loss sustained on that one? I believe £100,000. Of course I cannot state the
exact amount.
4066. Was it sold? I believe so.
4067. What did it realise ? £12,500.
4068. Then throughout the district there has been a general depression for some years past? I believe
one firm has lost £300,000 on the Herbert River since 1882.
4069. What tropical productions other than sugar can be grown in this district ? Tobacco, coffee, dahl,
cocoa, vanilla, cotton. All these I have grown in my own garden, and seen them growing. No doubt all
spices will grow, and anything that will grow in other tropical countries.
4070. What labour \vo ukl be req uired to render the growth of these articles profitable ? The same labour
that is used in other countries where they are grown at a profit at present.
4071. You do not think that Europeans can grow these articles at a profit without having some other
labour than their own ? They certainly cannot. It is simply impossible.
4072. Have you grown any of these tropical productions on the Herbert River ? I have grown all I
mentioned, but not for a market.
407:3. Have you tried coffee as a,n experiment ? Yes.
4074. And the result of your experiment has been to satisfy you that the district is well suited to grow
all the articles that yon have enumerated? Yes; and very likely a great many more.
4075. Can you state the causes which, in your opinion, have led to the depression in the sugar industry ?
Increased cost of labour, and fall in value of sugar.
4076. Can you offer any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved of the depression ? The only
thing I can suggest is to put us on the same footing as other people. The cause of depression is a fall
in the market all over the world of about £10 a ton, and the production in Queensland exceeding the
consumption, thereby losing the benefit of the import duty to the planters, a further sum of £5 a ton
has been lost to them, Wo are unable to compete with the growers in New South Wales as they still
have the benefit of £5 duty, their production being less than their consumption. The cost of sending
our produce into the market by steamer is 10s. per ton in excess of what is paid by tto New South Wales
planters. The European labour in New South Wales coats less to the farmer than the Chinese labour
here, which labour we are bound to employ, not being able to obtain any other. A great deal of the
cane grown in New South Wales is cultivated by women and children. Here we have to k»ep men
employed at unprofitable work for the sake of having them at hand when absolutely required, whilst in
New South Wales a man is only employed so long as there is profitable work for him to do. The sugar
iudustry in other parts of the world is barely paying expenses. The planters iu Queensland, to compete
and pay expenses must he placed on the same footing in regard to the cost of manufacture, which would
mean a saving of nearly £8,000 a vear to this estate if the same labour was employed as is used in
Mauritius and the West ludies. li kanakas are allowed to be employed at their present cost I do not
see that planters would be in a position to compete uith other countries that employ cheaper
labour unless the planters are assisted by a bonus or protection. I would suggest that on
account of the unsatisfactory working of the Polynesian Act and the alleged abuses, also on
account of the iucreased cost since 1882, the Government should take the labour question
entirely into their own hands, and introduce suitable labour. ] would further suggest that persons
engaged in the cultivation of tropical produce, to compete against others who employ cheap
labour, should be registered and allowed to employ cheap labour in proportion to the area under cultiva-
tion, and the othor half of the labour might be done by Europeans and machinery. It costs in Queens-
land £70,000 to form an estate, and erect machinery and working plant capable of producing
1,000 tons of sugar per annum. To that must be added one year's working expenses — say £20,000 — -and
on this expenditure capitalists should reasonably expect to receive, including wear and tear of machinery
and depreciation, not less than 10 per cent. — say £9,000 a year. No doubt, in view of the present
depression in trade, if they could get 5 per cent., or even 4 per cent., they might be induced to carry on
with the prospect of better times coining. The United States Government have given manufacturers
of cane sugar a bonus of 1 cent per lb., and a reciprocity treaty with New South Wales, Victoria, and
South Australia would give us protection nearly equal to the same amount of bonus given by the United
States. By allowing the use of reliable labour, and endeavouring to secure a reciprocity treaty, such as I
mention, the planters might be akie to compete on a fair footing with other tropical countries. If the
sugar industry in Queensland can be made a profitable undertaking, the production might be increased
until the export amounted to 100,000 tons. It is estimated that the Johnstone River could nearly export
that amount. Thai would mean an expenditure of capital of £7,000,000, and a floating capital of
£2,0f0,000 sterling. J may add that I require 250 kanakas to work this plantation, independent of the
white labour, which would be increased, supposing I could obtaiu that number. In 1882-3 these kanakas
would have cost me lis. lOd. per week, or £7,691 13s. 4d. for the year. At the present time the 250
kanakas
120
HINTTTE3 OS ETIDENCE J3EEOEE THE EOYAJL CCMMISSTOK TO ItfQTXIRE INTO
B. M. floyd. kanakas would cost me 15s. O^d. per week, or £9,777 Is. 8d. per annnin. Tim present cost of all coloured
, — ^ labour to the owners of the plantation at present is 17s. 2|d. per head per week. The increased expense
29 Jan., 1889. of labour, through being unable to obtain a proper complement of kanakas, even at present rates, makes
a loss on a ton of sugar of £1 8s.2d.,a.nd theincreased expense of labour, through extra Groverumeutespenses
and the increased wages and passage money of kanakas since 1882-3, makes a difference on a ton of sugar
of £2 Is. H\i. If labour could be obtained as it is in some of the other sugar-growing countries, including
even countries where beet-root sugar is made, it would make a difference to the planter on a ton of sugar
of £5 6s. 8id.
4077. By 2fr. Cowley : Tou sav that the country is adapted for the growth of tobacco. Did anyone ever
attempt to grow it? Yes ; a neighbour of mine grew it.
4078. Had he much under crop ? I believe twenty or thirty acres.
4079. Did he get good crops ? He told me that the tobacco grew splendidly.
4080. "Was he an experienced tobacco grower? Yes.
4081. Do you know the cause of his failure ? Yes; he could not get labour.
4082 Has he abandoned the place ? Yes ; 1 believe he lost some £7,000 or £8,000.
4083. Have the islanders ever complained to you of any treatment which prevented them coming here in
numbers ? No ; never.
4084. Owing to your partners being large consumers of sugar, have you not had large advantages over
other growers? I reckon I have.
4085. Had it not been for those advantages would your debt not have been materially increased? Yes ;
to the extent of nearly £1 a ton on the sugar manufactured. In fact, I have paid no commission on
two-thirds of my produce since I have been here. My partners have sold it free of commission.
4086. You have only paid 3 per cent, on your portion of the overdraft? Yes; on my portion of the
esta.te.
4087. Do you know of any crop that could be grown on this river to pay solely by white labour? No ;
certainly not.
4088. Do you know whether South Sea Islanders, at the expiration of their agreement, ev*r take much
money home ? I am sure they do not. They do not average £1 apiece.
4089. Do the Malays or Chinese take any away ? Yes ; they both do. They do not go home until they
have saved money.
4090. Then in that respect you consider that the employment of South Sea Islanders is much more
beneficial to the country ? Undoubtedly. They take nothing away, and besides they come back a?ain
I have forty-five overtime bo5 - s now. Out of 120 boys forty-five have been working in the colony for a
period of three to ten years, and are drawing wages from £18 to £25 a year, all of which they spend in
the country.
4091- By the Chairman ; Do you know whether the viue has been grown in this district? It will not
grow to any perfection. I have an Isabella which has been struggling for five years, and T have had
four bunches in five years. I am not prepared to say that vines w'lU not grow somewhere in the district.
4092. Do you know whether the nutmeg is growing here ? Yes ; it is growing wild.
4093. And if cultivated, it could be grown profitably ? The fruit will come to perfection here.
WEDNESDAY, 30 JANUARY, 1889.
HEEBEET EIVEE DISTEICT.
(At Gairloch.)
Present :
W. H. GrEOOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Lewis Jesse Cowlet examined :
L. J. Cowley. 4084. By the Chairman : How long have you been residing on the Herbert Elver ? Eleven years.
N 4095. How many years were tou manager of Grairloch Plautatiou ? Two years.
3« Jan., 1889. * ()9f5 Were l ou manager •£ any other one ? I was sub-manager •{ Hainleigh for five years.
4097. Who were th» original owners of Gairloch ? Fanning, Nankivel, and Co.
4098. I id they take up the land ? No ; they bought it. Originally there were three or four owners.
4099. The firm of Fanning, iNankivel and Co. bought up the laud and consolidated it into Grairloch ?
Yes.
4100. Do you of your own knowledge know the cost of the machinery now in the mill? About £10,000;
1 could not say exactly.
4101. By Mr. King : what is the total area of the estate ? 4 600 acres, about.
4102. By the Chairman .- What area was under cane ? 1,200 acres.
4103. Did you continue to manage the plantation up to the time that Fanning, Nankivel, anil Co. sold it?
Yes.
4104. What labour was employed during the time you were manager here ? South Sea Islanders,
Ja vanese, Chinese, and Europeans.
4105. How many tons of sugar were generally turned out during the crushing season 1 I only cmshed
one season, and we got nearly 9t0 tons.
410G. Did it ever exceed 900 tons ? No.
4107. What is the capacity of the mill ? If kept going regulnriy 1 believe it could inako 2,000 tons in
the season.
4108. By Mr. Cowley : That is by single shift ? Yes ; a single shift.
4109. By
THE OENEJIAL CONDITION «r THE STJ6A71 IIOmSTRY m QUEENSLAND.
121
4109. Jiy the Chairman • Have you any idea of the total amount of capital wliich was invested in the L - J - Copley,
whole plantation by the firm of Panning, Naukivcl, and Co.? I only have an idea, it was over /^~'^- A -^~>
6120,000. 3« Jan., 1889.
4110. Was the plantation a suceesa under Fanning. Nankivel, and Co ? W r ell, no.
4111- By Mr. King : Did it pay ita workinjr expenses ? No ; it did not.
4112. By the Chairman : Did the company finally dispose of it? Yes.
4113. Do you know how much they got for it? About £21,000. It was offered atauctionin Melbourne
and they could not sell it by auetion. Afterwards they disposed of it to different people. 500 acrea
were soid to Boyd ; horses, plant, and tools to the Colonial Sugar Company ; land and buildinga to another
company. They realized altogether about £21,000.
4114. What iu your opinion was the cause of the failure of the plantation to pay ? It was owing princi-
pally to the dilli olty in getting reliable labour.
4115. Had not tie low price of sugar anything to do with it ? Certainly it had something to do with it ;
but I believe if we had had reliable and cheap labour we could have paid working expenaes and intereat.
4116. From your experience on the Herbert Eiver during the eleven years that you have been here, is
it your opinion that the district can grow augar profitably ? Yes, it ia.
4117. Under the conditions you have named? Yes.
4118. "What w;is the average yearly expenditure during the time you were manager of Gairloch ? I have
before me the monthly returns which were made out on the first of every month and forwarded to the
head o£ce in Melbourne. These returns show a local expenditure of sometimes £2,600 per month ;
others £2,000 per month ; and others £1,500 per month ; showing a general average expenditure of from
£25,000 to £27,000 per annum, and the whole of that money was spent in the colony.
4119. You say you have employed Javanese, Chinese, and kanakas — what was the cost of the Javanese
labour ? The cost of introduction waa £24 per head.
4120. And what wages did you pay them ? Eight dollars a month. That is about 25s. a month.
4121. You provided house and board ? Yea.
4122. Waa the employment of Javaneae a success ? No.
4123. If you were manager of a plantation again would you recommend the employment of such labour ?
No.
4124. What wagea were you paying kanakaa ? From £6 to £15 a year.
4125. Speaking from your knowledge, aa manager, what do you conaider the best labour for the cane-
field ? Kanaka labour, decidedly.
4126. How many Europeana were employed on the estate when you were manager? Sixty-four.
4127. What was the average rate of wages paid to them ? Labouring men got £1 a week. Skilled labour
of courae varied.
4128. What was the highest rate of wages paid to skilled labour? £ (■ per week.
4129. Bid that include rations? We had to supply rations and a house. 1 may state that I advertised
for white men to contract to cut and load cane, and Igotthreegnngs to sign a contract ; but after working
at it a week, two of the gangs threw it up, and the third kept at it for some time, until the ganger got -
Chinese labour.
4130. By Mr. King: What price per acre were you giving? 2s. Gd. a ton cut and loaded in the drays,
and the provision was that I should give them all good standing up cane, and not lees tlian 30 tons per
acre, which I had at that time.
4131. By Die Chairman : How many horses were employed on the plantation at that time ? About 120.
4132. Did you grow the horso feed or purchase it ? We purchased it.
4133. From the local farmers ? All that we could get.
4134. Then the closing of the mill by Fanning, Nankivel and Co. was a serious loss to the farmers of
the district? Decidedly.
4135. By Mr. King : How did you feed your black labourers ? We gave them rations according to the
Government scale.
4136. Did you grow the sweet potatoes yourself ? We used to buy most of them. We grew a few
ourselves.
4137. By Ike Ckairmmt : Speaking generally, from your experience as sub-manager for five years and
manager for two and a-half years on Gairloch plantation, do you consider that European labour can be
outplayed profitably in the cane field to do the work that kanakas are now doing ? I do not.
4 Do you think that such work is injurious to the health of Europeans? No.
4 1 39. Then why do you think they are not physically capable of doing the work that a kanaka can do?
I think they are physically capable of doing it, but they require such high wagea that we cannot afford
them.
4140. B i/ Mr. King .- Will white men undertake to trash cane ? No, they will not. I tried very hard to
get any lakour I possibly could, and 1 could not get them to go into the cane fielda at all.
4141. Were the white men who threw up the contract for cutting cane dissatisfied with the price ?
They said the work was too hard.
41 1-2. They did not want to raise the price ? No. I must state that two of the head men were men who
had cut cane on tho Clarence Uiver for the Colonial Sugar Company, and understood all about it.
4143. They found they could not do it up here ? It happened to be a very hot season, and they would
not work.
4144. B y the Chairman : Have your white labourers ever objected to working with the kanakas ? Never.
4145. They do not object to their being employed in the cane fields? Not at all.
4146. 3So white labourer has ever refused to work for you because you employed kanakaa ? No.
4147. Were the whole of the supplies required for the working of the plantation locally purchased? No ;
they were sent principally from Melbourne.
4148. When you say that £1J5,0W to £27,000 was expended annually in tho colony, you do not include
what you received from Melbourne ? Not all. Some of it is included, but very little.
4140. By Mr. King : How much of your land waa under the plough ? The whole, with the exception of
25" aerea.
4150. Have you used the steam plough on this estate ? Yes.
4151. Did you find it to answer well? Very well, indeed. 4152. Did
122 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE B0YA1 COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
L. J. Cowley. 4152. Did the steam plough belong to the estate ? Yes.
4 ^ — \ 4153. Is it on the estate still ? Yes.
30 Jan., 1889. 4L51. The estate now rents part of its land to the Colonial Sugar Company ? Yea. Ut course it doee
not belong to Fanning, Nankivel, and Co. now, but the Colonial Sugar Company have rented about
1,000 acres. .
4153. Was that 1,000 acres planted with cane when they rented it? Some of it was.
4156. How much ? About 450 acres was planted, but they ploughed out most of it.
4157. What rent io they pay for it? £100 a year.
4158. Dili you ever make an attempt to get farmers to rent the land and grow cane for the mill ? koton
G-airloch, but wheu I was sub-manager of Hamleigh we tried to get farmers to grow cane for us, and we
only succeeded in getting one man.
1159. What terms did you offer them? I think it was 10s. a ton for 10 per cent, density, and a shilling
eacli way.
4160. It was to be cut by the company ? It was optional We gave them 2s- Gd- if they cut and Itaded
it, or we would cut it ourselves. That is, they would get 12s. Gd- a ton if they grew it and cut and
loaded it.
4161. What rent were they to pay for the land ? 5s. an acre per annum.
41.62. Was that cleared land ? Yes.
4L6;S. Under cultivation ? No; plain land.
4164. Why would the farmers not take the land ? I fancy it wa,s because they could not get reliable
labour.
4165 AVould the owners of the G-airloch property be willing to let their land to farmers at the present
time? I cannot say; lam not manager now. I said just now that we never tried to lease land to
fanners, but we did just before I left the place. We tried to get farmers to grow cane to supply thia
mill and failed.
4166. And the terms were the same as the Colonial .Sugar Company offer ? Yes.
4167. Did you ever purchase cane from the farmers at G-airloch? Yes. From Stoddart and Nankivel we
purchased cane for two or three years.
41G8. Have you any tramways laid down on the estate? No ; we used nothing but drays.
4169. You have a wire tra.mway over the river I see ? Yes.
4170. Is part of the estate on the other side of the river ? Yes.
4171. By Mr. Cowley : You say you employed a considerable number of Chinese — did you introduce
them from China ? 5~ea.
4172. What did they cost ? I cannot say exactly. I think it was about £20 a head.
4173. How did they answer ? They did not answer at all. They all absconded.
4171. Do you know how many were introduced? About 100 on each of the three estates. I am certain
there were 100 at Hamleigh.
4175. These men absconding, the employers lost everything ? Yes.
4176. Were the Javaneso equally objectionable? Yes; they absconded to a great extent — about 50
per cent, of them.
4177. Then the loss that the Chinese and Javanese occasioned was simply because you could not get a
supply of kanakas ? Yes.
4178. Wore the introduction fees the whole of the loss, or was there not loss resulting from want »f
labour to reap the crops ? There was a loss on the crop, because all the labour that was available had to
be put on to take the crop off. Then the nest year we fared badly because the ca»e liad not been
cultivated.
1179. How many bullocks used you to kill per month on an average? On an average, nearly a bullock
a day.
4180. Were they locally supplied by the squatters ? Yes ; round about from ihe tablelands.
4181. Do you recollect the amount paid in one sum to ilessrs. Wienholt Bros., of Darling Downs, for
draught horses for this estate ? £1,300.
4182. Were there others purchased by the same firm for their other estates ? Yes.
4183. What amount was paid for those ? I know a large amount was paid, but I could not exactly say
what it was.
4181. Bit the Chairman : Speaking as manager of this plantation for so long a period, have you any
suggestions you could offer by which the present condition of the suyar industry could be improved ? I
think if the Government would extend the time for introducing kanakas, and take all the recruiting
into their own hands, it would be advantageous. Depots might be formed at the islands, and the kanakas
sent here by steamer, the planters paying the whole cost. I think, also, that if we had a reciprocal
treaty with the other colonies — particularly Victoria — sugar-growing might be made to pay. What
we want is plenty of labour, so that we can cultivate at the same time that we are reaping our crops,
so as to provide for next year.
4185. Was the plantation ut any time fairly supplied with labour ? Yes; iu the early days it was.
4186. What was the result more recently ? We have wanted labour recently. When I took off the
crops wo had a number of acres giving near! y 10 tons to the acre, and because the ratoous were not
cultivated next year we only got 12 or 13 tons of cane per aero:
4187. Then at the crushing season you require an additional supply of labour? Yes; so that the cane
in the licld may not be in any way iujured by men being taken ofl: from it to do mill work.
4158. Is it your experience that the larger the uumber of kanakas employed, the larger the number of
white men employed ? Yes ; overseers and ploughmen.
4189. The two suggestions that you have made to us with regard to labour aud the reciprocity treaty
with Victoria, are the only suggestions you can offer? Those are the only suggestions I can offer at
present.
4190. Do you think that if a larger proportion of labour than at present available could be obtained, a
larger area of land would be put under cane? Certainly. I believe we could get the farmers to grow
cane for ub then.
WEDNESDAY,
THE GENERAL COFDIHOy OT THE SUQAB INDUSTRY TS QUEENSLAND.
123
WEDNESDAY, 30 JANUARY, 1889.
HERBERT RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Hamleigh.)
PSESEST:
AY. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
RoeEet Geierson Blackmore examined ;
4191. By the C'htirtn'tn: You are manager of the Hamleigh Estate Company ? I am manager of the
Hatnleigli Estate, late IJamleigh Sugar Company.
4192. And its present proprietors are Wifctiugham Bros., of Melbourne ? Yes.
4193. What is the extent of the estate ? 4,700 acres. £
4194. How many acres are under cultivation ? 500 odd.
4195. How many acres are rendered fit for cultivation ? I think that all of it that is fit at present is
under crop.
4196. How many acres of the plain land can be cultivated if necessary ? I consider there are 1,500 acres
of good cultivatable land.
4197. By Mr. King: Are these 500 acres under cane ? Yes.
4198. By the Chairmmn : How many tons of cane did you crush last season? None.
4199. What was the reason that no crushing took place ? We were unable to do any planting or could
not get a crop in.
4200. ilow long huve the present proprietors been in possession of this estate? Within a month of
two years.
420L Had the Hiinileigh Sugar Company any land under cane ? Oh, yes.
4202. Then since the present proprietors hare taken possession of the plantation no crushing has been
doue ? They had a small crushing the year they acquired possession.
4203. Do you hope to have a crushing next season ? Yes.
4201. How much capital is invested in this estate ? Originally, £120,000.
4205. That was the amount of capital invested by the Hamleigh Sugar Company ? Yes.
4206. Have you any idea what Wittingham Brothers paid for the estate? Yes; but I do not know
whether 1 should be committing a breach of confidence if J mentioned that.
4207. By Mr. King: This is a Koyal Commission, and we aro entitled to full information? They gave
£13,000.
4208. Do you know whether it paid interest as long as the Hamleigh Company had it ? I could not
say. I should fancy it scarcely did so, taking into account the whole period daring which they
held it.
4209. By the Chairman : Was the property offered for sale by auction or sold privately ? It was sold by
public auction.
4210. And £13,000 was the highest bid for an estate which had cost £120,000 ? Yes.
4211. What labour do you employ on the plantation, and the number of each class ? The number of
Europeans permanently employed is 32 ; some of them are married men with children. Polynesians per-
manently employed, 65; Javanese permanently employed, 16; Europeans, extra, 20, engaged during
four months of the year ; Chinese, extra, 40. I have engaged them simply for draiuing at the present
time, and 1 shall employ them for two months. The total wages paid to the permanent Europeans,
exclusive of cost of rations, is £2,16* ; the cost of rations is £380— total, £2,715. Polynesians, 65 :
wages, £725; i-ations, £1,1S5— total, £1,910. Javanese, 46: wages, £800; cost of rations, £840—
total, £1,610. 1 would call the attention of the Commissioners to the very liberal rations supplied to
Polynesians, as compared with other labour we employ. Europeans,extra, 20: wages, £452 ; cost of rations,
£122. That is for a period of four months. Chinese, extra, 40 : wages, £522 ; rations, £225. Total wages
payments, £4,657 ; total cost of rations. £2,957. I have put down an average of 35 horses employed,
the feed for which, including oats, maize, and sweet potatoes, costs £635. That brings my expenditure
up to £s,3 49. That is, of course, exclusive of wear a»d tear of plant, which has to be renewed, and
interest on capital.
4212. Would that £8,319 be your average annual expenditure ? It has been so during the twenty-
one months i have been here.
4213. What do yon do with the balance of the estate not under cane? We have stocked that with
cattle.
4214. Can you give ns the number of cattle ? 570 head at present, and 90 head of horses.
4215. By Mr. G$wley : Those are mostly draughts ? There are a fail' number of light harness horses and
hacks.
4216. They are used for the working of the place ? Yes ; they are not all fed. Included in the rations
which I have given the value of, we have purchased about200 head of cattle a year for killing purposes, which
havecest £3 12s. a head, giving a total of £720 a year. Of course I am in hopes that when our present
cattle come on, we shall be able to do with uhat we breed ourselves.
4217. 3y the Chairman : You have made all your arrangements for breeding cattle? Yes.
4218. Owing to the drought have you adopted any means to encourage the growth of the cane? Yes ;
we have done everything that we could have fairly manajed with our resources.
4219. What have you done ? After four inonlhs of dry weather, we have watered the cane by means
of the pumps at present on the place. That which was dead we ploughed out and replanted under a
different svst-em, irrigating first and then planting in the rows.
4220. By Mr. King ; Did you find that satisfactory? Yes ; I found it far more satisfactory to plant with
water, than to plant first and water afterwards.
4221. What
124
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAXEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO TNQTJIBE INTO
R (J. 4221. What do you consider the cost per acre ? I think we made it up to something like 25s. an acre,
Blackmore. i rr j„ at j ng a f ter the plants were in, and something over £ L to irrigate before planting.
,. — *^a^-^ 42 22. Do you thiuk it repays the cost? I do. 1 consider that had I thought of it in time the crops
30 Jan., 1889. wou id ha v e been so far advanced no*-, that it would have paid handsomely for the outlay.
4223. "What extent of land can you irrigate with the means at your disposal ? The whole of the culti-
vable land.
4224. By the Chairman .- You haveevery description of agricultural im plement on the estate that can be
procured in assisting to make the land available ? Yes ; I think there is nothing we have not tried.
4225. You have steam ploughs ? Yes.
4220. And you are now further improving the land by an improved system of drainage ? Yes.
4227. What is the system known as ? The mole drainage system.
4228. You are of opinion that that will improve the estate for the cultivat ion of cane ? Yes.
4220. By Mr. Khq .- That is done by steam power ? Yes. I may explain that the chief benefit I think
will be derived from the draining is, that when a wet season does -set in it is excessively heavy, and there
has been no means of getting the water off the land.
4230. B,y the Chairman .- Had you any previous experience in cane growing, before tailing charge of
this plantation ? Yes; 1 have managed twice before, ami have been connected witfli the industry for
seventeen years.
4231. Is it your opinion that everything is being done on this plantation that can be dome to get the
most out of the sugar cane that can be obtained ? I am quite certain of it.
4232. By Mr. King : What description of labour do you consider most suitable for the cultivation of the
cane in the field? 1 think we cannot improve on Polynesians.
4233. Are whites willing and able to do the field work with the hoe and trashing ? I have never been
able to ever get them to think of it for a moment. I have tried them repeatedly.
4234. Do you know the cost of the machinery in the mill ? I can give a rough estimate. I should say
between £30,000 and £40,000 for machinery and building?.
4235. Where was the machinery obtained ? Nearly all from Europe. There is some locally-made
machinery amongst it.
4236. Has your cane during the last year suffered from a.ny blight or disease? No; nothing but the
dry weather.
4237. You have not had the grub ? No ; not here.
4238. Did this plantation ever suffer from locusts? Yes.
4239. "Were you here at the time ? I was in the district.
4240. In whatyear was it ? I think 1882
4241. How did they affect the crop ? Well, they simply wiped it out. They eat it iown to the ground
4242. Where did they come from, and how did they first make their appearance? As far as I am
informed in the matter they appeared to come from the north-west. They came over the range. They
were seen considerable distances from the plantations.
4243. Jid they come in large numbers, or did they stop and breed here ? They came in large numbers.
4244. And cleared off all the cultivation ? They seemed to clear off a track of a certain width. There
were some portions of the district that were exempt from the visitation.
4245. How many acres would you allow to each black labourer P I should not care to have more than
two to three acres under cultivation to one labourer. That would be the outside. I do not think I
could do justice to the land with less.
424(i. Have you got sufficient labour now ? No ; I have not.
4247. How many labourers would you require to cultivate this plantation in the way you think it best to
cultivate it? From 250 to 300 witb our present cultivation.
4248. Have you any prospect of obtaining them? At present we are interested in one charter, which
we hope to see here inside of the nest two months ; but we have not been able to make any other
charters up to date, although I am anxious to do so now.
4249. What is the cost of your annual overhaul ? About £400, to put everything in order, provided it is
kept in fairly respectable order. That is exclusive of repairs to stesm ploughs.
4250. Your thirty-two Europeans include several mechanics ? I have got at the present time three
mechanics.
4251. What wages do you pay the mechanics? They get up to £4. A blacksmith gets £3 ; drivers get
50s. and double rations.
4252. What is the lowest wages paid to Europeans ? £1 a week and double rations.
4253. By Mr. Cowley : You experience great difficulty in chartering vessels to go to the South Sea
Islands? Yes.
4254. Do you often have to pay a big deposit to these vessels ? We have had to pay a very excessive
deposit for both the last charter and the present one.
4255. How much ? We pay £500 before the vessel sails. That is exclusive of all cupitation fees and
other expenses. They consider the risk much greater now than they did formerly. When I asked, the
man that J am in treaty with now for a more reasonable charter he explained that the risk was too great
—that if anything happened to the Governmeui Agent he might be ordered back at any moment.
Vessels frequently come back only one-third full. We receive no compensation, and have to allow our
capitation fees to stand over until the vessel sails again. Instead of returning with 160 labourers one of
our vessels came back with ouly 40. The Government Agent had been playing with dynamite and blew
his hand off, and the vessel had to return.
4250. I suppose this all increases the price ? Yes ; owners ask so much more, because they say the risk
is so great.
4257. Do you think it would be advisable for the Government to undertake this duty at the cost of the
planter ? I feel certain we should get a much more reasonable charter if the Government would place
an assistant Government Agent on board, so that in case of accident the vessel would not be ordered back
until she had completed her voyage. The cost would be willingly paid by the charterers, and would give
them so much more security.
4258. Has it ever come under your notice that men have been taken away from this district through no
fault of the plantation owners, and before the expiration of the islanders' agreement ? Yes ; I do know
that that has been done through no fault of the planters. 4259. Do
THE GENEIIAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAil INDtTSTIlY IN QUEENSLAND.
4259- 9o you think that if the Government could take the introduction of the islanders into their own .
hands entirely, it would prevent all abuses? I feel perfectly certain it would. That baa been my opinion '
ever since I have been connected with the sugar industry. My view of the matter is, that it would have ^
worked much better, and ihe abuses which have existed would never have arisen bad an Imperial officer 3 *
been placed in charge — retired naval officers might be placed in charge as Government Agents, because
the Governineut Agents who lrave been placed in charge are not the elass of men to deal with a shrewd
and unscrupulous skipper. The whole of the loss from any wrong-doing falls on the charterers, and not
on the people who have done tihe wrong. I think the recruits should be brought to a central place in the
South Sea Islands, and all the boys forwarded from there by steamer. The Imperial authorities would
bo very willing to supervise the traffic by having a vessel always at the station. The boys could be locally
examined by a medical officer, and those who came to Queensland would come with a clean sheet.
4200. You say this estate consists of 4,7#0 acres. Was it originally selected by the Hamleigh Sugar
Company, or purchased from small selectors Y Purcliiased from small selectors.
4251. Did they cultivate the land ? No ; they had stock on it.
4202. Can you tell us the amount of land that has been under crop here at any one time? I believe
there has been 2,000 acres, «r a little over, under crop at different limes. In giving my return as 1,500
acres of cultivable land, I alluded to land that I could take in at the present time without going into
draining.
4203. Do y«u know whether the present proprietors were shareholders iuthe Hamleigh Sugar Company?
They were.
4204. Have you manured your land at all? A little.
420.5. Do you purchase cane from anyone? Not at present. We have made several offers to people in
the district to grow, but they do not seem to care to go into it. They say that the same diliculty exists
with them as with us — they cannot get labour.
4208. Tou would be prepared to lease this land ? I should be v ery happy to do so.
4267. At what rental per acre ? I would give it at a nominal rental for a term, lend horses and imple-
ments to start with, and buy the cane on the ground.
4208. Have you made that offer public ? I have made it public repeatedly.
^69. Do you know if there is any other objection besides the labour question ? No ; that is the principal
objection. Farmers say that they would not like to go into it without some assistance.
4270. How do you convey your cane to the mill ? By tramway.
4271. How many miles have you ? Six and a-kalf miles.
4272. By Mr. Kiny .- Do you work it with horses ? Tes.
427.5. B y Mr. Cowley : Is your machinery iu the mill of the best description ? It is the best that can be
had for money.
427-it. An economical plant to work ? It is very economical ; there may be one or two improvements
necessary, but taken altogether it could scarcely be improved, upon.
4275. Have you ever experienced any difficulty with your South Sea Islanders— do they work well ? They
are extremely easy to manage.
4276. Do you lind that the whito men in the district object to them ? Not at all. They are most agree-
able with them. The men employed on the plantation speak most higlily of the Polynesians.
■1277. If you could obtain as many islanders as you want, would you extend your cultivation ? Most
decidedly. I could treble our expenditure to-morrow if I could obtain the men 1 want.
4278. liy doing that would you increase the number of white men you employ? Tes ; I should have
close upon 100 white men employed permanently.
4279. How many tons of sugar is your mill capable of making in a full crushing season of five months ?
We could turn out 2,000 and odd tons.
4280. Tou think you could turn that quantity out if you could get the labour ? I feel certain that with
ordinary seasons we could easily do it.
4281. How do you find the Javanese work ? They are not as industrious as the Polynesians.
4282. Are they under agreement ? They are.
4283. Do you feel inclined to repeat the experiment of introducing more of them ? I should not care to
do so if I could possibly do without them.
4284. Are the proprietors under a bond to returnthese men at the expiration of their term ? Yes.
4285. Do you know why they were originally introduced ? Because we could not get Polynesians. "We
should have lost the crops growing at the time.
4280. You have had eight years' experience in this district? Tes.
4287. You have also had experieuce in Mackay ? Yes ; Mackay and Brisbane.
4288. Do you know of any crop that could be grown to pay in this district ? I do not, indeed. Corn is too
uncertain, although occasionally a good crop can be obtained.
42S9. If you could obtain iSouth Sea Islanders at a fair rate, and at the same rate of wages that you now
pay, could you mako sugar-growing pay on this plantation at the present prices ? I think I could.
4290. And pny interest on the capital invested ? I think so.
4291. B y the Chairman : Are you mrare that the importation of kanakas ceases' at the end of 1890? Yes;
I am.
4292. Have you any idea of what the probable effect will be, sofar asthiB phmtation is concerned ? Yes ;
I know pretty well what will be done. I can simply state what my programme is. I shall endeavour to
get as many kanakas as I can between now and the end of next year. That will probably give me enough
to keep the place going for three years. After that time, with the number of expired kanakas remaining
in the country, we should probably keep on a little while longer, but after that I see nothing for it but
to close the place and go back to cattle again.
4293. You have watched during the last eight years the sugar industry at one time in a nourishing
condition, and sugar at a good price, and at another time you have seen the industry depressed. — What
in your opinion are the causes of that depression? The chief cause of it has been the want of labour.
One year we have been able to get a fair crop inandafterita good crushing ; but we have been unable to
get labour to get the next crop in, and the plantation has gone back. Once ground goes out of cultivation
it costs more to get it back than it did to start it originally. I would rather begin with new ground than
begin on a place that bad been partially abandoned.
4294. Do
126
MINUTES Or EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOYAI COMMISSION TO LNQTTIEE INTO
E, G. 4294. Do you thiuk.the low price of sugar bafl bad something to do with the depression ? No doubt ;
Blackmorc. but j do Q " ot believe the original proprietors would have parted with the place but for the difficulty they
' ^ — n experienced in getting labour. We must expect au occasional fall in price and occasionally bad seasons,
30 Jan , 1889. j, u t it is usual to be able to reckon on labour to work the place.
4295. Having stated what in your opinion are the causes of the depression in the sugar industry, can you
offer us any suggestions by which the p escnt condition of affairs can be improved ? I suggest that the
provisions of the Polynesian Act be extended from year to year, and if the Government saw that by so
doing the districts were improving and going ahead, it might encourage them to go on for another year,
and by and by we'might induce the European population to take up portions of the estates as I suggest,
and gradually form themselves into what will be village settlements. I am sure there is nothing the
proprietors would welcome more. I would like also to see reciprocity— a general duty agreed to by all
the colonies on foreign-grown sugar, and more especially sugar that is grown under the bounty system.
I do not approve of anv other form of assistance from the Government, because it would do more to
kill the industry than anything else. A fair amount of protection is all that wo should ask.
421)0. Do you know that the farmers of this district were offered £ central mill r Yes ; I d o know that.
4297. Can you state the reasons why that offer was declined by the fanners of the Herbert River ? Yes.
They said, in answer to a question put to them by the representative of the Government, that they would
not attempt to grow sugar without coloured labour.
4298. Do you think that a.uy improvement could be made in the despatch of produce from the Herbert
River ? Very great improvement indeed.
4299. Have you suffered from the present arrangements? Yery much so.
4300. You think that also has assisted to depress the industry ? It has done s» more in our own par-
ticular case than in that of others more favourably situated. We have twelve miles additional carriage,
which Maenade and Ripple Creek, for instance, do uot suffer from. I am in favour of a system of
tramways through the district. I think that communication with our own port by means of a small
tramway going by the farms along the river and out towards the Stone River settlement, would induce the
farmers to grow cane for us, and would induce them to grow other produce for which there is a good
market That would very much increase our prospects of a large out put, and it would bring us in com-
muuieation with a number of farmers in the district. Instead of having one mill to offer their cane to,
the farmers would then have two or three, and that would be the means of giving them a better price,
because there would be competition. A tramway such as the Colonial Sugar Company uses would be
ample for the requirements of the district for years, and would do much towards its development.
4301. The district has suffered for two seasons, and is still suffering from a severe drought? Yes.
4302. If it coutinues will it have a ve y serious effect on the crop of next year ? I fear so.
41303. I noticed as we drove through the plantation this evening that you had a number of Chinese
employed — what are they employed at just now ? We have them draining at present.
4304. Do you cousider them a desirable class of labour? I do not, iudeed.
4305. Are they of any benefit to the country or district iu which they live ? I do not think so; none
whatever.
4'iOG. Do they add to the wealth of the district by expending their caruings ? I am quite sure they do
not. They impoverish the district. They buy nothing from Europeans, and all the money that is paid
to them goes out of the country.
4307. You would not like to see the lands of the district leased to them on the village settlement prin-
ciple? No ; I would not. I should be disposed to leiive the district directly.
4308. Is the climate of the Herbert River adapted to a European population ? Fairly so.
4309. In the sugar industry is it so ? Yes ; kit 1 should nut cure to see Europeans engaged in certain
•ccupations on plantations. I consider they are scarcely fitted for it; but the bulk of the work, I
believe, could be done by Europeans.
4310. Without any detriment to their health ? Yes.
4:H1. By Mr. Cowley : Holding the opinions you do upon the Chiuese.you are simply driven to employing
them because you cannot get other labour? That is the reason. ] may say they are linishing up a job
that 1 did not want to employ Europeans for, I prefer Europeaus for draining, but I had only one
drain to finish, and these Chinese, having just fiuished some weeding, I allowed them to complete their
mouth's work at draining.
4312. By the Chairman: Bo you think the district would grow any other tropical produce besides sugar?
Nothing but fruit. I cannot spc;ik of rice or coffee, because I have had no experience.
43L3. You have hud no practical experience yourself in fruit growing ? Noue whatever.
4314. You do not know whether a farmer settling down on land with a view of growing fruit could make
a living? Not without improved means of transit. That would be the chief item iu fruit growing.
4315. The means of trausit, you know from your own knowledge, is at present very unsatisfactoiy ?
Yes. I have been manager to the Herbert River Forwarding Company for live years, and the whole of
the trade of the district is in our bauds. The charges certainly are high, but I cannot lower them,
because we are barely paying expenses. The rate from Towusville to Duugeness by steamer is £1 a tou,
and from Dungeness to Ingham 25s. a tou — that is the wholesale charge, but for the general public it
would be a little higher.
4316. By Mr. Ctwley : That is owing to theimperfect navigation of the river ? Yes; it is an exceptionally
difficult river to work. It is ext emely low, and can only be worked on tides.
4317. By the Chairman: How far does the steamer transit from Towusvillc to Duugencss affect the
district — are the arrangemeuts satisfactory ? They are good enough and ample enough, although it is
rather expensive. We get the goods up from Duugencss the same week that they arrive, but I cannot
lower the rates.
4318. Have you carr ied any fruit from here to Dungeness to ship by steamer ? Yes ; we have shipped
a considerable quantity of bananas and maize.
431!). Have the arrangements been satisfactory? Satisfactory as to the time in which 1 got the fruit
away and the time in which we landed it, but the profit was small after the charges had been paid.
4320. The effect would be to retard the cultivation of those articles ? Yes ; the farmers have ceased to
ship. There are odd lots of bananas and sweet potatoes shipped by Chinese.
THURSDAY,
THE GENEEAI, CONDITION OF THE StrGAH INDUSTBY IN QUEENSLAND.
THURSDAY, 31 JANUARY, 1889.
HERBERT RIVER DISTRICT.
(At Victoria.)
Peesent:
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M. L A. j H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLET, Esq,, MX. A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., ILL. A., in hie Chair.
"William McLean examined :
4321. By the Chairman : Tou are acting manager of Victoria Plantation, the property of the Colonial W. Mc
Sugar Refining Company? Yes.
4322. How long have you been acting in that capacity ? One month. 31 Jan.,
4323. And what were you previously on the plantation ? Agricultural overseer.
4324. Have you had experience elsewhere in the cultivation of sugar ? Tes.
4325. Have you grown any other tropical produce besides sugar? No.
4326. Do you know the total area of Victoria. Plantation ? Roughly speaking, I believe it is 20,000 acres.
4327. How many acres are under cultivation by sugar? Prom something over 2,000 to something u»der
3,000 acres.
4328. How many acres of cane were crushed here last season ? Something over 2,000.
4329. Can you give us an approximate idea of the amount of sugar that was made ? I would rather leave
that questiou to be answered by the general manager.
4330. How did the return of last year compare witli that of previous years ? It was slightly, but not
much, behind the previous year.
4331. What do you do with your molasses ? It all ?oes to the field— 1 mean that it is thrown away.
4332. Made manure of? No ; not even that. It is a waste product.
4333. The amount of capital invested in the estate you would prefer the general manager to answer?
Tes.
4334. What labour do you employ on the plantation? Europeans, kanakas, Chinese, and Javanese.
4335. Can you give us the number of each? 375 kanakas, all told, including children.
4336. How many Chinese s The number of Chiuese varies. At the present time I dare say we have
between fifty aud sixty, and about twenty Javanese.
4337. What number of Europeans do you eiaploy? The number of Europeans varies according to the
season.
4338. By Mr. King : What is the number permanently employed ? 103, all told.
4339. How many extra, do you employ at crushing time ? There are about 150, all told, in the crushing
season.
4340. By the Chairman: What wages do you pay to the respective classes of labour? European
ploughmen, £1 a week; mill hands, from £l to £3, according to the work they are engaged in;
engineers, £3 10s. to £4 LOs.
4341. With rations and quarters ? Tes ; all with rations and quarters.
43±2. What rate of wages do you pay to Chinese ? 13s. a week and rations.
4343. And to Javanese? They are under some special agreement. They were transferred fromGairloch
under a special agreement.
4344. What rate of wages do you pay to kanakas ? £6 to £18 a year with rations.
4345. Whatdescription of labour do you find most suitable for field work ? Field work cannot be
properly carried on here except with mixed labour.
4346. For manual labour in the field which class of labour do jou prefer — what class of coloured labour ?
Kanakas are the most suitable.
4347. Have you ever employed European labour at trashiug and hoeing? Not at trashing and hoeing
but at planting.
434S. Were Europeans successful in planting ? No; they were not.
4349. What rate of wages did you give white men for planting caiie? £1 a week.
4350. Did they continue to work for any length of time at it? Yes ; they did — for several weeks, at all
events.
4351. Was it contraet work ? No ; they were on weekly wages.
4352. Why did they not give you satisfaction? In the quantity of work done.
4353. The Europeans receiving £L a week and rations for planting cane did not do the same amount of
work that kanakas would do ? No ; they did not.
4354. Were the Europeans satisfied with the work ? No; they considered it beneath them.
4355. Tou have a considerable areu of the hind under cultivation by agricultural implements? Tes;
the wholo of it.
4356. A very large number of Europeaus are employed in the cultivation of cane ? They are.
4357. Tou employ steam ploughs ? Tes.
4358. Aud agricultural implements of every description? Tes; all sorts.
4359. How many steam ploughs have you ? We have two sets, but we have had as many as four working
here.
4360. Is the estate healthy ? Tes ; as a rule it is.
4361. Neither blacks or Europeans suffer from any epidemic ? Occasionally. We have had a little
diarrhoea, but that is the only thing we have suffered from here.
4362. Do you grow any o*her tropical products besides sugar ? Nothing but a few sweet potatoes.
4363. Then your experience as an agriculturist has been confined eutirely to sugar growing. ? We have
tried other crops on a very small scale here, but nothing to speak of. I may say it is confined to
sugar growing.
4361. By Mr. Kimj : Did the crops last year suffer any damage from grubs or any other vermin or
disease ?* No ; not on Victoria. 4365. Has
128
MINUTES OP EYTDENCE TAKEN BEFOBE THE HOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
W. McLean. 4365. Has the crop here ever suffered from any kind of blight, or pest of any kin d ? One year it suffered
f *~ — n a littlefrom an insect that we call the " borer." That was two years ago.
31 Jan., 1889. 4366. Was the loss considerable ? No ; the insect commenced its depredations in the crushing season,
and when we had a Geld affected we cut it down and put it through the rollers directly.
4367. Has there been any reappearance of tke " borer" ? No.
4368. Mii you aiopt any measures to check it ? No; nothing but cutting the caneand putting it through
the rollers immediately.
4369. B,y Mr. Cowley : Do you know whether the " borer " is the same insect that did so much damage
in Mauritius ? The work done by the " borer " seems to me to somewhat resemble the depredations of
an insect I have seen in the W^est Indies.
4370. Did your chemist examine any, or did you send any down south to be examined ? No.
4371. Was any considerable are* affected with it r No; merely patches.
4372. When you say you have between 2,00i or 3,000 acres under cultivation, is that inclusive or
exclusive of the amount of cane on Gairloch? Gairloch is includei.
4373. Have you a hospital on the plantation ? Yes ; but all patients are sent into the Ingham Mospital,
and ours has not been used for some time.
4374. Do you know whether the instr uctiona to the manager have always been to treat the kanakas with
every kininess ani give them every consideration ? Yes ; it has always been so, so far as 1 know.
4375. Is that a standing rule on the plantation ? It is.
4376. And provision is made for their comfort at all times? Yes; great care is always taken of the
boys in every way,
4377. Have you ever heard the kanakas complain of anything which tends to prevent them coming to
the district in larger numbers than they do ? No ; I have not.
4378. Do you supportmany farmers otherwise than by purchasing cane from them- — men growing potatoes
and corn ? Yes.
4379. What quantity of potatoes per month do you purchase from the local fanners? Prom 8 to 10 tons
per week.
4380. Can you tell us the number of bullocks you kill here per week ? At present we are killing from
twelve to thirteen per week.
4381. And this is a slack season ? Yes.
4382. By the Chairman .- Prom your experience as an agricultural overseer on this plantation can you
offer us any suggestions by which in your opinion the sugar industry can be improved or assisted ? Only
by a sufficient supply of coloured labour. I believe it could be considerably assisted if we had that.
4383. Do you mean by that that if a larger supply of coloured labour were made accessible a larger area
of land wouli be placed under sugar cane ? 1 do not exactly mean that ; I mean that probably we would
be able to take more off the land that we have under cultivation at present.
4:384. By Mr. King .- You mean that you have not sufficient labour to properly cultivate what you have
under crop ? Yes ; of course we cannot get along without a certain quantity of coloured labour. It is
impossible to grow cane successfully unless we have a certain amount of coloured labour.
43S5. By the Chairman: Is it not a rule that the higher the land is cultivated by means of steam ploughs
and other agricultural implements the larger the yield of cane ? Granted that, but there is certain work
amongst cane that cannot be done by any implement whatever, notiing but the hoe will do it.
4386. Then it is to do the latter part of the work that you are of opinion more labour is' required, and
liy that means the industry can be assisted ? Yes.
4387. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed? That is a question
I have not gone into.
4388. Would that not specially come within the scope of your duties — apportioning the labour on the
plantation ? True, but I have not got the apportioning of the labour. I have never gone into a calcula-
tion on the matter.
4389. By Mr. Cowley : Eesiies the permanent white labourers that you employ, have you any contractors
employed ? There are a few.
4390. What are they doing ? They are splitting sleepers for the tramlines.
4391. Is that the whole of the contract working being done ? "We have some contractors getting firewood
at present.
4392. "White men? Yes.
4393. Can you tell us how many farmers are under contractto supply the mill with cane ? I think about
eleven.
4394. And they supply how many acres ? About 700.
4395. Do you know whether the company is willing to take cane from growers? That is a question I
cannot very well answer.
4396. By the Chairman .- Does the 20,000 acres that the estate consists of include the 6,000 acres west
of Ingham ? I think so. I am not very sure about the figures myself. I am only speaking roughly.
4397. By Mr. King .- It includes all the company's laud? Yes.
4398. By the Chairman : Is there a chemical laboratory on the estate? Yes.
4399. Where the cane and soil can be analysed? They have not done any analysis of soil yet — only
cane and sugar.
440* By Mr. King : Is the mill a double crusher? Yes.
4401. Mo you macerate the cane ? Yes.
44*2. And these che mite are constantly at worktesting the results? Constantly, all through the season.
4403. To see that the reis no waste ? Yes.
4404'. What nunber of miles of tramline has the company got? Something over eighteen miles of per-
manent tramline.
4405. Worked by locomotives ? Yes.
44#6. Have you any portable tramway in addition ? Yes ; there is about four miles of portable tramway
in addition,
FIUMAY,
THIS UJSNEEAL COJfDITIOW a\F THE 5CGAK Hi*TISTBT £8 QUEMTSXAXD.
FRIDAY, 1 FEBRUARY, 18*9.
HERBERT RIVER DISTRICT.
(At the Divisional Board Hall, Ingham.)
Presest :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | II. E. KING, Es«.
A. S. COWLEY, Es<i., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in this Chair.
Dr. William Ciiatg ( hetbtiajt Macdok-ai.d examined:
4107. By ihe Ohairmau : You are a legally qualifi ed medical practitioner ? I am. D r rj
4403. You are surgeon iu charge of the Ingham hospital? Yes; and hospital for Polynesians. McDonald.
4409. How leng have you been in the district? Nearly six years.
4410. "What has been the general hoalth of the European population during that time ? I should cad i Eeb.,
this a healthy distinct.
4411. Can you give an appreximate idea of the mortality? T luive not seen any statistics of the popu-
lation of the district, hut last year in the white hospital we had one death, Mid the year before fi ve. In
the last twe years in the "Bnroppau hospital there have only been six deaths — coming under my own
immediate notice not more than four or five deaths a year.
4412. What has been the condition of the 'Polynesians during that time? Wlieu I first came upon the
rirer, about live .md a-haif years ago, the deaths were very frequent, and the state of health was at a very
low ebb indeed. It was a very common thing to see as many as four or five boys die in a week. Epidemics
followed close upon one another. Bysentery and pneumonia were very prevalent at that time.
4U3. What is the condition of the health of the Polvnesian population now ? I consider tha.t it has gone
on improving. I might give you some statistics. In 18S3, the first ycarof the hospital being open, there
was a percentage of 11*8 deaths.
4414. By Mr. King .* Is that on the whole population ? It represents the whole population.
4415. It represents the whole of the kanakas, and not only those iu the hospital ? It really represents
the whole of the kanakas, because none died elsewhere. There were 347 admitted into the hospital, and
41 died. In 1887 there were 534 admissions, with 25 deaths. The percentage works aut to -1"6S, a
decrease of about 7 per cent. In 1888 there were 851 admissions and 30 deaths, which works out'a,
percentage of 31 per cent. Hp to the present time in this year there have been 1 27 admissions, with 4i
deaths, representing 3*1 per cent. ; so that since 18S6 the percentage lias been reduced from iTS to 3'1.
Before that it would he almost impossible to get at the percentage, but I should say there must have been
something like 20 per cent, of deaths,
4416. By the Chairmen : Then you consider that as the district becomes more settled, and the land is more
occupied there is a decrease in the deaths ? Yes.
4417. The district becomes more healthy, iu paint of fact? Yes ; I think tho great thing that has caused
the sickness in theearly limes amongst kanakas has been imperfect clothing, by which means they contract
pneumonia, and indiscriminate bathing at all hours of the morning and night.
4415. Yon do not consider the present clothing excessive? No. The great matter is te compel them ta
wear the clothes. Whenever they finish their work at night they throw tha clothes off, and spend the
coldest part of the evening without clothes. I consider a great factor in the improvement of health is the
water supply. In the early times the water and creeks were full of impure vegetable aud animal matter ;
but owing to improved drainage, to the action of time, and the largo works that are carried out it is
gradually becoming improved.
4419. I I ow do you account for the large number of Polynesians (eighty- five) now in the hospital ? 1 con-
sirlerit due to the recent dryseason, and atYictoriain particular. The munberis almost entirely supplied
from "Victoria plantation. There is no increase of sickness, to speak of, at any of the other plantations.
The circumstances of Victoria are assisted by thefactthat there have been two recent shiploads arrive there
—nearly 20o new arrivals. Under whatever circumstances they arrive they always represent a certain
amount of sickness until they become acclimatised. In addition to that the water supply at Victoria is
very unsatisfactory. The oul v water supply is obtained from the creeks and wc:ll?, but they have made
every effort to improve the water supply. They have put up large boilers to boil the water and aerate it,
but, as a matter of fact, the boys ai - e not very partial to it, and if uot watched will drink the creek water-
of their own accord. This causes a large amount of diarrhoea, dysentery, and malarial fever.
4420. Yon li ad to passt nil the boys on Victoria plantation ? Net all. The recent arrivals I passed.
4421. They were then in a thoroughly healthy eoudition ? They w*>rc.
4422. What other disease do they suffer from when they go into tha hospital? Principally from
stomachic complaint, diarrheal, and dysentery. Another disease which new arrivals are very liable to is
inlluenna, if there happens to be au epidemic in the district, ft runs through them in the same way as
measles and scarlatina does in a European community. That lias been tho casse with the last lot.
Influenza was prevalent iit Victoria, and nearly all the new arrivals suffered from it. It is an epidemic
catarrh. It is not in itself a very fatal disease, but often leads to fatal results, from the fact that the
boys are mere liable to contract pneumonia and bronchitis.
4423. After t-hey have been once treated in the hospital and become acclimatised, do they suffer from a
recurrence of Hub disease ? They are not very subject to a recurrence of influenza. If they contiuually
think bad water they get dia.rrhoea. T do not find that influenza attacks the same boy frequently, although
I do not say that the attack givrs them entire immuuity to it. Attacks of diarrhoea and dyseutery are
very common.
4421. That uill account for the large number of patients admitted in 188S ? That would account for it.
The cases which generally cause death arise from phthisis or suustroke.
■1425. Speaking from j-oiu 1 experience, do you consider that the district is healthy for the employment of
kanakas i* Yes, I do.
k 4426. Have
130
MIN'UTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ItOVAT, COMMISSION TO INQUFRE INTO
Dr. W, C. C. 412G. Have you had many of the Javanese in the hospital ? No, but that can be accounted for. It is
McDouald. uot j rom l]je fact tljat they hare not been sick, it is simply because employers do not send them to the
hospital. They treat them on the plantation.
1 Feb., i889. i42 7. Have you treated many of them ? Yes.
4428. What diseases are they subject to ? It takes six or eight months before they become acclimatised.
They suffer very much from venereal disease, and from chest eoinpku'uts, such as bronchitis and pleurisy,
and frequently fever. There was also an epidemic of measles amongst ihe Javanese in the early part of
last year, but "it did not spread to the Polynesians because of the great precautions the various managers
took to keep them entirely isolated. If the Javanese were in such large numbers as the kanakas there
would be very little difference in the amount of sickness amongst them.
442!). Have you visited the Polynesian quarters at the various plantations ? I have.
4-430. How are the sanitary arrangements attended to ? The.yare very well attended to, as a rule.
4t3l. Are their quarters kept clean ? They are cleaned out thoroughly once a week.
4432. So that in point of fact none of the kanakas suffer from what is called a "filth" disease ? None
whatever. They suffer terribly from ringworm, but that they bring from the islands. They generally get
cured here.
443.'3. By Mr King : Are you the retained visiting medical officer of the different plantations? No, but I
may state that until the end of this year the position I held was resident surgeon, and I also was expected
to visit the plantations, but since this year I have not.
4431. AVe have found in other districts— for instance, in Geraldton — that the doctor receives a salary from
each plantation for which he has to make aninspection once a week and also attend to all requirements.
Is there any such arrangement in this district ? Iam sorry to say there is not.
4435. I suppose you are not often sent for to attend boys on the plantations ? It is only since this year
that the new arrangement came into force. Last year I was very frequently sent for.
4436. Are there any qualified medical men on the plantations about here? No ; there are none.
44:37. In cases of sickness do you find the boys are sent into the hospital in good time? Yes; in very
good time. I have nothing to complain of in that respect, with one or two exceptions. I can hardly
recall an instance of delay. I find on the other band, that the planters are very anxious to send any
severe cases into the hospital.
443s. By Mr. Cowley: During the last two years you attended the plantations if required? Yes.
4139. During that time were there any deaths? No ; with the exception of one or two deaths for which
the causes w ere given as heart disease. They were taken notiee of officially, and inquiries held.
4410. When you were visiting the plantations and there were serious cases, did you treat them there?
They were generally sent to the hospital if the boys were capable of being removed.
4441. 1 see you give a percentagein 1886 of ITS deaths and .347 admissions to the hospital ; in 18S8 there
were 851 admissions and 3# deaths. Was it not a fact that in 18S6 the bulk of the cases unless very
severe were treated on the plantations ? It is a fact.
4142. Therefore the 118 per cent, only includes those that were admitted to the hospital. That is not
the percentage of deaths for the men in the neighbourhood ? No deaths occurred on the plantations.
41 13. I will put it in other words. In 1886 were there not more kanakas in the district than in 1888? I
think there were, I cannot speak from any definite knowledge, but I believe there were considerably more.
4144. So that really the percentage of deaths was less or about equal in .1886 to that of 1888 although
there were not as many treated in the hospital in 1886? No. I am under the impression that the
percentage would not work out the same. At any rate in 1887 it would not work out anything like
the same. If you could lind out what the population was it would be very easy to work the figures out.
4445. 1886 being the first year of the establishment of the hospital the bulk of the plantation hospitals
were in full swing and none but the serious cases were sent to the eentral hospital ? That was the ease.
4446. The ll'S percentage of deaths includes those that were sent to the hospital. It is not a percentage
of the population of Ihe district? No not a percentage of the district.
4447. You cannot say positively what was the percentage of the population ? I cannot say positi vely.
4148. Of the new arrivals now in the hospital are there any serious cases? Yes; there are several.
4440. What are those cases ? One case of pneumonia and several cases of dysentery.
4450. Vou say that five whites died in the hospital in 18S7 ? About that number.
4451. Can you tell us the number of patients admitted during 1887 ? .About 100.
4452. That is 5 per cent of deaths ? Yes ; in 1888 there were 130 admitted and only one died.
4453. Bij Mr. King : Is it not considered proper that the dysentery patients should be separatedfrom the
others — is there not some danger of the disease being trausuiitted ? There is a danger, unless very strict
s anitary conditions are studied.
4451. Have yon any means of separating them in the hospital ? No.
4455. 9o you not think there ought to be means of separating them ? I think it would be a great
advantage if there were.
4156. Bij tlie Chairman : Do you use cesspitsor earth pans at the hospital ? Earth pans, which arc cleaned
every day, and twice a day in cases of dysentery. In addition to the earth we use crude carbolic acid
as a disinfectant.
4457. Then are the patients suffi l ing from dysentery obliged to use one after another the same earth pan,
or is there any means by whiirb the excreta can be taken away and buried or burnt? Very severecases have
separate pans, but for the cases that are improving there are llireo different water closets that can be used.
4158. By Mr. King : What number of patients should be accommodated in the Polynesian ward of the
iiospitat ? Not more than thirty -five.
4459. What number have you now? Seventy-six ; but I may state that the verandas are used. They
do not all sleep in the hospital. Screens ;ire put up to protect them from the weather. In the hospital
itself, in inclement weather, there ought to be only room really for thirty-five patients.
4460. By ihe Chairman : Speaking from a medical point of view, do you think that the food at present
supplied to kanakas! on the plantations is suitable, or could you suggest any improvement of the dietary
scale ? I am in favour of a substantial meal being given in ihe middle of the da y. That meal ought, in
my opinion, to be the meal of the day. I consider there ought to be more rest in the middle of the day
especially in the summer weather. They ought to be :illo\tcd not less than one and a-half hours for the
mid-day
TJIE GENEItiL CONDITION OF THE SUQA.E TNjrgTny IN QVEEN9LAND.
131
mid-day uical, and thev ought not to go to work so early iu the summer time — not until the sun is well up -
aud all the mist has dispersed. If they must go in for the full number of hours, it would be better to
work late in the evening. .\ couple of hours saved in the morning, L consider, would be highly important (
as regards the health of the boys.
•1461. By Mr. Cowley .- If you take ofE two hours in the morning and half at) hour iu the middle of the
day you would have to work them by moonlight ? If they started at 7 in the morning and worked till 5
there would be a loss of two hours, but it would be no hardship to work them until half past 6 in the
summer.
4462. By the Chairman : Is sickness among the kanakas more prevalent in Ihe summer than in the wiuter?
Yes ; and of a different type and character. The winter sickness is inflammable sickness, such as
bronchitis and colds. A Vith regard to the dietary scale, I consider tea ought to be supplied to Ihe boys
twice a day. That is quite sufficient. I do not approve of excessive ten drinking. Like smoking, with
the boys it is entirely an artiiicial stimulant, and of such a weak and mild nature that it can hardly be
taken into consideration. If it were absolutely necessary to give some stimulant, it would be much better
and less injurious to give some spirits. Tea should only be given twice a day.
William Tumias Whiie examined :
•1463. Bit the Chairman • You arc a selector and grazier on the Herbert River ? I am. W. I. White.
4464. How long have you resided in the district ? Continuously for four yeara— occasionally for about f—^y^ — ^
nine years. 1 Feb., 1889.
446.?. That is thirteen, years' experience altogether? No; I came here originally about tliirteeu years ago,
but it was only for about six months. I have been living here occasionally since the beginning of 1SS0,
and permanently sines ihe beginning of 1885.
44*6. What is the extent of your holding? With what I own and what I lease, about 5,000 acres.
4467. How much of that area do you cultivate? I have oniy twelve acres under cultivation'_including
gardem
4468. lou carry on dairying to a large extent? I do.
4469. How many cons do you milk daily ? -About seventy at present.
4470. Have you a cream separator? Yes; one of De Laval's, the A I size.
4471. Do you confine your attention to your own milk, or do you take milk from your neighbours ?
Only what we raise ourselves.
4472. How much butter do you make per week ? Latterly 14# lbs., exclusive of what we use.
4473. AVliat is the market prit;e of it ? 2s. a lb.
4174'. ( /an you dispose of all you make ? I have no difliculty in disposing of it here.
4475. How' do you feed your milking cuvs ? Thsy have not hcen fed very well up to Uie present time.
Host of them arc turned tut on grass, and a few are fed on chaff, sorghum, and maize.
4176. Have you tried any ensilage ? I tried a small quantity last year made from maize.
4477. ilow did it succeed? Very well, indeed. The quantity was very small, and consequently there
wan a large proportion of waste.
4478. Prom that experiment do you think it can be marie successfully here? I shall be making a
further lot within the next fortnight — .50 or 60 tons. The last lot was only 15 tons.
4479. Have you any par lieu tar class of cattle •among your dairy cows, such as Ayrshires orJJerseys ? I
have a few pure AMerneys ; but only one in milk at the present time.
4430. From your experience during the time you have been carrying on dairying, do you think it can be
successfully carried on in this district ? I think it can.
4481. That the climatic eouditions are in no way opposed to itssuccess? Not opposed to making good
butter, but to keeping it after it is made.
4482. Have you experienced any difficulty iu conveying it to market? I sell it all in the district, and
have uo difficulty in getting it here.
4483. Supposing you nude more than you could sell locally, and found it necessary to export it to
Townsville, are the facilities for transit encouraging to the industry ? Not at present. The very reverse.
4484. What do you principally grow en the twelve acres you have cultivated ? Sorghum, maize, and
sweet potatoes.
4485. S"ou have never grown cane or other tropical products, or tropical fruits ? We have mangoes. I
Lave thirty niangoe trees, half of which are in bearing ; pineapples, guavas, and granadillas. 1 have most
of the ordinary tropical fruits.
4486. Have yen grown oranges and limes and lemons ? Limes aud lentous and citrons, but I have only
one orange tree.
4487. How do the limes and lemons and citrons succeed ? They grow like weeds. The limes are simply
rotting in tons. 1
4488. Have you never tried to export them? I hiive not exported any- The freights from here te
Dimgeiioss, and Hie intermediate charges, wharfage, Ac, are equal to the value of the crop.
44H9. You are aware that in Brisbane there is au unlimited demand for limes? I was n«t aware of it.
We are cut off completely from 1 lie rest of the world here. In the fir.st place, we have to get our produce
dowu the river at a large amount of expense find risk. Fruit may be detained a week at Dungeness,
lying iu the hot sun aji the time, aud consequently it would not pay to take it any further. The
transhipment at TowusviTlc is auether great objeetien. Goods are freuiie ally left there a week waiting
for the following steamer.
4490. Have you attempted the cultivation of the grape ? I have not. My neighbours have grown the
American varietie-<werY successfully.
44MI. The same clillVulty in disposing of other produce would apply to grapes? Yes,
41!l2. Have you thought over any way by which the conditiou of agriculture can be improved in this
district, and can you offer an\ suggestions? The general opinion amengst people like myself is that the
only remedy for the average selector is a railwny to Townsville. ttomc are in favour of a railway to
buugeuess. They think it would open up larger markets. The general impressien throughout the
district, especially in the quarter in which 1 reside, is that railway commuuicatiou with Townsville would
open
132
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TASEN KEFORE THE BOYAL COMMISSION TO INQU1BE INTO
W. T. mite. pe n up the markets of Charters Towers, Kayenswoorf, Hughundeu, and Tnv. usvill^. It would enable us
S^^^ to put our produce into the market at once, and at reasonable prices. The element of uncertainty winch
1 Feb., 1889. now enters so largely into the delivery of goods would then be done away with.
449i It has been suggested that the construction of a jetty at Lucinda Point to deep water to admit ot
vessels coming straight to a wharf there, and then having a tramway formed direct to Ingham, would
assist farmers : but, in your opinion, would a railway from here to Townsville direct be preferable i In
my opinion it wculd. , , , r . j r
4494 You would then get rid of the uncertainty of the arrival and departure of steamers, and of
transhipment? Yes.
4495. For the butter industry, would not the railway direct to Townsville be preferable? Decidedly
preferable. Goods, such as fruit and ordinary farm produce, are not knocked about nearly so much in
railway transit as in the steamers.
4490. 'in the event of a railway being constructed from Townsville to Ingham, do you think the area f
cultivation would be largely increased ? I think it would be very much increased.
4497. And there would be fa larger output of agricultural produce ? Very much larger.
4498. By M>: Kitiq : You have never grown any cane for the mills ? No.
4199. Is your land in a locality where you could supply cane to the mills ? No ; the nearest plantation
is Hamleigh, some five or six miles distant.
4500. Have you grown coffee ? Not here.
4501. Nor tobacco ? Not here. I grew them both at Cairns a few years ago.
4502. How did they answer at Cairns ? The coffee plants bore very well; but I disposed of the place
just about the time the fruit was ripening.
4503. Had you any quantity of land onder coffee? No; we had about thirty or forty trees. The tobacco
also did fairly well. The price obtained for it in Brisbaue was 8d. a Lb. It ranged from (3d. to 8d.
4504. And how much per acre did you gather ? I do not recollect the quantity. There was not much
altogether — only two or three acres.
4505. Would it'be a paving crop to grow? Not with white labour. I attempted it with white labour
there, and it did not pay expenses.
45t6. If you were enabled to employ kauakas, do you think it would pay? I think it would on a larger
sc;ilc. The tobacco I grew was sent to Hooker in Brisbane, arid he said it was fairly g«od.
4507. By Mr. Cowley: You art Government Surveyor in this district? I am.
4508. Ilave you a thorough knowledge of the character of all this country? I think I am as well acqu.aiu.ted
with it as any one in the district.
4;')09. Do you eonsider it capable of carrying" a large farming population, given the communication you
speak of? Yes.
4010. Do fowls do well here ? Very well, indeed.
4511. And fruits of all kinds? Fruit can be grown very readily — not only tropical fruits, but a good
many of the fruits that belong essentially to temperate climates, such ns peaches.
4512. Do you know whether among your fellow-farmers tl>e one great drawback is want of communi-
cation — i« that the only drawback ? Those who are going in for growing cane complain of want of labuur.
451:3. I am speaking more particularly now of the small farmers — the homestead selectors ? Want of
market appears to be the principal difficulty.
4514. "What would be the rate between hero and Townsvillo if the railway was constructed ? Preauiuiug
it was the same as on other lines, it would be about 12s. (3d. a ton.
4515. What is the freight to Towns ille now ? £2 10s. a ton.
451G. Would the difference between the railway rates and the £2 10s. induce people to cultivate the land
and grow different products ? I think it would — f:\vect potatoes, for example* They produce ou fair
land from 10 to 15 tons an acre ; at £2 10s. a ton, they would pay very -nell.
4517. Will they grow all the year round ? They will, but, you get a better crop if you only take off one.
You can continue supplying throughout the whole year.
4518. Is there a ready market in Townsville for this produce? I cauuot say ; I believe there is. No
doubt there would be if they could be delivered at a reasonable price. When you have to add £l 10s
on as freight, people do not care about buying.
4519. Are there w hite men grow ing sweet potatoes in thi:3 district for the planters who can make a profit
by selling at £2 LOs. a ton ? There are white men growing them, but I do not kuow the price they obtaiu.
I thiuk it is a little more than that.
4520. Are you Chairman of the Divisional Board here ? I am.
4521. Can yon give us auy idea of the amount of rates paid by the planters in this district ? The rates
collected in the division of Hinchinbrook from 1884 to 18S7 have averaged £t, 328 14s. 3kl. per annum,
out of which amount the plantations have paid an average of £h08 0s. 10|d. per annum. The total
during the four years, rates and endowment;, amounted to £15,944 lis. Gd., which, without tho rates
from the plantations and the endowment, would only have amounted to £0,272 Is.
4522. The plantations have been the backbone of the divisional board? Undoubtedly. The area of the
division is 830 square miles. Five plantations with an area of tibout 3L square miUis have contributed
over 00 per cent, of the rates.
4523. In addition to this direct contribution, they are largely to bc> credited with indirect contributious ?
Very largely. The prosperity of the district is dependent directly and indirectly upon the .sugar industry.
In fact most. «f the settlers derive their living from working on the plantations ur supplying them with
produce, fencing, aud other material.
4521. By (he Chairman : What labour are you cmplo) ing ? I employ three white men and one Chinaman-
4525. When you speak of the rates obtained from tin.: plantations, of course, if the land was not in the
occupation of planters, it would ;=till be assessed by the divisional board? \Tes : but the rates I speak
of were largely collected upon improvements.
4520. You do not assess machinery now ? No, simply the land.
4527. Have you any suggestions to offer on the labour question by which the iuterests of the district may
be promoted — or, iu other words, do you think there is a sufficient European population in the district to
supply the necessary labour required ? No, certainly not. My experience of wlute labour, as a surveyor,
is thatfor every good man you get you bud ten who either cannot or will not work.
4528. By
4328. By Mr, King : Have you ever fmmd that jour men complain of the heat of the summer or fi nd it W. T. Wbit«.
necessary to knock off work ? Yep, thev complain a great deal of the; heat. A great many men cannot — \
stand outdoor work. 1 F 9 b., 1889.
4529. Do you find that on account of the heat you are sometimes unable to proceed with your work ? Tes.
4530. As chairmnn «f ihcDh-isional Board, haveyouknownin&l.ancesof Div isional Board labourers knocking
oM*on necount of the heat? All the work for the Divisional Board is done by contract, but the contractors
have complained to me that they are unable to get men to Mork. They will work for a few hours and
then throw the work up.
453L. There is a bridge at present being erected near Mount Cordelia. Are you aw t iro whether the men
have knocked off there lately on account of the heat? ~No ; I do not know.
4532. By the Chairman : Is it a condition iu the Divisional Board contracts that the contractors shall
employ nothing but white labour? It is.
4533. What isthd average rate of wages paid to white labour, working m Divisional Board works?
Aliout a year ago we had a road party and the rate of wages were 4s. (3d. a day and rations.
4.534. You do noi; know the rate of wages paid b\ contractors to their workmen? A great deal of the
ivoi'k is done by sub-contract.
4533. Ato iuiy ni the contractors fanners living in the district? Most of tliem are.
453G. By Mr. King : Do the men who are holding small farms in the disl rict make a living off their
farms, or only reside there and make a living at other occupations ? Some of them make a living on
their farms; the majority of small selectors I imagiue do not. They take odd jobs on the plantations «r
on the roads.
4537. How do the men who make a living on their farms dispose of their produce ? The plantations as
a rule bu.y the produce.
4-33S. By the Chairman .- Speaking from your knowledge as district surveyor, is there much agricultura
laud still unselectcd ? Not a grent deal.
4539. Would the construction of a railway from Townsville to Tnghain open up any additional agricultural
land that could be selected ? People would select and cultivate a great deal of laud which wouldl
scarcely come under the head of agricultural land, as they do in other places. You really cannot tell
what class of land selectors will take a fancy to. A great many take up land that I would consider the
greatest rubbish.
4540. You are acquainted with the Herbert River a nd its various tributaries ? Yes.
4511. Are there any selections still left on the banks of these streams ? There is no unselected land on
the banks of the Herbert within thirty miles of Ingham.
4542. By Mr King : How far does the district extend — does it iuclude Cardwril ? Yes ; it includes and
goes twenty-five miles above Cardwell.
4543. Does it include the Tally? Yes.
4544. By Mr. Cowlay : Does it include Clump Point ? Yes ; that'is the boundary.
431;j. By Mr. King : Are yon able to say whether there is a large area of freehold land unoccupied in
the district ? There is a large area of freehold land which is leased at low rentals, and some of it
unoccupied. The owners make nothing out of it
454G. By the Chairman : Are there any large areas which have been selected and the conditions fulfilled,
and which havo remained unoccupied after that, either on the Herbert or 'Dully Rivers ? Yes ; on the
Tally, and on the Herbert also, there are selections of that nature.
4517. By Mr. King: What is the area of land on the Tully in that condition? There must be several
thousand acres. 1 should say at least 8,000 or 10,000 acres.
4548. Are you acquainted with the Tully? I have been surveyiug on the Tully.
45 49. What is the character of the land there ? Very good
4550. Scrub ? Very heavy scrub. There are also plains. A great deal is subject to inundation, but it
is very rich.
4551. Are there any resident selectors on the Tully ? Yes ; a good number.
4552. How many? I have not been there within the last six years. I cannot say how many there are,
but I know there are a considerable number of residents.
4;>53. By Mr. Cotvlcy : You say there ie not much agricultural land available for selection at present.
Js there much agricultural laud in the district which could be brought uudcr cultivation, given labour
and communication ? Yes.
4554. Could you form any idea of the amount of agricultural land still uncultivated ? I should say that
there would be upwards of 100,000 acres which could be cultivated.
4.555. Do you think this is a district in which dairying and agriculture could be combined ? I think it is,
I can only speak from my own experience with regnrd to dairying and agriculture. I had very little
knowledge of either before 1 came hei'e. Last year i sold 4,633 lbs. of butter, the receipts f«r which
amounted to £41 1'.
4.55G. Aud yon followed your oceunatitn as surveyor during that time ? There was very little surveyiug
to do, but yet I did something at surveying as well.
4537. Given eoininuiiiealion and labour would you increase your area under cultivation ? I would.
4558. Very materially ? Yes; I should gradually increase it tenfold. In fact, I should endeavour to
convert my holding into a central factory and encourage farmers rouud about to produce the milk and
briug it in,
4.559. You would continue agriculture and fruit growing ? Certainly.
4560. You are satisfied with what yon have done so far, from a pecuniary point of view ? Yes ; but I
could produce double and treble the quantity with a very small addition of labour had I a more extended
market. J am satisfied so far with the profits I have made.
4561. So far as yon are concerned it is want of communication only that prevents you extending your
operations r Ves.
45(i2. By the Chairman : As matters stand at present it is impossible for you to prepare calves or breed
pig.s for the Townsville market? Quite impossible, owing to the difficulty and cost of transit. .
4563. That would be in addition to the agriculture of the district ? Tes.
4564. At present you are not able to do that ? No. ,
45G3. Then
134
yiNTjTES OF EYIDEXCE TAKEN "BEFORE TUP: EOTAfr COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
W. T. White. 45C,'S. Then a great deal of your milk goes to waste? 1 feed calves on the skimmed milk, but it would
— A — ^""^ be more profitable to feed pigs. With regard to the capabilities of the district I may- mentiou that, in
1 Ycb., 1880. addition 10 the stock belonging to the district, we had here during the late drought, from August until
Christina at least 12,000 head of cattle from the tablelands, where the drought was most severe.
4566. They were grazed here without any detriment to the local cattle ? With very little detriment.
Had the fences been better the cattle could have been controlled, and not allowed to spo'l so much grass
by running about over it.
4567. Were these cattle grazed on terms or did they come to plunder the grass ? They might have
come to plunder, but the grass had to be paid for when they went away.
4568. As soon as the rains came in December, these cattle were taken back to their homes ? Yes; I
have no doubt that their visit to this district saved the lives of fully 75 per cent, of them.
William Stani/ev Warren examined :
Tr.S.Wiinen. 4569. By the Chairman .- Tou are land commissioner for the district of Ingham ? I am.
f — 4570. You have prepared a return showing the area of land selected, cultivated, and forfeited in the
1 Feb., 1889. district ? Yes.
4571. My Mr. King .- Are you also Crown lands ranger ? Yes; I am land agent anil Crown lauds
ranger as well.
4572. My the Chairman : Will you be kind enough to read the return ? There were 93 selections
taken up under the Land A ct of 1868 and made freehold of an aggregate area of 55,132 acres ; under
the same Act there were 6 selections forfeited, of au aggregate area of 1,000 acres ; there were 62
conditional selections taken up under the Laud Act of 1876, and made freehold, of an aggregate area
of 58,536 acres ; 80 homesteads were taken up under the Land Act of 1876, and have been made
freehold, of au aggregate area of 12,481 acres ; there were 52 volunteer land orders, each of 50 acres, of
an aggregate area of 2,600 acres. Under the Land Act of 1870 there were 57 conditional selections,
not yet made freehold, of an aggregate area of 47,451 acres ; and 17 homesteads, not yet made freehold,
of an aggregate area «f 2,719 acre?. Under the Act of 1876 there were 23 conditional select ions forfeited,
representing 17,134 acres -, and there were 14 homesteads i'orieited, representing 2,167 acres. Under the
Act of 18S4 there have been 67 agricultural farms taken up, comprising 22,994 acres, and 8 rejected of
a total area of 2,868 acres. Of the area of land now under sugar cane, the Colonial Sugar Company
have 2,923 acres; F. and A. !Neame, 600 acres; Wood Bros, and Boyd, of Eipple Creek, 720 acres;
Wittingham Bros., of Hamleigh, 500 acres ; aud there are 10 selectors with an aggregate of 1,100 acres,
That is an aggregate of 5,933 acres under cane. The approximate area of land under cultivation and
not under cane, held under the Land Act of 1876, is about 400 acres, and the approximate area of
land held under the Laud Act of 18S4 under cultivation, exclusive of sugar cane, is 50 acres. There
are 5,933 acres* uuder cane ; 450 under general cultivation j 1 29,049 acres freehold ; 73,164 acres lease-
hold ; and 20,301 acres are forfeited in this district.
4573. Has the forfeited land been re-opened for selection ? Yes.
4574. And has it been re-selected ? In some cases it has been re-selected.
4575. By Mi: C»wley : Have you any idea of how mucli of the forfeited land is re-open for selection ?
Thft forfeited selections now open in this district amount to about 4,500 acres.
4576. And what is the character of the land? The character of the land is fair.
4577. Has it a water frontage ? No ; it is nearly all back country.
4578. Can you give us an idea of the number of selections on which the conditions have been fulfilled
and the freehold obtained, and the land then abandoned ? All the land is used. In this district there is
no land that yon can call abandoned. In Many cases, of eourse, it has been made freehold. The improve-
ments may have been removed and the land used for grazing purposes ; but I cannot say that it is
abandoned.
4579. My Mr. King .- Mr. Cowley means land with uo residents on ? After the selections are made free-
hold the bailiff is removed, and the land goes, back into grazing land.
4580. My the Chairman : That is exactly what we want to know from you ? There is a great deal of
country in that state.
4581. Have any of the improvements been removed ? In most cases they have been left upon the
ground, and iu many cases gone to destruction.
4582. My Mr. King : Have they been removed in any cases ? Not since I have been here.
4583. By the Chairman : You do not know of fruit trees that have done duty for one selection being
transferred to another ? No ; 1 do not.
4564. As 1 understand you, the selections on which the conditions li.ive been carried out and the freeholds
obtained have been leased for grazing purposes after the hsiiliif has been removed? Yes; the kind goes
back to grass. All this land was part of a run before, and a great many of the selections have been
bought back by the rnn holder and have gone back intn cattle.
4585. By Mr. King .- With regard to the scrub selections, aro there not a number of them unoccupied?
There are, but they are not abandoned.
4586. They are not occupied? Not occupied.
4587. What is the area of those freeholds on the Tully Kiver? Over 5,000 .ncres.
42S8. What is the total area of freehold ? Between 20,000 and 30,000 acres.
4589. Who are the principal holders of these freeholds? Mr. James Tyson.
4590. How much has he got ? ] consider that he is interested in over 25,000 acres. By means of
the volunteer land orders that I mentioned, he has taken up frontages to the Tully. Theie was "ii selection
of over 5,000 acres that he took up himself. Then his two nephews' and Mr. Macdouald-Paterson's and
51r. Brooks's selections have fallen into his hands.
4591. Are these selections occupied at the present t ime? There are two selections occupied at the present
time. Isaac Henry and Brooks are still on their selectious.
45»2. On the Herbert Kiver is there any large area of scrub freehold unoccupied ? No.
4f>93. Is there not a considerable area of scrub land between Macnade and Ripple Creek plantations?
There is no large area of scrub freehold unoccupied.
44394. By
THE •ENEEAIj CONDITION »F THE 8UGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
4594. By Mr. Cowley : That land between Macnade and Eipple Creek is occupied, is it not ? I consider W.S.Warren,
it is in possession of selectors. ^^^^^N
4595. Is it sub-leased in any way? There are no selections between Ripple Creek and Macnade that are 1 Feb., l889 -
unoccupied.
4590. By the Chairman :Do you know the site of the tobacco plantation that is there? Yes; that is
higher u p the river.
4597. In whose occupation is that land? You can call that abandoned.
4598. Are you acquainted with the 57 conditional selections not yet made freehold, amounting to 47,450
acres ? Yes.
4599. Are the conditions now being fulfilled? Yes.
4600. Is the land in small or large holdings? Prom 320 up to 1,280 acres.
4(301. Are the conditions being fulfilled by the original selectors, or by bailiff? By bailiff.
4G02. AW of them ? With the exception of one or two.
4603. Are the seleetors residents of the district or absentees ? In some cases absentees.
4604. Have any of the 07 agricultural farms taken up under the Land Act of 1881 water frontages ? No
water frontages to the Herbert but hi some cases to creeks ruuning into the Herbert.
4005. Is there any large area of laud opeu now for selection as agricultural farms ? In this district thero
are about 26,S00 acres. In the parish of Tyson there are 80 square miles ; in the parish of Menuuga, 28
square miles ; in the parish of Rockingham, 120 square miles ; and on the Hull lliver 9 square miles.
4600. Is the whole of that open for agricultural farms or for grazing areas ? Por agricultural farms up
to the extent of 1,280 acres.
4607. Is there much demand for land just now? There is not. I may mention that there was more
demand last year than there was before.
4G08. What is the character of the land now open ? The depth of the soil is about G inches on a clay
subsoil and moderately timbered The SO square miles on the Tyson comprises some very excellent land
either for agriculture or for grazing, and I can say the same so far as the 28 square miles in the parish of
Menunga, the 120 square miles in the parish of Roekingham, and on the banks of the river are concerned.
As you go back you may call it fair grazing land. The frontage to the Hull is very good, but as you go
back it is subject to flood.
4609. Admittiug that selectors were to apply for agricultural farms in the localities you have named,
how would the farmers get their produce ta market? The only way in which they could bring it would be
by shipping.
4610. Aro any of the rivers you have named navigable ? The Tully is not navigable except by
small bouts. The Murray is navigable for boats drawing 6 feet of water for thirty miles. Both the
south and north branches of the Hull are navigable for boats drawing 6 feet of water ; these are all
" barred " rivers.
4611. Are there no public roads ? There are no roads, and in flood time the rivers are impassable. I
have had to swim across both the Murray and Tully rivers.
46L2. By Mr. Cowley : You isay thatmanyof the selections are abandoned — i.i it not a fact thai; many of
them have been sold to tbe planters and other proprietors 1 Yes ; I never saiil that mauy of the selections
were abandoned, 1 said " unoccupied."
4613. They have been consolidated, so to speak ? Yes.
4614. You said there were some scrub selections abandoned, are they solely on the Tully or on the
Herbert ? On the Tally.
4615. You say that the selections now held under conditional purchases are in some cases ovvned by
absentees — are a large proportion owned by absentees or are a large proportion ownedby residents on the
river — -does that refer more particularly to this river or to other portions of the district? I refer of course
to my district generally.
4616. As far as this district of Ingham is concerned? As far as this district is concerned. My answer
must only be approximate. I can give you a decided answer in a few minutes. About a quarter of them
are owned by absentees.
4617. Do you know whether there is much land leased to Chinamen in the district? No ; I do not. I
believe there is some leased, but it is leased by private persons.
4618. It is all freehold laud — hav e you as land commissioner leased any on behalf of the txovemment?
None.
4619. What land is leased to Chinese is freehold land belonging to the settlers? Leased by private
persons.
4G20. Have you ever made an estimate as to the number of acres of agricultural land in the Ingham
district proper ? No; I have not.
4621. Can you form any idea of the percentage of agricultural land in the district ? Without makiug
any peculation 1 should say about 120,000 acres.
Charles AnnnTn^rOT Poster examined :
4022. By the Chair/nan You are the Polynesian Inspector for this district ? Yes.
4623. Whiit is the number of Polynesians employed in the whole of your district ?
including the exemption ticket men, that I know of, and some men who were not under agreemeut at the ^ j?eb. 1889.
time the returns were made up.
4624. You have prepared a return of the number of Pacific Islanders, and the names of their employers ?
Yes.
4625. The return is corrected from official sources? Yes; I intend to send a copy of it to the head office
as the otlicial return from the district.
462G. Do you pay periodical visits to the plantations? Yes.
4627. In what condition are most of the islanders that you have inspected ? On most of the plantations
they are, I consider, in fairly good order. There is one plantation that I cannot say quite the same for,
but there may be causes for that diff ereuce.
4628. Have the islanders ever made any complaints to you of ill-treatment or want of proper, food ?
Occasionally.
4629. Have you investigated the complaints ? I have. 4G30.*And
138
ITESTTES OF EVIDENCE TA.G"E>' BEFOttE TUB BoTAJj COMMISSION TO rS'QtrrEE INTO
C. A. Foster. 4630. And what have you discovered ? With regard to food I have found general lj that there has been
/ — sufficient, but the food has not been given to the islanders at the times that they required it. Complaints
I Feb., 1889. have been made to me that they get no bread at dinner time, and sometimes no meat, but only potatoes.
4631. When complaints of this nature have been made to you, have you represented it to the employer,
and sought redress '? I have.
4062. With what result ? With the result lately that at Victoria Plantation meat was added to the pota-
toes at dinner time, but bread is not given.
4633. Have any complaints been made to you of ill-treatment ? Occasionally boys have come to me.
4634. Have yon investigated the cases? I have.
4635. Have you found the charges well founded ? Not as a rule.
4636. Are they numerous ? No* numerous.
4G37. Were the complaints against employers or against overseers ? Against overseers.
4638. When i?ivestigating the se charges do the employers give you every facility for doing so ? Yes.
4639. What has been the state of health •fthe kanakas since you have been here ? Generally very good,
except lately on one particular plantation. I have a return showing the death rate on the different
plantations for three years.
4641. Have yoti found that tbe kanakas are supplied with liquor ? I have frequently heard of it. I have
not often seen them drunk myself.
4641. Have you ever prosecuted any one for supplying liquor? Yes; I have a return of prosecutions.
It has been a very difficult thing to. prosecute. Prom what I can gather they can be supplied easdy by
giving money to white men, Chinese, or Mnlays.
4642. Have you any suggestions to make by which the dietary scale can be improved or the condition of
the islanders improved in any way ? Yes 1 have. I have thought the matter over very carefully. The
improvements I would suggest would be that at each meal i lb. of bread should be given to each islander.
I think a pound of meat, when reduced by cooking, will give each islander from 3 oz. to 4 oz. of meat to
each meal. The Act does not say whether the meat is to be with bone or raw meat, and I Live found it
given sometimes in very small quantities. Again, I would poi?it out that the very large Mux of
Polynesians in the hospital is, as far as I fan judge, to a considerable extent due to want of good water.
Considering that the men are at work from sunrise to sunset, the allowance of tea and sugar stipulated
f«rby the Government is sufficient to give each man employed, a good drink of tea at every meal, which at
present they are not supplied with. T suggest that every Polynesian shall have a pint of tea morning,
noon, and night. I think that tea is one of the greatest restoratives that the working labourer can have,
and it is aho a preservative agaiast diarrkcea and dysentery. Then again you must remember that the Act
permits islanders to be introduced here at the age of sixteen, and I can show you at least twenty islanders
who if they are sixteen, all I can say is thattheyare not fit to do a day's work. They are the merest; boys,
and I think it would be for the benefit of everyone engaged in the labour trade if the standard age was
raised. There is a difficulty in saying whether a boy is fourteen or fifteen or sixteen, but if you raise the
standard there would be no such difficulty.
4043. If there is a difficulty at sixteen, would the difficulty not be 'equally as great at eighteen ? A.t
eighteen he is manifestly a man in this climate.
4641'. If I tell you tbwt Br. Macdonald has assured us that Tie is of opinion that none of the boys are
less than sixteen years of age. I take it for granted that you would accept his opinion as b ing correct ?
I must not controvert a medical opinion more than I can help, hut in this very warm climate youth
develops very quickly. I am only speaking as a judge of labourers. I can pick out at least twenty boys
who are not fit to go into the field to labour, and I find they are put into gangs with strong men. With
regard to clothing there is n« stipulation as to when it is to be served out. The planters say that the
Act allows them to serve it out when they like, but I think it should he served out at equal dates.
4645. 'My Mr. Cowley : You say th.it the food should be given differently from the wny in which it is now-
given ? Occasionally. There fireplaces where the food is given satisfactorily, but there is one place
where it has been far from satisfactory. In fact it is a moot point whether the men's constitutions may
not have been lowered. I know that for the men on Victoria the mid-day meal has been nothing else
but sweet potatoes and water.
4646. Have you ever prosecuted in any case where there has been an insufficient supply of food ? No
I do not think so. The cases always have been considered aid remedied.
4G47. Have you not been assured by the persons in charge of Victoria that they give more than
the Government standard of meat to" their men ? I think that has been stated.
4648. Your only complaint is thut they do not get enough at a certain time? Yes ; not properly
regulated.
4649. There have been nome eases of ill-treatment— have yon prosecuted ? There were one or two
prosecutions. I prosecuted lately.
4G;;0. On the complaint of the boy ? Yes, and very good evidence besides. I investigated the complaint.
4G51. Were these cases tried by the local bench ? Yes.
4G52. Were they dismissed ? Not all of diem. In «ue eaise soon after I came here One gentleman was
fined.
4653. In the cases lately decided did i he bench rule that they were frivolous ? The bench dismissed
the cases. I have had a case lately unci I wrote to the manager. It was very clearly proved. The man
came into me with his temple cut with a hoe. He had been "struggling wiUi a man because he had been
struck with a cane. Two little boys also complained. I wrote to the manager aud asked him to see that
the overseer did not administer punishment.
4GS4-. I see that you give in your returns the number of deaths in 1SSG as thirty-seven ? Yes. I have
been looking over the totnl deaths.
4655. That is taken from the officir.1 record? Yes; there is a slight discrepancy betw ecu the doctor's
return and mine.
465(3. You have only thirty-seven in 18SG against the doctor's fortv-one ? Ye s ; the fact is that I have
gone by th« butts of the death reports.
4657. You have been a sugar-grower yourself? I have.
4058. Where were you growing sugar ? On the Mary "River,
4054). Bo you find this a healthy climate for th« men ? Yes; quite. 46G0. How
TTIE OEJTEBAT, COXDTTION - OT THE ST/OAE TBDCSTRT IX QUEENSLAND.
137
4GC0. How many years' experience had you io sugar-growing? Between e-ight and nine years. c - A - Foster -
4661 From jour experience do you think it is possible to grow sugar by white labour ? Well, it is not
possible to grow it profitably with white labour — not at present. 1 Feb., 1889.
4662. Have the kanakas ever given you any reason whj they do not coin a to this district in larger numbers ?
No ; they have never given any reason.
4663. I mean why they do not come from the islands ? They have never given me any reason. I had
reasons given to me in Mackay, but never in this district.
4664. Then you know of no local cau^e which prevents more islanders coming from the South Sea Islands
to this district? None wliatever.
4665. Et) the Chairman .- Did you speak to the owners of the plantations about these twenty boys whom
you think are under age ? I have pointed them out to the owners as not fit to work, and have asked
them onee or twiee if tiny had a convalescent gang of light labourers to put tlieni in it. Until lately I
could not find there was such a thing. I hear now that such a ga»g has been established on Victoria.
Men who cannot do full work are put into a gang by themselves.
4666. Are you satisfied now that these boys will not be subject to hardship by doing work equal to that
of mature boys ? J. am of opinion there is an improvement. ] would not like to say that I could
not go into a gang and pick out boys of the kind 1 speak of. If I did it would appear as if I was inter-
fering with the manager's management.
4067. By Mr. Cowley : These twenty boys were passed by both the Government agent and the health
officer? Tes.
4668. When you talk about men working in gangs you know that although they do work in gangs it is
very rarely that any two men do the same amount of work. They are not forced to work to a certain
standard ? I cannot tell you about that; I think that the supervision of labourers has been pretty con-
tinuous at Victoria. I think it has eased off, but it has beeu pretty close. The crushing season ha.s
been continuous, and there has been no spell.
4669. Has it come under your knowledge that a gang of men have been compelled to do an equal amount
of work all round ? I cannot say it has come under my notice lately, but when I was investigating the
complaint about a man being struck with a hoe, I found that the overseer had induced this young boy to
keep up with the others by a blow from a bit of cane, which was said to be dead cane, and it gave me
the impression that he required the boys to work up to one another, instead of straggling hack in the
rows.
4670. In cases of prosecution for grog selling, do the employers render you every assistance ? Yes ; I
have never had any difficulty in getting assistance. I have only prosecuted in one case-
4671. Ho you know whether the employers are desir«its of putting a stop to grog selling, or do they
encourage it? I am perfectly certain that they wish to put a stop to it.
TUESDAY, 5 FEBRUARY, 1880.
BURDEKIN (TOWNSVILLE) HISTIROT.
(At the Burdekin.)
PBESEXT :
W. II. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | II. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
William Patabd examine d :
4672. By the Chairman : You are a selector ? I am. W. Payard.
4673. How many acres have you ? 220. ^~^r<^ — ^
4674. How many years have you held it ? Nine years last September. 5 Feb., 1S89.
4675. How many acres have you under cultivation ? Twenty-one acres with irrigation, and twenty-nine
without irrigation— fifty acres in all.
4676. What crops do you chiefly grow ? Maize and sweet potatoes.
4677. What is the averago yield of maize per acre ? It varies very much. With irrigation I have had
45 bushels to the acre. I do not think it has averaged m^re than 3n or 40 bushels at the outside.
4IJ7S. Owing to the continued drought you have adopted the system of irrigation ? Yen.
4(>79. What was the total cost; of your machinery ? £260, reckoning everything.
4680. Bi/ Mr. King : What kind of pump do you use ? A 5-ineh centrifugal pump by Tangye.
4681. What is the' horse-power of the engine? It is a six-horse power engine.
46^2 How many gallons of water does it throw per hour? It is guaranteed to throw 19,000 gallons,
but I have been informed that it has gone up to 35,000 gallons per hour.
46S3 What height have you to raise the water ? From 29 to 3D feet a* near as possible.
46S4, How many acres per day do yon reckon you can irrigate with that power ? For crop I can irrigate
three acres, but as a rule I have never done more than two acres, because I allow the waste water to go
on to the pasture for the stock.
4685. That is working your engine twelve hours a day ? Yes.
4686. What do you reekon the cost per acre of watering your land ? About 5s , as near as possible.
46S7. How often do you find it necessary to water the crop in a dry season ? 1 water the land first and
plough it and then I water it three times afterwards for a crop of maize. 1 do not know that it is
necessary to put on the fourth watering, but I have done so.
46-»8. Do you find that has a good result ? Yes ; a very good result I am well sntisfiel with it. The
only mistake I made was that I planted a lot of American corn that the Griffith Government got out,
and it was a great success, but then I planted a lot of the old maize and the Wight got into it and there
.s no crop at all. 4689- You
138
MINUTES OT EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE DOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
W. PajarJ. 4GS9. You consider then that it pays you to irrigate ? I am ijuitc certaiu that it does.
^v_a^~^ 4G90. Where do you sell your corn? 'Chiefly to Drysdale Brothers, Pioneer Plantation.
5 Feb., 1899. 4G91. What is the average price obtained "in this' district ? The lowest 1 ever got was 4s. and the
highest os. Gd.
4692. Supposing that the plantations were shut up where would you dispose of your produce then ? In
Townsville.
4G93. AVhat means hare you of taking it to Townsville? Only the boats.
4G94. AVhat would it cost you to get it to Townsville ? I have sent some ; I sent three tons once, but
I believe I was overcharged. I paid 22s. Gd. a ton freight from Barratta Creek and 5s. a ton from here
to the creek, ue. a ton at the other end for receiving and delivery, 33. for cartage, and 1\ per cent,
discount ; something like £2 10s. on a ton of maize.
4695. Then you must have- lost tverls. a bushel ? Is. 3d. They called it a cash transaction, but I had to
wait something like five months before 1 got any money. It was done through Aplin, Brown, and Co.
4G9G. It would affect the selectors of this district considerably if the plantations ceased to buy from
them ? There would he no doubt that a lot would have to stop. They dt not grow sufficient to make it
worth their while to send away. The expense of sending small quantities away w«uld consume the
prolit.
4U97. Have you tried any other crops besides maize and sweet potatoes ? I have tried English potatoes.
4G98. Did they do well here ? Yes, they grew well enough.
4G99. How much per acre ? The largest crop we got was 3| tons per acre.
4700. What price did you get for them ? 12s. a cwt.
4701. What i.i the average crop that sweet potatoes yield ? I could not say.
4702. You eun give a rough guess ? I saw a report of someone having had 40 tons to the acre. I think
we had about as good a crop as anyone, and we only got 8 or 9 tons per acre.
4703. What price did you get for them ? I have only sold a few, and they fetched £2 a ton ; now, I
suppose, they are about 8s. or Ids. a cwt. I was told they were something like 14s. or 15s. in Towns-
villfi now.
4704. Have you tried experiments with tobacco, coffee, or any articles of that kind ? I tried a few coffee
trees, but I did not pav much heed to them. I thought it was not worth while. There are three or four
trees growing now, which look very healthy.
4705. Do they bear well ? They are too young yet.
470(5. You never tried tobacco ? I have a few plants. It grows a tremendous height, and there are
good leaves on the trees, but I have no experience of it. I do not know whether it is good or bad.
4707. Is there a great deal of land in this district that could be irrigated ? Yes ; there is a good deal,
as fur as I Live seen, and I have soen the biggest part tf it. It could be irrigated either by means
of wells or the lagoons. There arc a lot of selectors on this bank, and, although they have the water,
they have no mean* of electing pumps.
470S. How many selections are there in this district, not, counting the sugar plantations ? I ctuld not
say how many. There are somewhere about thirty up this way — I should say between forty and fifty
altogether, from homestead selectors up to those holding 040 acres.
4709. Is there any dairy farming carried ou ? Yes, a little. 1 do a little myself.
4:710. Where do they sell their produce? Geuer.ally to the stores in the townships of A.yr and Brandon.
Mr. Irving buys a lot of it.
4711. Does he buy it for the Townsville market? Yes; 'and he sends it right ont west as far as
Wughcnden.
4712. Arc the farmers in this district well off in the way of communication? We have not got good
communication with the markets. We are pretty well scattered about, and those who have butter and
such things to fell have fair communication, but there are ft lot who do uot bother about it.
4713. The only communication with Townsville is by steamer? That is all.
4714. How often does the steamer run ? At crushing time it depends upon the tides. They run pretty
frequently then, liut now only once a fortnight.
4715. You cannot send fresh butter away once a fortnight? No. only salt butter. We are greatly
handicapped for want of a railway.
471G. Would there be more settlement and more cultivation hi the district if you had a railway ? There
is not the slightest doubt about it.
1717. Your maize suffers from the blight ? It did t, wo years ago and agaiu this year. The American com
that the Griffith Gtverumeut imported did not sulJer at all. We had a very good crop from it.
4718. Does the blight attack the irrigated land as well as the other ? It did in this case. It is a tiling I
do not understand. I have three acres fearfully blighted. I did not get a bag of maize off the three
aires, and on both sides of it there is a really good crop.
471!). You have never discovered any cure for the blight? No, none whatever. I have a piece of land
of about seven acres, and the other morning I went down there and all the tops of the corn were as white
as could he. IVly experience is that it is the drizzling rain that causes the mildew and makes the
corn die out.
4720. By the Chairman : Wliat labour do you employ? Generally two white men— a man who has been
a few months in the country and my brother. For irrigating purposes 1 find the Chinaman is far the best.
4721. You do not employ any coloured labour? None whatever.
4722. by llr. Caicky : Except Chinamen Y Yes, I believe Chinamen are called coloured labourers,
and I have employed them at times for irrigating because 1 believe they are the best.
172;!, By the Chairman .- Have you a garden? Yes, a small garden.
■1724. Do you End orange and peach trees grow well here ? Yes, and mangoes grow wonderfully
well.
4723. During the drought, supposing you had not gone iu for irrigation,, what position would your
selection have been in ? It would have been in a very critieal position.
472G. From your experience of irrigation, \v»uld you strongly recommend it to other farmers ? Yes, I
would.
1727. You are perfectly Fifiti^fied that it pays ? It has paid me handsomely.
4728. Are you satisfied with your prospects as ^selector? Ye. 1 *, well satislied. 4729. Is
TOE (WNERAL COVTJITrOJT OF THE St"OAR INDUSTRY W QUHENSIAVD.
4729- Is the district healthy ? Yes, so far as my experience goes.
4730. In what way do you think the agricultural interests of this district can be improved ? By
railway communication as much as anything else. In fact, thut is the great thing that is wanted. Then 5 Feb.,
I am certain lluit a go«d many of the fanners who have lagoons would go in for irrigation.
4731. In what direction would you wish the railway to go ? IWnsvdle is the chief market. I
would like it to go as close as possible — it would be all the less expense for us.
4732. Would taking the railway to Townsville «pen up tke markets of Charters Towers, Hughenden, and
the western districts* ? Well, 1 d» not tliiulr it wsuld make much difference. I think it would open the
markets up there. We could send oar produce either one way or the other. The cost would not be a
great ileal, supposing the junction was at the G-mileor the 14-mile. I think myself that forthe benefit of
the farmers in the, district the line by Woodstock would be the best.
4733. By Mr. Cowley : You have two white men and a Chinaman here; what wages do you pay to the
white man ? £1 a week, and 18s. to the Chinaman.
47:11. How much do you allow for your own wages ? I get the bulk of the produce taken ofE the field.
That is my profit.
4735. Do you .attend to the engine yourself ? Yes ; I help to do so.
4730. What do you think your own labour is worth ? 30s. a week.
47.37. Ani your tucker ? Yes ; 1 would not Jike to take it all the same.
473S. By Mr. King .- You make more than that ? I hope to do.
4739. By. Mr. Cowley .- Could you give us the cash returns, per acre, from your land for the last year?
No ; I could not.
4740. How much cord wood do you use per day ? Two loads a day.
4741. That would be about a cord ? It would be more than a cord for the two loads.
4742. What is that worth per cord — what would you cut the wood for, per cord, if you were selling it
to anyone ? About 7s. or 8s.
4713. Supposing you were cutting it from the forest timber in the bush, how much per cord would you
cut it for in 2-feet lengths ? I could not say ; I have not had an v experience.
4744. Would it pay you at £1 a cord ? Yes, well. I said I could cut it at 8s.
4745. I mean delivered at the engine ? About 15s. a cord.
4746. And you burn 15s. worth of firewood per day? I do not know that it requires so much as that.
4747. By Mr. King : Do you use split wood or fallen timber? Just the fallen timber. It dqes not cost
me anything like that.
4748. By Mr. Cowley : Is it worth 7s. Gd. a load, delivered ? No ; it is not, because a man can gather
about eight loads a day. He could do that comfortably and not hurry himself. The man is jetting £1 a
week, and the horse's feed would come to about the same. The horse's feel and the nr.iu would be worth
about £2 a week, lie could gather as much wood in a day as would last me four days.
4740. Can you not reduce it to figures and tell us the actual consumption per day? At the outside it
would not cost more than 7s. a day for firewood to irrigate three acres.
475t. How many men does it employ ? A Chinaman in the field and a man to do the driviug.
4751. That is yourself at 30s., aud a Chinaman at 18s. ? Yes.
4752. What does the other man do ? He has nothing to io with the irrigating.
4753. You do not keep any account of returns per acre? No.
4754. Aud no account of your yield per acre? K"o.
4755. How do you know whether it pays you t» irrigate ? I know I have sold fifty bags of maize now
at 5s. Gd. a bushel, and I suppose I have another forty bags in the shed. I would not have had that if 1
had not irrigated. I know, too, what the wages of the white man and Chinaman come to.
4756. You keep a rough account in your heai ? Yes ; I never book it.
4757 You are convinced that these twenty acres are paying you — you are paying your way, paying your-
self 30s. a week, and you are better off than if you were employed in a billet at 30s. a week ? Yes.
4758. By the Chairman; What is the condition of the selectors in the district who are not irrigating?
I could not say — I have not been round for a good while.
4709- My Mr. King .- Are they hard- up or thriving? They are all pretty well hard-up.
4760. By tke Chairman : Do any of them grow sugar cane ? Not that 1 know of.
47G1. They are purely and simply agriculturists ? Yes.
4762. By Mr. King : Has there been much loss of stock in the district through the drought ? I lost a
good lot — G3 out of 190, and. four or five have died since.
4763. Your irrigation would not help to keep your stock alive? It would keep a lot alive. I had an
entire and a few marcs in the paddock that I irrigated, aid they kept in good condition, and ten of the
best cowe, besides a dozen milkers.
4764. 5t«u think the irrigation helped to save some of your stock ? I am qutto certain of it. It helped
to save thirty head at the very least.
4765. By Mr. Cowley : When you say it cost £250 to erect the machinery does that cover every expense
of carting it hero and your own labour ? It does not iielude my own labour.
4766. Does it include the labour of the skilled men? Yes, the plant cost £20t I3».3d. landed at Barratta
Creek. Then 1 got some packing from Mr. Drysdale, and everything, including the engineer's expenses,
came up to £59 odd — that is £200 all but a few pence, independent of my own labour.
4767. How much would you estimate your own labour at? "Wewere a fortnight at it, and £3 more might
be added on.
4768. What would be the working expenses for oil and belting over and above the firewood and
labour? I have used a drum of oil since I got the engine, at 4s. 6d. a gailon.
4709. How long does that last you ? I started working on the 17th September, but I have been very
extravagant with the oil myself. I was a keginuer, and had never had anything to do with an engine, and
all 1 could do was to run about with the oil-can.
4770. Had you the money to purchase your plant without borrowing ? I had not the money in hand, but
I had it growing on the field.
477 1. You have paid for it ? Yes.
4772. By tke Chairman : Tour farm is entirely free ? Yes.
4773. Do
140
VIKTTTES OF ETIDENCE TAXEN BEFORE TTIjE ROTAI, COMMTSSTOJT TO JNQCTEE IXTO
W.Pavard. ^73 p you think an experimental farm or garden in the district where farmers could get practical
— v. knowledge" of tlie fruits and tropica] produciions that could be grown here would be or. advaurage ? A
5 leb., 1889. great advantage.
•177 1. Would you, as a selector, make use of it ? Yes ; I would indeed.
4775. Have you ever experimented yourself with particular articles ? Nothing particular. I have tried
sugar cane and sorghum, and 1 intend this year to plant oats and lucerne.
4776. What did you do with the grain that w a s the yield of the American maize ? I sold it to Mr.
Drysdale.
4777. You did not keep any of it for seed ? I have some left that I intend to keep for seed.
4778 Have you ever sought advice with regard to this disease in maize ? No, I have not. "We have
talked among ourselves, ;iud the conclusion we have come to is that it is mildew, and is caused by
the drizzling rain. ,
477f>. Would it not be advisable to send samples of it to the Government botanist m Brisbane with a
view of getting advice ? I hardly know how to send it. It would certainly be worth while inquiring
into.
47S0. What is the nature of the soil «n which the maize failed ? It is a clay sub-soil.
4781. Were there any white insects in the corn? Their was nothing to be seen with ihenakei eye.
4782. By Mr. Cwrtei/ : Do you get any return oil' tlie uniri'igatal laud ? One crop a year.
47«3. Your 21 acres of irrigated land lias paid the expense of working the other, and leaves a profit
after paying for all losses ? Well, I bave not gone into debt over it.
4781 You actually would be better off without tbeunirrigated land ? Yes ; I would befar better off. I
ploughed it three times last year, and when I went to put the crop iu I found it was too dry.
478.5. The result of your experience of irrigation goes to prove that it would be cheaper for you to
Confine yourself to 20 or 2.) acres of irrigated land than UK) acres not irrigated — that you would get a
greater return from the irrigated land ? Certainly.
WEDNESDAY, (i FEB SUA ST, 18S9.
BUEDEKIN (TOWNSVILLE) BISTEICT.
(At Kalamia Plantation.)
PRESEST :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. SL COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Charles Young examined :
C. YouDg. 478G. By the Chairman : ITow long have you been engaged in the cultivation of sugar cane? Eight
f~ •*^v^-~ N years.
6 Feb., 1889. 4787. What is the name of this estate ? Kalamia.
4788. What is the total extent of it ? About 7,000 acres.
4789. How much is under cultivation ? About 800 acres.
4790. With sugar cane ? That includes 20 acres of corn and 15 acres of potatoes.
4791. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? About 300 acres.
4792. What was the output of sugar ? 140 tons.
4793. How much molasses ? I cannot quite tell that yet because the last of the low sugars are not
dried off. I should think about 4,000 gallons.
4794. What do you do with it ? We give some to the horses and the rest we throw awav.
4795. What amount of capital is invested in the estate ? £90,000.
4796. What rate of interest did the estate return during 188$ ? It did not return any interest at all.
There was a heavy loss.
4797. What were the working expenses for 1888? £0,000.
4793. Did the estate return its working expenses? It did not.
4799. What labour do you employ, specifying the number of Htiropeans, Chinese, kanakas, and Javanese ?
As a rule, about 30 Europeans, 9 Chinese, 50 Malays?, and 120 knnakaa. That was in 1SSS.
4810. Have yon additional European labour during crushing? Yes.
4801. Wliat were the average rate of wages paid to tl to colon roil classes of labour ? There are two classes
of kanakas here ; the time expired kanakas averaged £17, and the new chum knnakns (the boys nuclei'
original agreement) averaged £6 16s. 5d. The average Chinese wage was 18s. a week ; the Javanese
would average lis. a week.
4802. Board and quarters are found in addition ? Yes.
4803. What was the total amount of wages paid to Europeans? £2,130.
4804. What description of labour do you consider most suitable for field work? Polynesians.
4S0.'). Have you employed European labour in field work? Am I to understand by " field work,"
trashing and weeding ?
4806. Yes? We have tried to get them, hut have not been able, s o I could not say anything about
that. I may say we had a very heavy crushing here in 1887, and groat difficulty in getting the crop off.
We tried to get white men to take contracts for cane cuttiug and loading, but failed altogether.
4807. Do white men do the work with the horses in the field? Yes, white men and kanakas too.
4808. When the land is brought more readily under cultivation by means of machinery will not the
number of Europeans employed be greater? Not in this case, because it is as lit now for the use of
machinery as it ever will be. It is all cleared and stumped.
4809. How
THE GEtfEEiL COHDITrtX OF THE sUGAIt IMDUSTUY IX CiUEEiJSnAJSD.
4809. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ? Just about four G. Yoi
acres. /"~""^- A -
4810. Bo the blacks employed in field labour suffer in health? We do not find that they do. 6Feb.,
1811. What is the general health of the Europeans ? Tery good.
4812. •oes your cane suffer from the grub or any insect? No disease whatever.
4813. What was the cost of the machinery in your mill ? Our mill cost about £20,000.
4814. What is the cost of the annual overhaul? A little over £200.
4815. Tou have to keep a number of skilled men all the year round? We have an engineer and a fitter.
At crushing tim» we put on two or three litters.
4816. In cousequence of the drought you have bad to resort to irrigation on this plantation ? Tes ; we
irrigated here as long ago as 1885.
4817. Upon what principle <lo you irrigate ? Pumping with centrifugal pumps.
4818. The water is conveyed to the cane in ditches? Yes; the land is bedded in 10 feet beds.
4819- What is the average cost per acre of the irrigation? For each time we water it costs about 8s. Gd.
an acre.
1820. Do you find it rami negative to irrigate ? Tea ; there is no doubt of it.
4821. How many acres sire you able to irrigate ? We have 5:30 a.cres that we can command with the
channels that we have now made.
4li22. Ton find no difficulty in getting a sufficient supply of water? Wo have any quantity of water.
482:3. Have you grown any oilier tropical products besides sugar? No.
4824. How many horses are there on the establishment ? We generally have about 75.
4825. Where do you get the feed for them ? Most of it is bought in the district from the selectors.
Some we grow ourselves.
4820. What mode of transit have you for taking your sugar to market ? We have a tramway down to
Plantation Creek wharf.
4827. Have you any difficulty in getting the steamers ? Yes ; great difficulty. They are very uncertain.
4828. Is there a bar to the entrance of Plantation Creek ? Yes ; a shifting sand bar.
4829. Steamers can only come in at certain stages of the tide? Yes.
4830. Then railway communication would be of decided advantage to the plantation? An enormous
advantage.
4831. B]i Mr. King: How often do you find it necessary to water your crop? I think it ought to be
watered once in three weeks iu such a drought as this. When we first began the irrigation scheme
about two waterings would have carried the crop through, hut in such a season as this last one, to keep
the cane growing really luxuriantly, it ought to be watered once in three weeks.
4832. What description of machinery do you use for raising the water? Centrifugal pumps. We used
to have a set of Fowler's steam plough tackle. We are now using the ploughing engines for irrigating.
We hare two Iti-horsc Fowler's plough engines iriving two 12-inch centrifugal pumps and one 8-inch
pump.
4833. How many gallons does that raise per hour ? liouglily speaking, about 100,000 gallons per
hour.
4831. To what, height has the water to be lifted? It varies from 20 to 25 feet, according to the season.
4835. W ith that supply of water you can irrigate the whole of your cultivation ? Yes; »ut not quite
as often as we would like to io it.
4830, What are the wages of white labourers in this district, outside of farming work ? Eight shilliugs
a day ;md they find themselves.
4837. What is the cost of gettiug your produce; to T«Tnisville ? About 13s. a ton frcm the mill to
Towns ville.
4SJ38. Supposing that the Polynesian Act remains in force as at present, by which no miore Polynesians
can be imported after 1890, what will be the effect on this plantation ? I think it would close it up.
48U9. BijMr. Cowle// .- You only made 140 tons of sugar List year — what was the cause of that poor
crop? It was a bad season; but the real cause was that we had a very heavy crop to take off in
1887, and we could not the labour to take the crop off and cultivate for nest season. We were
in such trouble Bnnncially that we were obliged to get every ton of sugar we could. We were obliged
to keep going all the time.
4810. If you had had a. full supply of labour to carry on the field work, would you have had a bigger
crop last season ? Yes ; a fairly good crop— three or four times as much as wo had.
4841. I)o you and your brother manage the estate ? Yes.
4h42. You are the owners of it ? Not now. We were once.
4843. The total amount of wages paid to Europeans ioes not Include management? Yrs ; it includes
everything.
•±St4. What has been your death rate of kanakas during the last two years ? We lost one kunaka.
4845. Does tlie amount paid for the annual overhaul include the amount paid to all the litters and
labourers, or is it, for material only? I was mot counting material. I was count iug slight wear and tear,
but nothing new is included.
4840. You 'have occasionally to replace? T spent far move in new thing*
4n17. Including every I hiiig, what would the cost be ? The overhaul would cost us nearer £100 a year,
including alterations, wear and tear, and renewing.
4818. What is your water supply for irrigating purposes ? Wo dr.aw altogether out of Lilymere
Lagoon.
4849. Is it an unfailing supply ? As far as we can find out.
4850. Have you uny other pumps at work ? Yes; we are now working the mill pumps. There is a
7-inch and a 5-inch Tangye's special. We do not count these as part of tho irrigation scheme, but still
we have had to use them this year.
4S5I. What number of gallons do these pumps throw per hour? I should think we get about another
30,000 gallons an hour out of those two pumps.
4852. It costs 1:3a. a ton to land your sugar in Towusvillo — does that include transit over your own
Irani way? Yes; \ve r«chon that
4853. That includes the actual cost of transporting it over your own line ? Yes. 4854. How
14 -J
MrXUTES OP EVIDENCE TAEEN UEPOKE THE EOYAti COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
C. Young. 455,}. How many miles of line have you to transport to water carriage ? About seven miles.
, — ^_a^ — N 4855. Will that 1:3s. include interest on the outlay for the tramway? Only the workiug expenses of
6 Feb., 1889. carrying the sugar down. Tbere is no allowance for anything except the labour of taking it down.
4856. Do you purchase cane from small growers here? We have done so in one or two saasons, but
there are no small growers of cane now.
4857. Do you lease your land to any small growers ? We hare tried to, but never succeeded in getting
anyone to take it.
4858. Would you do so if you could ? Yes ; we would be very glad to lease the lot of it.
4859. "What price per acre would you charge ? I never worked that out. We never could get even an
offer for it. I should think £1 an acre— not less.
4860. Does that include land which is ready for the plough ? Yes.
4861. You do not mean forest laud that has to be stumped ? No ; land ready for the plough.
4802, Have you double crushing ? No.
4863. Is your machinery of the best description ? Yes.
4S64. Have you vacuum pans ? Yes ; and triple effSts.
4865. Have you press filters and every appliance for saving sugar and labour ? Yes ; it is a very good
mill, I think.
4866. Do you weigh your cane ? No.
4867. Do you measure the number of gallons of juice ? Yes.
4868. How many gallons does it take to make a ton of sugar ? This year it was something «ver 1,500.
It generally lakes between 1,600 and 1,700.
4S69. Do you m;ike the best white sugar ? Yes.
4870. What are you paying for islander's passage money ? About £23, not including capitation fee.
4871. Nave you obtained any lately ? Yes, we have.
4872. Was that the cost ? It was somewhere thereabouts.
4873. Do you get as many as you require ? JSo, we have great difficulty in getting them.
4874. Would y»u extend operations if you could get more ? I do not know really ; it is hardly in my
power to say.
4875. Can you suggest any means by which islanders can be mors easily obtained ? I have often thought
that if I he Government would take up the labour question in a sort of patronising manner instead of
showing the antagonistic feeling that there has been ; establish a depot on the islands, have a medical
man to inspect the boys, and run steamers backwards and forwards to Queensland, there would be no
difficulty in getting any amount of labour. Once the boys found that they were carried backwards and
forwards quickly they possibly might tell others.
4876. If the rate of passage money was reduced considerably would .you take more labour— is that a
drawback, the high cost of introduction? Yes; we would have more kanakas if we could get them at a
lower price.
4877. Do you manure your land ? We have tried one or two experiments, but we have not manured to
any extent.
4878. Bo you trash your cane? Sometimes. We cannot as a rule get the labour. Lately we have burnt
1,1 le cane.
4879. Is that not a very dangerous process ? It is very dangerous.
4880. 1 Fave you ever had a ny serious loss through burning? We have had some very uasty fi res occa-
sionally, and lost through not being abl« to get the cane off quickly.
4881. If you had labour to trash that would, be avoided ? Yes. Once in 1887 it took us eleven days to
get the burning from the one fire off.
4882. What variety of cane do you find suits the district best? Rose bainbeo.
4883. By the Chairman : Can you state the causes which in your opinion have depressed the sugar
industry? Mainly the uncertainty of procuring any reliable labour for field work, and when it is pro-
cured the high price of it. Then of course there is the low price of sugar. Those are the two main
causes.
4S84. Can you offer any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved in any way? If we could get
reciprocity with some of the other colonies, and if the Government would take the labour question in
hand it would give relief. That would be an enormous help.
4885. How long have you b»en without the ordinary rains in the district ? In 1SS7 we had 5T81 inches
on seventy-nine days, and in 1888 we had 2364 inches on thirty-eight days.
4886. Up to the present time what lias the rainfall been ? We had 2 4. r > inches in January, and 0'29
this morning.
4887. How does that compare with previous rainfalls ? In 1882, the first year we came here we had
68 83 inches.
4888. Was that one of the highest falls ? That was about the highest.
48b9. When did you commence the irrigation works ? We began the irrigation scheme in August, 18S5.
48!i)0. A*d 'you have continued it ever since r 1 Yes.
4891. B 1/ Mr. CmvIci/: When you had the big crops in 1887 you liad no labour to take it off ? Exactly.
I think I have rather overstated the cost of irrigation. It only costs about 7s. lid an acre.
4892. For luoding? Yes.
4.S93. That includes the formation of all the channels ? No ; that is the cost of putting the water on.
The channels were made yuars ago.
4894. In fact that includes workiug expenses in full, Does it include wear and tear ? No wear and tear.
That is what it costs for labour and firewood.
4S95. What is the capacity of your mill ? It will make about 1,500 tons.
4896. What is the most you have ever made? Between 1,300 and L.100 tons.
4897. By lite Chairman : Did you and your brother originally purchase this plantation? "\Ye bought
some land and s<>lectcd some more. There was nothing here \\ liwi we came.
4898. Then the whole of the capital of yourself and brother is invested in this estate ? Yes ; it is.
4899. And you have had to obtain pecuniary assistance as well? Yes.
4900. You are getting no return whatever from the estate for your own capital invested? None.
4901. Nor
THE QENEHAIj CONDITION OF THE SUOATC INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
4901. Nor yet from the borrowed capital ? None. We are getting deeper into the mire as we go along, C. Y
4902. Unless some means are adopted to relieve the present depressed state of the industry there is a f — ^
probability of its total collapse, so far as you are concerned ? I think we must go before very long. *> Feb.
John Youxg examined :
4903. By (he Chairman ; How long have you been connected with the cultivation of the sugar cane ? J - ^
About seven years. f~~^- J
4904. You are oue of the managers and part proprietor of this estate ? Field manager. 6 Feb.
4905. Can you state, from your own experience, what, iu your opinion, ure the causes which have
depressed the sugar industry? Scarcity of cheap and reliable labour and the low price of sugar, aud in
this district, no doubt, the dry seasous.
490G. Can you offer us any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved from its depression ? I
think that soinethiug could be done iu the way of assisting in gettiug labour by establishing depots ou
the islands, having a doctor there and a Government agent, and fast, boats to bring the labourers to the
northern coast. In this district I think the Government might do something for us in the way of
irrigation.
4907. You have already experimented with irrigation ou the plantation ? Yes ; we have had consider-
able experience since 1885.
4908. In what way could the Government assist you in irrigation ? I think they would assist the district,
probably, more than the planters individually. Th» whole of the district is suited for irrigation, aud the
Burdeldn waters could be brought down here by gravitation.
490}). That would be from the falls of the Burdekiu ? Yes, from what we call the " rocks," about ten or
twelve miles from here. Pumped from there the water would fill up all our lagoons, and by a regular
system, such as the Chaffey Bros, have, it could le taken all the way down ou to the good. laud.
4910. Would the selectors on the other side of the Pioneer Plantation be benefited by the irrigation
scheme you have just mentioned ? Certainly.
4911. They would come iu the direct track of the waters ? Yes. .Such a lagoon as at Maryvale and
all the lagoous could be replenished from the Burdekiu Kiver.
49L2. Noue of these lagoous have shown any sigus of failure ? Noue have shown any sigus of failing.
I can give you an account of this oue of our own. AV'e have beeu pumping since last March with only
a break of a fortuight and we have only lowered it 4 feet. We have used two 12-inch pumps, a 5-inch,
and a 7-inch.
4913. Bif Mr. Cowley: But there would be a limit if all other owuers were pumping away at the (same
rate ? Of course there would be a limit, as there would be to the Burdeldn River waters. In the event
of " Airdmillau" starfiug and putting ou two or three 20-inch pumps on the other side the lagooD inighj.
collapse.
4914. By the Chairman : If the Government were to construct the irrigation works you speak of, so as to
tap the Burdekiu waters, is there a sufficient area of land under cultivation to bear a tax sufficient to
cover the interest on the cost of construction? That I would not say; but I i.-hiuk I may say there is sulfi-
cicut good laud to make it pay. Of course if it were known that water could be had for irrigation for a
certainty, the whole of the good land would be put uuder cultivation. The dry seasons prevent people
from putting much of their land under cultivation.
4915. By Mr. King : Havo you any idea of what area of land in the delta of the Burdekiu could be put
under cultivation ? I should say, roughly speaking, about 10,000 acres — that is good land,
4916. By Mr. Cowley : Now that you have had experience of irrigation, do you thiuk you could overcome
the drought if you had sufficient suitable labour? I do. I have every confidence.
4017. Do you thiuk you could grow sugar to pay at the present prices ? Yes, with sufficient cheap
reliable labour and a plentiful supply of water. To prove that to you, I may say that it is «ur intention
uow t« apply for more pumping power to put the whole of the land we have uuder cultivation uuder irri-
gation. That is going lo be doue at once.
4918. A7hal additional area will you cultivate with this additional pumpiug power ? We shall put under
cultivation about 200 acres more. We shall then have 800 acres.
4919. By the Chairman : Have you growu any other tropical productions besides sugar ou the plautation ?
No, nothing.
4920. You have an orchard of mangoes ? Tes ; we lease the orchard.
4921. How many trees have you ? About 100.
4922. They grow very well with you '? Very well indeed without irrigation. The fruit would be very
much Huer if the trees were irrigated.
4923. Can you dispose of the fruit? We do dispose of it, but at a very low price indeed.
4924. What do you get for your crop ? We got £30 last year.
4925. Then you sell the fruit on the trees? Yes; and the buyer has to pick it, pack it in cases, and
remove it. U'e also have oraugfis and limes.
492G, By Mr. Cowley : Does the buyer make anything at that price ? I do not thiuk so.
4927. From what cause? From want of market. All the fruit he takes away he ba3 to send by steamer,
and frequently the steamer is two or three days behiud time and the mangoes rot ou the wharf. If we
could get the railv\ay anywhere near, such an orchard ass that would pay very well iudeed.
492S, By (fie Chairman : It would benefi t the people of Townsville as well as yourselves ? Yes ; the
maugoes simply rot as it is. Tons and tous are wasted every year Last \ear 1 suppose I had eighty or
uinety cases of lemons and I could not sell oue in the district. People would not trf¥er to buy them On
accouut of the bad communication with Townsville.
4929. By Mr. King : Have you not tried any means of preserving fruit? No ; we have never tried that
yet. I believe it has been started at Port •ouglas.
4930. By (he Chairman: If railway commimicatiou were established between Bowen and Townsville a
larger area would be placed under fruit in this district? I sh»uld think so; a very much larger area.
Fvery farmer \\ ith his two hundred or three hundred acres would plant a certain number of fruit trees.
4931. By
144
M1NTTE8 Or EVIDENCE TJ_EXN BEFORE TSE ROYAL C01TM1SSION TO IlfQTJTEE INTO
J. Young, 4931. By Mr. King : Could you tell us how many small selectors there are on the Burdekin delta ?
^~"^- v - ""^ 1 could hardly tell you that.
6 Feb., 1889. 49 32. By the Chairman ; The whole of your capital is invented in this plantation ? Yes.
4933. And at present you are receiving no interest on your outlay ? No ; I look upon it as gone alto-
gether — capital and all.
4934. If times were to improve, would there be a prospect of recovery ? Yes ; 1 think so.
493-5. If some measures were adopted by the country to assist the sugar industry in its present depres-
sion you might possibly recover your former position ? Yes.
4936. Supposing, on the other hand, that the importation of Polynesian labour ceases at the end of 1890,
what then would be your prospects ? Well, I suppose, we should hare to work this place with European
labour. There would be nothing else for it, and I should most certainly resign my position here at once.
I should not think it worth while going on, 1 am so confident that it would be utterly imptssible to work
this place solely with white labour.
(At Airdmillan.)
Archibald Campbell McM"ir,r,A.N examined :
A. C, 4937. Bu (he Chairman: You were manager of the Airdmillrm Estate? Yes; local director and manager
McMillan. f the Airdmillan Estate, but I now have nothing to do with it.
f — -v. — ^ j,{.)38. VVlmt is the total area of the estate ? 15.000 acres,
(i Feb., 1889. 4939. How much of it was under cultivation ? 1,500 acres.
4940. What is the approximate amount of capital invested in the estate ? £200,000 approximately.
4941. Has it ever returned any interest on the capital invested 'I No ; not at amy time.
4942 When the mill was working what were the average working expenses of the estate per annum ?
£14,000.
4913. What labour wasemployed in working the plantation ? A variety of labour. We tried to supplement
the labour by the introduction of Maltese, but we had principally kanaka labour. The Maltese were an
utter failure.
494 1. What number of Europeans were generally employed on the estate ? Prom 70 to 90.
4945. They comprised all classes of labour ? All classes of labour — ploughmen, mechanics, and skilled
artisans. In addition to those there were always 300 or 400 coloured labourers.
4940. In your experience of working the plantation with the various classes of labour which you have
employed, which do you consider the most suitable for the work of the cane field ? South Sea Isiauders,
certainly.
4917. Did you ever employ Europeans in field work ? Yes; we have done so, and they were an utter
failure.
4948. The mill is now closed and the whole of the land thrown out of cultivation ? Yes.
4949. C;in you give us the causes of that ? The causes were that the Euglish shareholders being
satisfied that the legislature of the country was against the industry, would go no further into it. They
threw it up' etitirely,and shut up the estate. That was about the time that the New Guinea inlanders were
removed from us, and that collapsed the English shareholders.
4950. How loii£ has the mill been closed? Sinee the beginning of 18S0.
495 1 . Yon have resided in the district ever since ? Yes.
1952. You are aware that at the present timo the sugar industry is very much depressed ? I am.
4953. Can you tell us what in your opinion are the causes of that depression ? Tn the first instance the
depression was due to the great fall in the price of sugar, while at the same time it was considerably
assisted by the difficulty in procuring labour; but the continued depression is in nay opinion unquestion-
ably due to the expressed intention of the legislature of the colony to abolish kanaka labour.
4954. Can y»u offer any suggestions by which the industry may be relieved from the depression ? Ye",
to provide? a substitute for the light labour which is available for extra spring and harvest work in all com-
munities where agriculture is successful, for which the South Sea Islander is best suited in this district,
and which is performed by women and children all over Europe.
4955. From your experience can you offer any suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture out-
side of sugar growing? Yes, to extend the operations of the Department of the Under Secretary for
Agriculture, aud give access by railroad to centres of popuhttiou as a rapid means of marketing perishable
produce.
4956. You are aware that the importation of Polynesian labour ceases on the 31st December, 1S90. What
do you think will be the probable effect of that upon the sugar industry? It will shut it up so far as
North Queensland is concerned.
4957. Supposing the legislature were to re-consider its decision and were to endeavour to do something
to assist the industry, do you think there would be any probability of Airdmillan re-opening? I think
so.
4H58. Can you state from your own personal knowledge that the cloning of the mill has been a great loss
to the district ? Certainly, a very great loss to ihe district.
4!)59. There was n large amount of capital in vested hero in strain ploughs and otherineclianiealuppliancM?
Yes. Everything ibat could aid the cultivation of cane. VYV mnvlv wanted th, 3 coloured labour tor held
work. My experience is thdi; with one-fourth of white labour ami three-fourths of coloured labour the
industry can be made a great success. This district is admirably suited for cultivation.
4900. By Mr. King : Can you tell us what the cost of the machinery w«ia as it stands in the mill, erected?
About £90,000.
4961. Have you any tramway ? Yea we have a complete system of tramways. Four miles of permanent
line between the mill and the wharf and 2\ miles of portable line to he used in the fields as required.
45)62. How did you work it ? The main line by locomotives and the portable line by horses.
4963. By Mr. Cowley : Were these 15 : 000 acres purchased by the company from small holders or were
they selected ? It was all purchased land.
4964. B tf Mr. King ; At what price ? "Well. I secured the land myself lii st of all, and put it into a
compauy as my share. They took my cattle and horses and cverytluug 1 possessed. I put the whole of
iny earnings for tv\enty-b\ve years iuto the concern.
4965. What
Tm3 OENEEATi COJTDITION OF THE SU»A.E ITTDUSTET IX QUEElfSlAlfD .
496.3. What price did you give to the small holders from whom you purchased ? About £3 an acre on
an average — a price that I do not think could be got now.
49fX5. By tlte Chairman ; How long have you been in the colony ? I have been in the colony since 1862, ^
and in the north of Queensland ail the time.
4967. Then the whole of your earniugs for the whale of that pe riod were invested in this estate ? Yes ;
1 was f«r sixteen years a Government oficer, and the whole or my Ravings were put in.
4968. Practically everything i a now lost ? Everything i s lost. 1 am waiting now for a release before I
can do anyth ing. I could get professional employment if I could only get my release. There is some
complication between Ihe mortgagees and the original shareholders.
4969. By Mr. Cowley: Did you make any effort to lease this land? Yes ; we made every effort to carry
on as -a centra I factory and lease the land in blocks admirably suited for cultivation. Water could be
had by t'he sinking on eavh individual block.
4970. You failed to obtain any response ? Yes; we failed to obtain any response whatever.
4971. By the Chairman : From your long experience of the northern districts, can you give us y«ur
opinion, generally, oi : tlie state of agriculture outside of sugar growing ? Well, I thiuk it is languishing
partly through the diiliculty of getting perishable goods to market. Pruit can be grown well here if it
could only he taken quickly to market ; but the means of communication by steamerdoos not suit. Even
the butter from this district cannot be taken to market in nn eatable condition. That is a great fault up
North. Nearly everything is perishable and cannot be got to market in a lit state. That is really what
is keeping back this district. If it had communication with Charters Towers, Townsville, and
Ravemwood, il would go ahead apart from sugar altogether.
4972. Then until that is remedied you do not think there will be .my permanent settlement? Not by
small settlers. If they produce butter or pigs there is a good market, but they cann»t get thorn away.
The people a re sickened by the failures they encounter. I have been all mver North Queensland and
know numbers of settlers, and I hear the same old story from all of them.
(At the Township of Ayr.)
John Tn.vHr.RyE ^ilhams examined >
4973. By Hie Chairman : You are a duly qualified medical practitioner ? Yes. J.T.
4<>74. You are medical officer of the district ? Surgeon and medical ofiicer. Wtlliai
4973. You visit the various plantations to look after the Polynesians ? I do. / -^ v -
4976. Mow do the Polynesians stand generally so far as health is concerned? Ever since I have been 6Feb.,li
here, and I came here a year ago, the only plantation that has shown signs of bad health is Pioneer, and
I consider that is due to the bad health of the island. The Santa Cruz islanders are the only ones I have
had bother with,
4977. What have tlicy suffered from ? Acute lung disease.
4978. During tlw year that you have been here what has been the mortality ? From Pioneer I have lost
about twenty-three ; Scat'ot'th, six ; and Kalamia, one.
4979. Were they young boys ? Mostly young — between eighteen and twenty-seven years.
4980. You consider {that they are well treated at the plantations? Yes ; well looked after.
49SI. Supplied with as much food as is necessary ? Certainly, from what I have seen.
4982. In the event of any of them being taken ill on the plantations, is hospital accommodation provided
for them ? Yes.
4983. Suitable, in your opinion, for their circumstances ? Yes.
4984. By Mr. King .- Do you ascertain what islands the particular boys come from, so as to be able to
say whether certain islanders are weaker than others ? Yes ; Santa Cruz island is one that we ought
never to have any boys from at all to work on the plantations. I have corresponded with another doctor
on the sub ject, and li.ave made an official report concerning the matter. Tanua boys are the best lot
you can get, and Solomon Islanders are fairly good too.
49i>5. By the Chairman : You are of opinion that there is nothing in the treatment of tho islanders at
Pioneer which has in any way contributed to the mortality? T have never found an} 1 hing vet.
4986. How often do you visit the plantations? Twice a week, except iu urgent cases, and I then go
either night or day.
4987. Do you dispense the mediciue for the islanders yourself? No ; I generally have a wardsraan. I
see that he makes the medicine up properly. It would be hardly possible for me to dispense all the
medicine myself.
49;<8. By Mr, Cowley: Where were the Santa Cruz boys passed? In Townsville. I was here when
they first came up and examined a lot of thorn, and nearly every one I examined had lung disease.
4989. My tfm Chmirmnn : If vou had been medical ollicer at Townsville you would not have passed them ?
Well, I saw them at the Pioneer. 1 could not say whether they had lung disease at Townsville or not,
but directly I examined them 1 found they had got it.
4990. Ho\> long was it after their arrival that you examined them ? They left in January by the
" Kotleriek Dim " 1 pas.sal an examination on them when I was hovelling, and then I found six of them
with lung disease. 1 was not then medical officer.
499 1 . By Mr. King : I l ow long aft er their burling was that ? 1 naw ihem dii'ecl ly after they came here.
IS992. Prom their appearance would you have judged that they had lung disease? I should consider
that they were very weak mid not fit for much work.
4993. You examined tlietn with the stethoscope? Yes; in Santa Cruz Island the lung disease is very
Tapid. There may not be any sign of it to-day, but to-morrow it may show itself, and the boy goes off
in about six days. It is a very rapid consumption, both lungs going together.
4991. By Mr. Couir.y : Might nol the boys have contracted the disease ou the road up from Townsville ?
It might be possible.
499.3. By (lie Chairman -. What is the general condition of the European population here ? Since I have
been here six people h.ave died. I have been called to them, but have not always attended them. They
hnve died before I arrived.
499i;. By Mr. Cowley .- Were any of these death from accident ? None of them through accident-
ia 4997 By
145
C.
.46 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
J- T - 4997. By Mr. King: Were they all adults? No ; three infants, and a girl of eighteen died from burns.
Williams. 499 g By jj£ r% Cowley : That was an accident ? Yes; but I was not called in to that. I happened to be
'^^"■^"""""N in the house at the time. A young man of about twenty-five died from dysentery, and an old man of about
S Feb., 1889. seventy-three died from appoplexy. Mr. Townsend of Tnkeruianrj Station also died in the district.
4999. Did any of the three infants die from causes that you would attribute to the climate? They died
from convulsions through teething.
5000. B y the Chairman : Speaking from your twelve months' experience, would you say that the climate
was comparatively healthy for Europeans? I should say it was certainly healthy.
5001. By J\£r. King .- Is there no fever ? I have had no cases of fever, except one man who came down
from Croydon with it.
WEDNESDAY, G FEBRUARY, 18S9.
EVENING SITTING.
BUHDEKIN (TOWNSVILLE) DISTRICT.
(At the Pioneer Plantation.)
Present :
W. H GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
James MacKkszie examined:
J.MacKenzie. 5002. B y the Chairman: Ho wloug have you been connected with the cultivation of sugar cane? For
^"-^ — the last twenty years.
6 Feb., 1889. 5003. How many years in Queensland ? The whole time in Queensland. I was for three years in the
Government Service during that time, but was connected with sug;ir grooving, and was one vear iu I'iji.
5004. You established the" estate of " Seaforth : ' ? I did.
5005. Is it your property now? I am not the owner of it now. I am the manager of it.
5006. "What is the total area of the estate ? About 2,500 acres.
5007. How much of it is under cultivation ? 800 acres.
5008. With cane ? It has been all cultivated with cane, but there are only 570 acres at present under
caue.
5009. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? 250.
5010. How much sugar was made? 250 tons.
5011. How much molasses ? I cannot yet tell ; there is a, quantity still in the coolers.
5012. What do you do with it ? Throw it away.
5013. Wbat amount of capital has been invested in the estate ? Prom £85,000 to £90,000.
5014. Has it ever returned interest on the outlay ? Never.
5015. What were your working expenses last year ? Over £10,200.
5010. Did the estate pay working expenses? It did not.
5017. Have you ever had any return from your own capital invested in the estate ? No return whatever.
5018. Neither interest or principal? Neither iuterest or principal.
5019. Then, practically, all the capital you invested in the estate is gone ? Gone.
5020. What labour is employed in working the plantation ? 108 kanakas, 6 Malays, 2 Chinamen, and
about .30 white men.
5021. "What is the average rate of wages paid to each class ? I can give the average cost of the kanakas.
Their wages and passage money I add together. A kanaka costs about £20 per anuum, hiking last
year's operations as a guide ; a Malay about £30 ; a Chinaman about £55 ; aud a white man about £75,
on an average.
5022. What description of labour do you consider best adapted for held work on the plantation?
Kanakas, indisputably.
5023 Have you ever employed European labour at field work ? I have tried them at cane-cutting and
they failed ; they could not do it.
5024. Did you ever try them at hoeing or trashing ? Never.
5025. Do you think they are suitable for that kiuil at work ? Utterly unsuitable. They would not do
it ; they deem it beneath tliem.
5026. Has that always been your experience? It has been my experience at Mack ay as well as here.
There are exceptional instances when a man" is really short of money— when he is begging for work and
desirous of getting it— he will try it for a time, but'l have never had a European who would stick to it.
One man tried it for a day and kept up at ca.ne-cutting with the kanakas (the only man I have ever
known who did), and the next day disappeared. One season I had an Italian who stuck to it the whole
season, and that is the only instance I have known. I have never had a European at weeding and trashing.
I refer particularly to cane-cutting.
5027. What agn cultural implements do you use generally? Horse-hoes aud ploughs of various kinds.
502S. Is that labour done by Europeans ? The ploughing partly by Eumpeaus and partly by kanakas,
and the horsc.hoe work «itirely by kanakas.
5029. By Mr. King .- Do you use the steam plough? No ; I do Dot.
5030. B y the Chairman : How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ?
About four.
5031. Do the islanders employed in field work stiff or in health ? They do uot unless I get some from an
unhealthy island. I got stme very unhealthy ones
5032. What
THC OENEEAL CONDITION OF THE SUOAH IXDDSTET I3f QUEENSLAND.
5032. What was the name of the island ? They were from New Guinea and New Ireland. J
5033. Does the outside plantation work affect the health i«f Europeans ? In no way at all. They keep t
in really go«d health, undemanding at the same time that Europeans are only employed at ploughing. 6
503 4. Has your cane ever suffered from the grub or from disease of any kind ? Not to any remarkable
extent.
50.35. Since the dry seasons h.ive set in on the Burdekin you have initiated a system of irrigation ? I
have.
5o:lG. What steam power do you use ? Three engines and three different pumps at different stations. I
do not know the exact horse-power of each.
5037. What water do they throw up on an average per day ? I am sorry to say that only one pump has
had a full supply.
5038. Have you any idea of what it costs per acre to flood the land each time ? The lowest price I have
done it at has been 2s., and at times considerably abovo that owing to the deficiency of water. JKroin 2w.
to 10s. per acre.
503!). Then you are not so advantageously situated for irrigation as some of the other plantations ? I
am not.
5040. So far as your experience has g«ne, has irrigation proved a success ? A thoroughsuccess. I wou^l
have no crop whatever this year had it not been for irrigation.
50U. You believe it would prove amply remunerative to any one undertaking it? Certainly.
504-2. Have you any idea of what the yield of eane was two years ago on your plantation — do you weigh
the caue ? I do ; but I did not two years ago.
50itf. What was it the previous year ? It ran from 12 to 15 tens per acre.
5l*4-i. What was it last year ? I could not say exsctly, because I could not weigh it.
5045. Do you think it was less «r more ? Somewhere about the same.
50.1(5. Does it pay on that average ? It does pay.
5047. What is the cost of the machinery in your mill ? About £22,000 erected.
5048. What U the average cost of the annual overhaul ? I should say £300 to £350.
5C>49. You are aware thatthe importation of South Sea Island labour ceases in December, 1890 — what
will be the effect of that on the plantations? Operations would be discontinued as there would no longer
be a possibility of their being remunerative.
5050. You do not grow any other tropical production bes'ides sugar cane ? I do not.
5051. What number of horses have you on the plantation? About GO.
5052. Where do you get the feed for them? It is purchased in the district or from Townsville.
5053. Do you purchase from the selectors in the district? Yes.
5054. Then the plantation is a source of remuneration and profit to the selectors? Yes; it provides
them with a local market for all they can grow iu fact, because they cannot supply me fully. I have to
buy from Townsville every season.
5054a. What wages are paid to Divisional Board labourers in this district? Either 6s, or 7s. a day.
5055. Are contractors with the Board allowed to employ coloured labour on i;he contracts ? We have had
no contracts.
505G. Is it all day work ? It is.
5057. Are coloured labourers employed at day work ? No coloured labour of any kind is employed.
5058. What is the contribution of your plantation to the Divisional Board ? £6 a year.
5059. That is all the plantation was assessed at ? Yes, last year.
5000. What were your working expenses for 1887 ? A little over £15,G00, and the returns about 1,760
tons of sugar.
50G1. To what cause do you attribute the low crop of last year ? Tb the deficient rainfall.
50G2. What was the rainfall for 18S7? The rain that produced the crop was about seventy-five inches.
5063. How did that compare with 1888? We had twenty-five inches only last year. There was <a
deficicuty of lifly inches. The average annual rainfall for the lasteight years has heeu about fifty inches.
50U4. By Mr. Cowley : You say your annual cost of kanakas is £2fJ — does that include rations and all
charges ? Those figures arc only wages. I could give you the cost of rations. The total wages of the
estate for 1 888 were £5,800 ; the cost of rations for everyone, £2,200.
506."). Had you enough labour to take off the crop of 1887, and cultivate the crop for 1888 ? No, I
could not irrigate, and heme the heavy loss. All my labour was employed iu taking off the crop and
trying to make a return. I began irrigating in December.
50GG. If you had had labour to irrigate aud cultivate, do you think you would have had a much better
crop r 1 A much better crop.
5067. Do you manure your land at all ? I throw out the filter press manure.
5068. Do you purchase cane from small growers ? I have done so.
501!!). Are you still doing so ? There is none to purchase.
5070. What price did you give ? 8u. per ton delivered.
5071. Have you leased any land to farmers? I have not.
5072. A re you prepared to do so it liliey will grow cane ? The proprietors would be prepared if
a sufficient quantity could be grown, but 1 know of no sufficient number of reliable men to do it.
5073. Jt if the Chairman : What, in your opinion, are the causes of the present depressed state of the
sugiir industry ? Fall in tlie price of sugar and rise in the rates of all wages in the district. When I
first started sugar growing in 18N0, I engaged new chums at £30 for twelve months, and some of them
saw the agreement through. Now, if I was to engage a ploughman in Townsville, I should have to give
him £ 15, aud he will not engage for a longer period than three months. At the end of that time he asks
the ruling wages in the district, namely, £1 a week. In that time the wages have risen from £30 a year
to £52, or nearly double, aud the expense of kanakas has risen almost iu exactly the same proportion.
Sugar has decreased in value, and at the same time there b the uncertainty of getting labour and the
popular feeling against it, aixl these together have caused the depression. The value of sugar in 187!)
was £30 a ton against £12 in 1^7 — a fall of more than a half — and kihour has risen more than one-half.
Therefore, the profit is almost entirely swallowed up. Now the previous year, in a good season, I made
a profit ; in an average war it k almost impossible to make a profi t.
5*74. Can.
us
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN IiEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUTEE INTO
J.AIaoKcnzie. 5074. Can you offer the Commission any suggestions by which the present state of affairs can be improved ?
^— N If coloured labour could be obtained at lower rates, and in sufficient quantity, and the importatiou taken
6 Feb., 1889. into the hands of the Government, and if the Government would assist in supplying water for irrigation
works, I believe we would be g eatly benefited. Further, if we could obtain reciprosity with Victoria
and the surronnding colonies, then we would have something to work upon, but at present the struggle with
other countries i?. too keeu. I would prefer that the Government entirely took the importation of
kanakas and natives of New Guinea into their own hands.
507o. Is the present mode of sendingyour sugar to market satisfactory. Asfar as "Seaforth" is concerned.
As I am close to the scacoust 1 have not much to complain of. 1 have heard «f a railway going through
the district, but I do not know that it would be much good to Seaforth " Estate. It would do very
great good to the district. If a railway passed through the district, then much land which is at preaeut
unoccupied would be cultivated. The expeuse of carriage through this country if the soil is at all wet
would be very heavy through land which is some distance from the port, but '• Seaforth " having steamers
coming alongside its own land the expenses are not great in that respect.
507G. After y<mr long labours in the northern district in the attempt to grow sugar you are practically
ruined t Practically and absolutely ruined. All my years of labour and expense have gone for nothing,
5077. Then those who are the nominal owners of the plantation are not receiving any interest on their
outlay? Not a penny of interest — in fact, worse, they have to make good loss from wages paid to
employes this year.
5078. Arc you in a position to say that unless something is done in the direction of giving assistance totlie
industry the present state of affairs will continue? .As adviser of home capitalists I couldno longer advise
thetn to continue such au industry. I have been entrusted with large sums of money from them, and I
could not advise them tocontinuein an industry which is condemned in the way that this is.
5079. Can you offer any suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing?
I may mention that all other tropical productions partake too much of the nature of luxuries, whereas
sugar is a necessity, being used largely all over the world, and beiug a compulsory article of diet. There-
fore, a glut in the market would in all probability occur if any other product was substituted for sugar..
Then, again, any other product to be grown profitably would require the same labour as sugar requires
If labour i* obtainable, sugar is a safer article of produce than anything else.
50S0. Wonld tt pay the selector to grow cane unless he was satisfied that there was a mill within reason-
able distance to take it from him? I referred to any product other than sugar cane, such as coffee
5081. I understand you to say that you would not recommend anyone to go in for anything hut tlie
production of cane for fear of there being a glut in the market? Yes; if for instance potatoes, *r
oats, or pineapples, for preserving were grown, they would be growing in other parts, and I believe there
would be a glut in the market, because those things partake of the character of luxuries, whereas sugar
in a necessity of life.
5082. Is the ditttiiet well suitable for the growth of oranges, limes, and maugoes ? It is. but what with
the devastations of flying foxes and grubs in Queensland, I would not advise anyone to go in for them.
I do not see the use that they could be put to ou such a gigantic scale. T mpan that if the sugar
industry were crushed out of Queensland no other industry could take its place. A few isolated
places would grow oranges, but if the whole of the sugar huds of Queensland were put under some
other crops thau sugar I am sure it would not answer. I admit tbat many other things eould be grown
on a sm^i 1 scale, but the whole of the available lands on the Fiurdekin. Johnstone, azid Herbert could
not be devoted to other productions because there would be a glut and the industrv would come to grief.
5083. By Mr. Coidey : l)o you th nk this climate and soil are as favourable to the growth of sugar cane
as the Fiji climate and soil ? There are some parts of Queensland just as well suited for the growth of
sugar cane as Fiji. The Johnstone River is almost identical with Fiji.
5084. Do you think that the plantations are conducted on a more economical scale titan formerly, and
that there is more sugar extracted f om the juice thau previously ? Xes ; everything is more carefully
looked after.
5085. There are more labour-saving appliances ? Yes ; and less men employed in the factory.
508G. Hare you a tramway ? Yes ; and it is used almost entirely during the season for conveying the
cane to the mill and the sugar to the wharf. One horse docs the whole carting to the wharf.
5087. That all tends t* the economical working of the plantation ? Yes.
5088. How many miles of tram liuc have you ? A bout four and a-half miles, counting perm ent ami
portable tramway, and about 120 trucks. I suggest that the Government take the matter of the intro-
duction of kanakas or natives of New Guinea into their own hands, and not restrict their use, with the
sole proviso that a certain proportiou, afterwards to be determined, of the population of sugar estates
shall be of European extraction— say, one in five or one in six. At present my staff of agricultural
labourers numbers ISO. I use on an average thirty white men, or one to ever? six kanakas. I would
he prepared to advocate that. I think also that there ishoukl be no rules or regulations except that an
inspector should go round and count the heads of the Europeans on the plantations to sec that the pro-
portion is maintained. if the sugar planters employ sixty kanakas ihev will employ at least teu whites:
if we are allowed no kauakas the certainty is that we wili employ no whites.
John Dbysdale examined :
J. Drvsialc. 5080. My ihc Chairman : You are a member of the firm of Drvsdalc Brothers? !No ; I am merely
manager for them at present. I am not a member of the firm.
6Fek.,i889. 3O0U. Vou are manager of the Pioneer plantation ? Yes; with my brother.
5091 Owned by whom ? It is owned principally by the Drysdaie Jirothers. Four of uiy brothers are
in it and one or two others. It is a sort of private company.
5U£)^. How long have you been engaged in the cultivation of sugar cane? Two years.
509:j. What is the total area of the estate? 5,800 acres.
5094. How many acres have you under cultivation by cane ? 1,270 acres.
5095. Wha t quantity of cane was crushed last season ? 800 acres.
509o. How much sugar did you make ? 050 tons.
5097. How much molasses ? I do not know. We do uot measure it.
5098. What
THE GKN"ERAt CONDITION - 07 THE 3CGA.B IXDUaTKY TJ>' QUEENSLAND.
5008. "What do you do with the molasses ? Run it away down a drain. J-
5099. "What was your yield of sugar in 1887? ^Ye made 2,.j50 tons. f ^
51i0. How do you account for the difference between the venrs 1887 and 1888? The year 18S7 was a G Feb.,
very good season for growing cane. There was plenty «f rain all through the year. The cane grew
through the winter ; but last year there was very little rain.
51*1. You put the deficiency down to the drought? Yes; entirely.
5102. Can you tell us what amount of capital is invested iu the estate ? The capital account stands at
£9G,000. There is a profit; and loss account with £12,000 to the bad, and there is also loss of interest
on £50,000 for six years.
5103. Practically the estate does not return interest on the outlay ? No ; we have made no interest, and
have lost £ 12,000.
5104. What werf the working expenses for 1888 ? £1G,T45.
510-5. What labour do you employ in working the plantation ? The average for the year is 4.0 Europeans,
8 Chinese, 7 Cingalese, and 214 kanakas.
5106. What average rate of wages do you pay these different classes ? The kanakas average £G 17s. 4d.,
Chinese, £4(5 lGs., and Cingalese, £39 per annum. The Europeans range from 20s. to 30s. per week.
The field manager gebs about £30 a month, and the engineers about 7s. a day with rations and quarters.
5107. By Mr. Cmvhji : Do an yof them get doubje rations ? Yea ; the married men get double rations.
51*8. By the Chairman : Speaking fr»m your own experience, what do yon consider the most suitable
labour for held work, such as hoeing aid trashing ? Kanaka labour is undoubtedly the best.
5109. Have yon ever employed Europeans at that work ? No; 1 have not tried them.
51 10. Is there any reason why you have not offered Europeans that work on this plantation ? We have
generally liatl sufficient kanakas to do it. On one occasion we had not 3uflieient and we had to employ a
large number of whites, but they were entirely employed in carting caue. We never attempted to put
them at trashing or hoeing. We hud as many as sixty white men in 1S">7.
5111. Is it work that you would be inclined to offer to Europeans? Wc could not afford to pay the
wages.
5112. At the present price of sugar? Yes.
5113. If sugar were to increase in value would there be any probability of your doiug so ? It would have
to increase very much.
5111. In consequence of the drought you have initiated a system of irrigation on the plantation? Yes.
5115. Will you kindly state the system that you have initiated ? The plantation is intersected by
lagoons, and from these lagoons we pump the water, by means of a centrifugal pump, up to the banks,
run it in carriers, and distribute it about the different blocks of cane.
5UG. By Mr. Ring .- How much land do you irrigate ? We have about 1,000 acres that we can irrigate-
5117. J Low much water do your pumps raise per day? Our main pumping station raises 4,01)0,000
gallons per day of twenty-four hours.
5118. How many acres is that sufficient to irrigate ? That will irrigate from sixteen to twenty acres.
5119. To what height have you to lift, the water? Twenty-five feet.
5120. What do you reckon the cost »f flooding per acre ? Each Hooding costs 5s. per acre; that is, not
including interest on capital or wear and tear of machinery.
5121. J low many engines have you got? We have one portable engine which works a 15-inch centrifugal
pump, and there arc two pumping stations where we use ploughing eugines.
5122. By Mr. Cowley : Sixteen-horse power? Yes.
5123. By Mr. Kiny : What pumps do you use ? One is a 12-inch centrifugal pump, and the other two
7-tnch pumps working together.
5124 Do you think that it pays to irrigate? Yes, certainly.
512.5. By the Chairman : AVas the crop of last year partially or wholly raised by irrigation? Partially
only. If we had had more labour we could have done more irrigation and had a bigger crop, but we
were short of labour, and having a very large crop of cane to get off the ground the year before we could
not attend to the irrigating as we ought to have done.
5126. AVill there be a larger area under irrigation, this year than last year ? Yes ; we have extended onr
operations.
5127. You are erecting a large flume with a view of further extension? Yes; that will bring 150 acres
more into the irrigation system.
5128. Have yon any idea of what you have expended up to the present time on your irrigation works?
No, I have made no calculation.
5129. Your irrigation gives employment to an increased number of hanils ? Certainly.
5130. Your experience at present is that it will pay the planter to irrigate his land if he has a sufficient
supply of water? During the last two years our tery existence bus depended upon it. If it had not
been for irrigation we would not have had any crop at all.
5131. Up to the present time there is every nppearanee that the irrigation will give you a crop for
crushing this year ? Wti expect to have a ray fair crop indeed.
5132. By Mr. Cowley .- Have you made any estimate of what the crop will be ? "\Ve think it will turn
out 1,5M tons.
5133. Solely owing to irrigation ? Entirely.
513it. By Mr. Kiny : What is the value of your machinery in the mill ? 1 cannot say. I hav e only been
two years here.
51.25. Can you not estimate the value of it? I should say about £30,000.
513H. You have a steam plough here ? Yes.
5137. How many horses do you work on the plantation ? One hundred.
5138. Where do you got the feed for them ? Av e buy the maize from the selectors when they have got
any. If they have not got any we buy it from Townsville.
5139. Do you buy anything besides maXze from the selectors? Sweet potatoes occasionally for the
Polynesians.
5140. Do you take any large quantity of them ? No; we cannot get them.
5141. Has your land shown any signs of exhaustion? No sign yet.
5142. Do you manure it? No; except with refuse from the mill and the stables.
5143. Has
150
MINUTES of evidence taken before the roy al commission to inquire into
^' ^j^^ 5143. Has your crop ever suffered from vermin or disease ? Hats have doue a considerable amount of
t> Fell., may. 514,4. gy ]^f r _ Coicley : What price do you pay the farmers for maize and sweet potatoes? From 4s. Gd.
to 5s. for maize, and ,£4 a ton for sweet potatoes.
5145. Jo you buy any cane from farmers ? We bought some last year from Dr. Aherne. He is the only
farmer who grew any.
5146. Is he still supplying you ? No.
5147. What price did you pay him per ton ? 9s. a ton delivered at the mill.
5148. Are you prepared to buy any amount at that price ? Yes.
5149. Have you offered settlers that price or tried to induce them to grow for you ? No, we have not.
Several of tbein used to grow cane in the neighbourhood, but they have all given it up since the dry
weather.
5150. By tJie CJiairman : You are aware that the importation of kanakas into the colony ceases on the
31st December, 1890 ? Yes. I am aware of that.
5151. What do you think will be the probable effect, so far as your plau tation is concerned, if that statute
is enforced ? I think it will be impossible to carry it on. It will be impossible to go on cultivating the
sugar cane,
5152. You give that as your deliberate opinion ? Yes, certainly; I do not see how it couid possibly be
carried on without kanakas or labour similar to kauakas.
5153. D* you generally have an overhaul of the machinery at the mill before you commence your now
crushing? Yes, every year.
5154. What does that cost you ? About £400.
5155. The whole of that is done by European labour? Nearly all.
5156. By skilled artisans and Europeans ? Yes.
5157. Can you state what in your opinion are the causes which have led to the present depression in the
sugar industry 1 Fall in the price of sugar is one cause, of course. Then the claie of ka nakas is not so
good as it ought to be, nor can we get suflcient of them ; the supply is too uucertain. The way in which
they are recruited does not seem to be satisfactory. A great many boys are of very poor physique and under
age ; the consequence is that a great many of them die. Out of one lot of seventy-eight boys that we got
last year, twenty-three were dead within ten months after they came. That, of course, is a very heavy
loss to us. We lost their labour and we lost what we had to pay for tb»in in the begining. Tht-re is also
a very heavy duty on rice, which falls heavily on the planters. There are too great facilities for
kanakas getting intoxicating liqour by which we lose a great deal of their labour. Nearly every week we
lose the work of ten or twelve men ; tha.t is every Monday there are ten or twelve men off work though
the effects of having been drunk on Sunday. We find it impossible to stop that, and consequently lose a lot
of labour which we ought to get out of them.
515.?. Can you offer any suggestions from your practical knowledge as manager of tbe plantation by
which the sugar industry can" be improved ? If a better price could be obtained for the sugar, and if we
could get a better supply of labour more regularly, with boys of better physique, it would be improved.
I do n»t know of anything else.
5159. How do you convey your sugar to market at present ? We send it to the creek by bullock
waggons and by steamer to Townsville.
5160. Are the arrangements satisfactory to you ? No ; the steamers are too uncertain. The arrivals
and departures are entirely dependent upon the tides, and the tides are uncertain. It is not at all sa tis-
factory. We only have communication once a fortnight.
51(51. Would railway communication have any effect in improving the industry in this district?
Certainly it would.
5162. Yon said you purchased your chief supply of fodder for the horses from the local farmers ?
Whenever they have it for sale we always buy it.
5163. Do you know that the knowledge that the plantations will require such fodder is an incentive to
the farmers to grow it ? I do not think they would grow much unless they were sure of selling it to the
plantations.
5164. The stoppage of the plantations would be a greatdoss to the farmers ? Yes ; it would ruin most
of them.
5105. Have you grown any other article of tropical agriculture besides sugar ? Nothing but sweet
potatoes, and we grow them for our own use.
5166. What sort o:f ! health do the islanders enjoy on the plantations ? Upon the whole very good ; with
the exception of the ship loai we got last year, who were a very weak lot.
5167. Bo y«u think they brought the diseases they suffered from from the islands, or were thrv
contracted here ? I think that some of them brought the diseases with them ; but most of them were
contracted here. They were boya of such poor physique that they could not stand anything.
5168. Were they of the prescribed age ? I believe aoine were considerably under the age; but you
cannot tell.
5169. When you get boys of tender age do you put them to work with the rtbust boys or do they work
in a gang by themselves ? We put all the weak boys together and let them work with the womeu.
6170. What sort of health do the Europeans enjoy? Generally very good. They suffer a little from
dysentery.
5171. By Mr. Cowley : Did your medical attendant look after the weak boys you speak .of ? Yes ; and
every care was taken of theira. We have a hospital on the plantation.
5171a. What was the total cost of those islanders to you ? We must have lost about £700.
5172. You think that could luive been avoided if there had been proper supervision at the islands ? Yes ;
certainly. They had no busiuess to briug such boya away from the islands. They were not fit for
anything.
Lewis Hoet examined :
L. Hoej. 5173. By the Chairman .- You are field overseer a.t the Pioneer plantation? I am field manager.
f — ^ 5174. How long have you been engaged in the cultivation of sngar cane? Nearly seventeen years.
6 Feb., 1889 5175. Have you had experience in any other country but Queensland ? No ; ali 'my experience has been
gained north of Eockhampton. What
THE GENEBAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
Ul
517G. What is your experience with regard to the cultivation of sugar cane — do you think it can be L. Hoer.
grown by European labour ? IV o ; it certainly cannot. / — — v^—
5177. Have you ever been in charge of a gang of European labourers doing field work? I was for about 6 Feb., 1889.
three months on the old Pioneer plantation at Mackay.
5178. And what was the i«sult ? The result was that in about six weeks they cleared out and left one-
third of the crop uncrushed.
5179. B y Mr. King : "What was the nature of the work they were doing? Cutting cane.
5180. Have you ever employed Europeans at trashing and hoeing? No.
5181. Have you ever seen them at work at it? Tea ; I have seen settlers hoeing cane.
5182. Bat I am speaking now more particularly of labourers on wages ? I never saw any of them doing
that work.
5183. Have you seen any Javanese working in the field ? No ; we bad a few Cingalese here.
5184. By the Chairman : What in your opinion is the moat suitable labour for field work ? Kanaka
labour.
5185. You give that as your deliberate opinion, after seventeen years' experience ? I do.
518(1. By Mr. King : Do you think that white men can be got to do weeding and trashing? I do not
think so ; not in the summer time.
5187. Do you think if they would do it that sugar could be grown profitably with white labour only ?
No; it most certainly could not.
5158. By the Chairman; Is the health of the Polynesians fairly good? Yes, very good; with the
exception of a shipload of boys we got sis or eight months ago.
5159. Do you think that those boys were of the prescribed age ? I believe some wore under age.
519U. By Mr. Cowley-. Have you ever done any farming on your own account? Yes; I was brought
up as a iarmer.
5191. Do you think you could grow cane to pay with white labou r ? I am sure I could not. I would
never think of tiying it.
5192. Do you find it profitable to trash cane ? Yes ; we nearly always trash it. Sometimes when we
have not the labour we burn it.
5192a. You prefer trashing? I do.
5193. It pays to do it ? Yes ; particularly with a good crop of cane-
5194 You look upon that ;is one of the necessities of sugar caue growing ? I do.
5195. By the Chairman : Your sympathies, I suppose, are with your own fellow countrymen ? Yea; as
a rule.
5190'. If you thought the employment in the cane field suitable for them, you would not give the
preference to kanakas r Not if we could gel white men at a reasonable price ; but the price of European
labour is to» high for sugar growing.
5197. Supposing, for argument's sake, that sugar was at a high price, and you could afford to give
Europeans the higher rate for their labour, do you think then that Europeans would do tho work for
you ? I do not think so,
5198. Tour experience would lead you t« think they would not ? No; they would not.
FRIMAY, 8 FEBRUARY, 1889.
TOWNSVILLE.
(At the Town Hall.)
Present :
W. II. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
The Commissioners received a deputation from the Townsville Pastoral and Agricultural Association, Deputation,
consisting of Messrs. E. J. BanSeld, J. W. Cran, and E. E. Cowley. ^— ^v^— ^
In answer to tho request of the Chairman that the deputation should state their object in waiting 8 Feb., 1889.
on tlie Commission,
Mr. Fdward J taws Banfield said he thought the object of the deputation was to demonstrate, if
possible, the diand vantages under which agriculturists laboured in the district from the want of water in
the first instance, and other things.
The Chairman : We understand that the whole of the agriculture of the district is in the hands
of Chinamen.
Mr. Banfield said there were several gardens in the locality where tropical agriculture and fruit
culture could be carried on quite independent of Chinamen. It was not a fact that the whole of the
agricultural industry was in the hands of Chinamen. They cultivated a good many vegetables certainly,
and a fair proportion of fruit; but there were dozens of gardens carried on by white men. He might
instance the gardens of Messrs. Bartells, Gulliver, and b'. Johnstone. That showed there were plenty of
gardens about Townsville where it had been proved that agriculture could be carried on independent of
Chinamen.
Mr. Cran said there had been very little grown iu the district except by Chinese.
M>\ Banfield said the deputation were anxious that Mr. Guliiver should give evidence in detail.
Mr. Cran said that was most important, because Mr. Gulliver had tried to grow vegetables in two
different places and had given them up. It would »e very important to know why he had given them up.
Mr. Ban frld said there was one thing the deputation were anxious to impress on the Commission,
that was that, although State nurseries had been established at Cairns and Mackay, they were veiy little
use
152
MINUTES Or JETIDESCE TAKEN 1EFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
Deputation, use to the Townsville people. Were a nursery established in the Townsville district it would be taken as
^_a_^— N a guide to show not only what could be grown in the Townsville district, but in the country extending out
8 Feb., 1889. west to Hughenden. Iu Cairns and Mackay the conditions were similar, but they were not anything Lik
what thev were in the Townsville district.
Mr. Cmcley : Don't you think that private enterprise, like Mr. Gulliver's, would do as much to
demonstrate what can be grown here as a State nursery would ?
Mr. BanfieU said no ; because Mr. Gulliver had only lately begun irrigation. He had snnk a well
18 feet deep, and directly the water was applied to his orange trees they burst into leaf, and had borne
second crop. Mr. Kartells had had a similar experience. Only two or- three years ago it was asserted
that it was quite impossible to grow grapes, but Mr. Gulliver would give evidence to show that lit; cultivated
over 200 varieties. Then Mr. Kartells reckoned that, if water had been available, he would have made
proit of £250 from grapes alone. He would have been glad to pay 4s. a thousand gallons for water.
He reckoned that paying is, a thousand gallons for water, aud using all he required, he would have made
a profit of £2-50 on grapes alone. That was enough to show that the cultivation of fruit could be. earned
on successfully in the district. He thought that if the Commissioners had time to visit the Acacia. Vale
Gardens, they would find there tropical fruits that could not be found anywhere else in the colony — fruits
of all kinds, both of a temperate and tropical character. The deputation would like to impress upon the
Commission the advisability of establishing a State nursery. It was said that there was au area of land
available, within close proximity to town, where a garden might be established at very little expense, and
there was also reason to believe that the townspeople would assist it in a very valuable manner. He did
not know that there was anything more to say, but he should very much like Mr. Gulliver to give evidence
and go into practical details.
The Chairman .- When you hold your annual show, where do the agricultural and horticultural
exhibits come from?
Mr. Mtmfidd : "Within a radius of two or three miles of the town.
17ie Chairman From what I have read, and what I saw here four years ago, there certainly must
be something grown kere of a valuable character, because I have seen splendid exhibits at the show.
Mr. Bmjield said the exhibits at the show could hardly be taken as a criterion of what could be
grown in the district, because the shows were always held at a most unfortunate time. They were held at
a time when pastoral exhibits were in good condition, but there had never been a time when the agri-
cultural produce tf the district could be exhibited t» advantage. In order that that might be done an
attempt had been made to establish a liorti cultural sh»w, but without success. He thought that every-
body could see from the character of the trees in Mr. Gulliver's garden, and in the gardens in the vicinity,
that the agricultural industry was worth encouraging.
The deputation then withdrew.
William Villiebs Beown examined :
W. V. Brown. 5199. By the Ohmirmmn .- Tou are a member of the firm of Aplin, Brown, and Co., carrying on business in
f^^-* — """>v Townsville and Brisbane ? Tes.
8 Feb., 1889. 5200. Tou have had cousiderable dealings in sugar ? Tes ; as merchants and as agents for sugar estates.
5201. What, in your opinion, are the causes of the present depression in the sugar industry ? There are
several causes in combination. The first and most powerful cause is the very low price of sugar. The
second cause, which is a temporary one, is the bad seasons we have had for the last two or three years;
and the third cause is theuncertainty of labour. As regards the price of sugar. I may state that ten years
ago white sugar was briiging £.30 a ton. The same sugar is sold now, every year, at a price that reaches
£18, and sometimes only £17 a ton. It is of course useless for me to go into the causes of the low price
of sugar. That is a very wide question. I simply record the fact that the low price of sugar is one of the
principal causes of the present depressed state of the industry. As regards labour, there is no doubt that
it has cost considerably more during the last few years than it did ten years ago, but I think that has
been compensated for to a great extent by the improved appliances and the better management of sugar
estates. I have ascertained that under ordinary circumstances the cost of producing a ton of sugar is not
greater now — i» fact, on well regulated estates the cost is less now — thau it was ten years ago. That is
proved conclusively by the evidence of planters themselves in the Mackay district ; so that the
extra cost of labour in the past is not solely the cause of the depression. But the extra cost
of labour — speaking now chiefly of kanaka labour which has been found the most suitable labour
for the plantations — is a very heavy tax upon planters who have been embarrassed by various
causes, as it entails very large cash outlay. In that respect the planters have been to some extent
handicapped. Of course the seasons during the last few years have been dreadfully unfavourable
to sugar planters, and particularly last season ; so much so that at Mackay there was a very great falling
off in the crop. Tint, «f course, is an accident of a temporary nature; but I thiuk, to induce planters to
proceed with the industry iu anything like a hearty manner, it will be necessary for the Government to
extend the working of the Polynesian Act for some years, in order to permit of kanaka labour being
continued for a further term. I 1 hinfe also that the Government should, as far as they possibly can, reduce
the cost of importing these kanakas. I have been told — I cannot state it for a fact — but I have been told,
that the charges imposed on th e planters more than cover the whole cost of the machinery for working
the Polynesian Act. The price of sugar is unquestionably one of the great difficulties, and it
seems to me there is only one way of getting over that, aud it is surrounded with difficulty — that
is a reciprocity treaty with one of the other colonies. 1 have thought out a plan of improving
the price locally, but I am afraid it would be impossible to carry it out, because a very small
proportion of our sugar is eonsumed in the colony. The largest proportion, at least two-thirds to
three-fourths of our sugar is sold in the Southern markets, but there can be no doubt that, from want of
arrangement and combination on the part of the producers, the price of sugar is forced down to a very
unprofitable scale during the early part of the season. Sugar that is now worth £25 a ton is frequently
sold in Mtickay, Brisbaue, and Townsville in the mouths of September and October at £1S a ton. That
is simply the result of injudicious competition. Every planter sends hiR sugar to a merchant who becomes
his sugar agent. These sugar agents, particularly iu Brisbane, keenly compete foi' business, and the
result is that the price of sugar is forced down to an unprofitable point, to the injury of the producer, I
say
THE GENES Al CONDITION OF THTE SUGAR En>USTHY IK QUEENSLAND.
153
say I see no rcinedy for this, but still the fact is worth repeating. The present outlook is not very W. Y. Brown.
hopeful for the future of the planters, and unfortunately inany of the estates are heavily encumbered, and
I am afraid that .1 large proportion of the present proprietors \till have to submit to the inevitable sacri- 8 Feb., 1889.
fice and allow their estates to go into the hands of new people, who will lv\ve a very much reduced
amount on which to get a return. That is to say, that a plantation costing £80,000 may be sold for
£20,000, and although the former owner may not have been able to obtain interest on £S0,000, the new
proprietor may be able to make a very handsome return on an outlay of £20.000. That, of course, is
the history of a great many of our pioneering manufacturing industries, such as our meat-preserving
works.
.3202. From your husiness knowledge can you offer the Commision any suggestions by which the industry
can be improved ? I have suggested two points : oue is the extension of the Polynesian Act for a further
term, and the other is u reciprocity treaty. I do not see any way of improving the position of the
indiv idnal planter.
5203. .Supposing that the importation of "kanakas ceases on the ;?lst December, 1890, as now provided by
statute, whai; do you think would be the effect of that even upon the plantations that you think may pass
into other bandar 1 I am very much af mid that a large proportion of the plantations will cease to work.
Of course they may find some other kind of cheap labour. They may be allowed to import other kinds
of labour, but if the kanaka labour is to cease and the planters have to rely upon European labour
entirely, I a-in afraid a large proportion of the plantations will have to close.
5201. By Jfr. Kiny .- You have a large shipping business, have you not ? I cannot say that it is a large
business, but locally it is large.
5205. Are you agents for any of the steam companies trading to this port ? Not for coasting steamers,
but we arc agents for foreign lines.
.5200. Are you owners of other steamers? Yes; we own several sm-.ill steamers running on the coast.
5207. Are you able from youv business knowledge to state what is the amount of sugar that passes
through the port of Townsville in a year ? The estimate, of course, depends upon the crop. The sugar
grown in this district, and which should eome t# this port, does not of necessity come to Townsville.
Some may be transhipped on the Herbert River, but there ought to be about 13,000 tons pass through
Townsville in a favourable season.
5208. "What quantity of stores and supplies are imported for the use of the plantations— can you form an
estimate of that? 1 eould not give au estimate without some calculation. It could be got at roughly by
taking the area of each plantation.
5209. Can you state it approximately ? Roughly, it would amount to several thousands of pounds a year.
5210. Supposing that the sugar industry wereto disappear, would it seriously affect the shipping interests
of the N orth ? Yes ; it would do away with a good deal of employment now afforded to small steamers
and small vessels, and it would throw a great many people out of employment — seamen and labourers.
5211. Would it seriously diminish the earnings of the large coasting vessels ? Very seriously, because
they carry the whole of the produce of Queensland.
5212. What result would that be likely to produce on the shipping interest ? The immediate effect
would be to reduce the number of steamers. That is all.
5213. By the Chairman : And profits of the companies ? Yes.
521-1. By Mr. Cowley : And raise the freights ? Yes.
5215. B y Mr. King : Would it be likely to affect the class of steamers employed ? I think not, because
with the decline of the sugar indus try other industries w ouid be expanding.
5216. What is the freight on sugar from Townsville to the Southern ports ? It varies a little. The
lowest rates have been : From Townsville to Brisbane, 10s. ; Townsville to Sydney, 15a. ; and Townsville
to Melbourne, 25s. Th<jy rise sometimes 5s. above that rate.
5217. Has your firm owned any vessels employed in the South Sea Island trade? No ; they have not, I
am happy to say.
521S. Can you say what is the cause of the great increase in the price paid for recruiting kanakas of late
years ? I d» not feel in a position to explain that.
5219. You are a director of one of the Queensland banks ? I was a director of the Royal Bank.
5220. Can you state what is the rate of interest charged on advances to sugar planters? It varies very
much, but the rate is about the same as would be charged to people in any other industry. It varies
from 7 per cent, to 9 per cent. It depends entirely upon the position of the people, and their capacity
to make favourable arrangements for themselves. There is no extra rate charged to a man because he is
engaged in the sugar industry. I have known several cases iu which 7 per cent, was charged oh large
amounts.
5221. To what ports do the small steamers of your firm trad*? We run into ail the ports between Port
Douglas and Bowen. From the Burdekin River to Port Douglas is our range.
5222. What are the rates of freight from those ports to Townsville? They vary; on sugar the rate is
about 10a. a ton, but on other produce, such as mr.ize and sweet potatoes, the rate is about los. a ton.
5223. What is the rate on fruit? It is charged at per case. It is a very low rate. I should think it
would be about Is. per case.
5224. Bunanas you carry by the bunch ? Yes, usually Is. a bunch.
5225. Are your steamers fitted for carrying fruit ? Not specially.
52'20. Is the fruit very often damaged in transit ? Very often; not so much from the bad handling on
the steamers, as fromthe delays that arise.
5227. Hy Mr. Cowley : You said that unless there is an exteusion of the Pacific Island Labourers
Act, in your opinion the bulk of the plantations will close ? 1 expressed that as an opinion.
522S As an a gent for these plantations and a member of a firm that probably may be called upon to
make advances to them, f«r how long do y»u think it would be necessary to have the Act extended to
give conndeuce to capitalists ? I should think for five years at least to give confidence to capitalists and
to give planters an opportunity of retrieving their losses.
5229. What arc your total charges, as agents, ou the gross proceeds of a ton of sugar, including all the
Townsville charges ? The charge in Townsville for selling sugar is 7 per cent., which covers everything.
5230. Does it cover insurance, cartage, and wharfage? Yes, everything but interest, which is not a charge
on the suga.r. I believe in Brisbane it is 0?- per cent. 5231. Have
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE EOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
• El wn. 5231. Have yon ever had any eoinplaints from planters about the way in which sugar has been carried in
- A — ^\ the s-teainers ? I caunot say that 1 have had any special complaints.
JVb., 18S9. 5232. You cannot say from your own knowledge that sailing vessels hav£ been substituted for steamers
on account of the damagedone through handling and transhipping sugar? No, but I should think not to
any extent. Besides giving confidence to capitalists the extension of the Act would give time for some
other state of things to be brought about ; something to be instituted that might lessen the evil of the
abandonment of coloured labour. In fi ve years a reciprocal treaty might be arranged.
5233. You are thoroughly convinced that some relief is absolutely necessary ? Yes, and almost
immediately. I suggest the exteosion of the Polynesian Act because I do not see any probability oE
any other arrangement being brought about immediately or soon enough to give relief.
52:34. By the Chairman s Can you say anything with regard to other tropical agriculture besides
sugar? Yes, the culture of fruit, particularly in our sugar districts, has made great progress and
I think it might be extended immensely if the conditions were more favourable ; that is t* say,
we know the soil and climate but oilier things are wanting.
5233. What tropical fruits can be produced in the district ? I could give a detailed list of plants and
fruit but besides we grow maize and sweet potatoes. In fact the Chinese succeed in growing English
potatoes. We believe that we can grow large quantities of lucerne and oateu hay and forage of all sorts.
Although these things have not been produced in large quantities, we believe that they can be produced
under favourable conditions ; that is, if we had better means of transit.
5230. Where do you think they can be grown ? Chiefly in the Herbert River and Burdekin districts.
5237. Admitting that efforts were made in the direction yon have indicated, where would be the market
for these articles ? There is a very large market at Townsville, Charters Towers, Bavenswood and
Hughenden. There is an i mine use market at Charters rowers, as the Commission will readily understand
t\ hen they think of the large at nount of quartz carried every day and the large number of h»rses e«i ployed.
523S. Are the present means of transit from the Burdekin and Herbert Rivers at all calculated to facilv
tate agricultu re ? ~So; the .very reverse. The cost of transporting produce down these small rivers to
meet the little coasting stea,mers is altogether tuo <>re;it, and the steam communication, with one exception,
and that is on the Herbert ltiver, is not reliable. Por instance, it is almost impossible to bring perishable
produce from the Burdekin to Townsville.
523E). Then the same would apply with even stronger force to the Herbert ? The sace would apply
lieeause, although they have regular steam communication from Dungeness, the difficulties of the river
make transit iiTegular.
5240. Wha t do you suggest as a remedy ? There is no remedy but a railway system. There is no
market for our producers until we have the railway completed from Ayr to Townsville on the one side
and from 1 ngham to Townsville ou the other sUe.
5241. Do you thiuk that if railway communication were established in those two directions general
agriculture as well as tropical agriculture would be facilitated and increased? I think so. I think it
would stimulate it very greatly, because tiie people are there and the land is there.
5242. An the owners of steamers trading to ports north of Townsville have you carried many bananas by
your boats ? Yes, we carry a good many from northern ports t« Townsville.
5243. Have you ever had complaints made to you of the treatmeut of fruit on board the steamers ? I
cannot say I have heard complaints in the case of our owu steamers,but I have seen letters complaining of
the treatment generally that fruit growers receive.
5244. Wonld that apply to the treatment between the Northern ports and Townsville ? I think it applies
chieily to the larger ports further s«uth.
5215. Do you think that irrigation w»uld have any off ect in improving the position of growers in the
district? i think it would assist materially, particularly in the Burdekin district, where they have great
facilities for irrigation ; but I think the great difficulty is the troul»le of getting the produce from the
places where it is grown to the centres of population. It is generally believed in Townsville that during
the last drought, when we were importing even dairy produce from the Southern colonies, that we could
have supplied ourselves entirely from the Herbert River, if we had railway communication, with fruit,
vegetables, fresh butter, and dairy produce. 1 have heard that opinion expressed repeatedly.
521(3. By Mr. King : Do you not think it would pay to have your steamers fitted f«r the conveyance of
fruit in the same way as the steamers that trade between New York and the West Indies ? I tlnnk the
larger steamers might he so fitted, but the local trade is not sufficient to justify that. The interchange
of fruit between the ports is not very great.
5217. Do your steamers not bringdown fruit front the Johnstone and Herbert, which has to be transhipped
into the larger vessels ? Occasionally ; not «fteu. We bring fruit to this port, but asthere is no handling
there ia very little damaged.
5241 We have not travelled in your steamers, but in the steamers we have travelled in we saw the
bananas piled up six or seven feet high; that must of course crush those underneath ; are they carried in
the same way in your steamers Y I should think not . We would have no need to pile them up in that
way. I should think if that fruit was transhipped to the South it would be very much injured by being
carried in that way.
5219. Do you not think it ivould be worth while to try the experiment of fitting the steamers with trays
or shelves ? 1 think the large companies that carry fruit to the Southern ports should certainly try it.
5250- Do you know what your freight from fruit comes to ? I could hardly tell you. It is not very
important, because the fruit we carry usually comes to this port only, and the interchange of fruit between
the different northern communities is small.
525i. Do you ever have complaints of cases of fruit being broken open? I dare say we have had
complaints. It is a very common thing.
52.52. Is it the practice on board the steamers, — is it looked upon as a regular thing that a certain
proportion of the cargo is broached? I think it is done occasionally, but I do not believe it is the practice.
5253. What sort of bills of hiding do you give for fruit and other produce ; have you introduced the
condition by which you are responsible for nothing at all, under any circumstances ? Ship owners try to
limit their responsibilities as much as possible. Speaking from memory, I believe the bill of lading says
that the fruit is carried at the shipper's risk, and that we are not liable for fruit perishing.
5254. Would
THE GE7TEBAL CONDITION OF TH"E STTGAB IITDUSTET IK QT/EENSIAKD.
155
5254. AYould you be liable for theft ? I should think we would be liable. w - T - Brown.
5255. Have you ever been called upon to pay for fruit broached ? I could not say. I frequently have /■ — -
made allowances to importers of perishable produce who have made losses through the detention of the 8 Feb., 1889.
steamers.
5256. Do your steamers run regularly ? Tes.
5257. They hare their regular days for leaving and arriving ? As far as tides will permit. In the
Plantation Creek trade we can only run when the tides will permit, but our Northern steamers run to a
time table.
5258. It sometimes happens that the steamer is expected to leave Plantation Creek on a eertain day,
and does not leuve for a week afterwards ? That has happened more than once.
52.j9. Of eourse produce waiting on the wharf would be destroyed in that time ? Utterly destroyed.
I have known cases \\ here the produce has been destroyed through the detention of the steamer.
52G0. Would it not pay 10 run regularly to foster and create the trade ? It would be impossible owing
to the peculiar nature of the port. It is a bad bar harbour. In bad weather you cannot get in at all,
and when the weathei' is favourable you must have high titles. It is impossible to run to a time table to
Plantation Creek.
526L. So f'ar as the Burdckin is concerned, you think nothing but a railway will suit that district ? No.
5262. It would be impossible to make better arrangements to ship ? Quite impossible to provide for the
transit of perishable produce by shipping.
52(33. By Mr. Cowlry You are agents for other produce growers? Yes; we undertake the sale of
mai7.e.
52Gt. Are your charges the same for maize as for sugar? I think they are slightly lower for maize.
5205. Do you ever receive consignments of fruit for sale ? Frequently.
52G6. Can you tell us whether those consignments have ever resulted in total loss to the shipper ? Yes ;
I had a case the other diiy. A consignment was sent to the auctioneers and they sent down an account
sales ; the result was that we had to pay Is. 8d., and the owner would get nothing.
52S7. Have you had many complaints from fruit growers as to loss incurred ? I have not heard of many
losses thathave occurred in transit. It is a commonthingfor fruit growers to express disappointment at
the result. I tuav mention, incidentally, that Townsville is not a very good fruit market, as there is a
great deal of fruit grown around Townsville
526S. You say that your charges average lo.s. a ton on produce — is that on produce from Dungeness to
TownsvVll e ? Yes.
5260. Whnt are the rcturu freights on merchandise ? I should say about 20s. from here to Bungeness.
5270. In selling fruit yon say you place it in the hands of auctioneers ; what are their charges ? I think
5 pei' cent, in addition to any disbursements they have to makef or wharfage and cartage.
5271. Do you get a commission out of the sale as well? I helieve we get uothiug, as a rule.
5272. What would bo the total charge to the shipper of the fruit, less the wharfage and cartage ? I
think the owner of thi fruit pays 5 per cent, and wharfage and enrtnge.
527:3. You simply get the profit out of the carrying ? Yes ; we often undertake the sale of fruit to
oblige people who ship it by our steamers. We hand the bill of lading over to the most reliable ageut
•we know. 1 want to say tliis, in conclusion, with regard to theeulture of fruit in Northern Queensland.
I think it is likely to grow to large dimensions if judiciously fostered, ;ind I think everything ought to be
done to try and foster it. The soil and climate are admirably adapted ; under favourable conditions
fruit growing is a prolitable occupation, and gives employment to many people, and Ithink the Government
ought to encourage, either by bouus or in some other way, the bringing about of some system of fruit
preserving. It is surprising the quantity of American canned fruit that is imported for the Northern
market. Even canned pine apples are brought into Australia — they would sell well here, and I believe we
could even sell them in California. In the Herbert River district the fruit literally goes to waste in tons ;
it cannot be got to market, and there is no means of preserving it. Fruit preserving is a most important
industry, and every effort should be made to induce the Government to foster and encourage factories for
preserving fruit.
Ephraim Cowlkt examined :
5274. Bythr. Chairman .• You are a produce merchant living in Townsville? Yes. E c ow i ev
5275. In the coursti of your business y»u receive consignments of fruit fr«m the ports north of —^j,
Townsville ? Tc>s ; 1 have had small consignments of fruit from the Herbert River and from Clump gjy^ti^
Foint, just above Card well.
5276. In what condition have the consignments reached you? In good condition always.
5277. There have been no complaints of injury in transit? No; none whatever.
5278. "What varieties of fruit have you received ? Oranges mostly, and a few mangoes.
5279. What returns did the growers receive for their consignments ? At that time fruit was very cheap,
but I think they got about 8.s. 6d. or 9s. a case. I hnve not had any J'ruit this season at all.
5280. Do you mean 8s. 6d. or 9s. a case net ? Yes.
52S1. Have you received any agricultural produce from other districts ? Maize only from the Johnstone
River, CIuuip Point, and Port Douglas.
5282. What hnve been the a-verage leturas for the consignments of maize? Northern maize generally
realizes here, if it is in first-class condition, the same price as southern maize, but the bulk of it realizes
about 6d. a bushed less. The average price has been 4s. Od. a bushel.
5283. That is, the growers have received 4s. 6d. a bushel net for it ? Yes ; that is about the average.
5284. Is there any oaten or lucerne hay grown m the district ? I do not know of any.
5285. By Mr. King: What are the eharges of the produce dealers for disposing of produce sent to
them ? Five per cent.
5286. Together with cartage and wharfage ? Yes.
5287. Have you ever had any case in which the consignor has been brought in in debt, as the reBult of
the shipment ? There have been such eases, but I have not had any. A reserve has been placed on the
goods, and tltey have remained in the stores and become unsaleable.
5288. Have
156
MINCTE9 OP EYIDENCE Ti KEN BEFORE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO JNQTIBE INTO
E. Cowley. 52s8. Have you heard complaints made by country shippers of produce that they are victimised ? Yes ;
--v- — n people hare told me the same thing, and have asked me to lake the produce, but it is out of my line.
8 Feb., 1880. Si rictly speaking. I am not a produce merchant. 1 only receive consignments from my customers. I
had a note the other dny from a man on the Herbert, telling me that he m.-de about 15 lbs. of butter,
and had three dozen eggs a week, and asking if I would sell them for him. I wrote back to say that it
would not pay to send such a small quantity, and that the freight, cartage, and commission would swallow
up the whole profit.
.'52S9. You think that it is owing to the small quantity sent at one time that the charges exceed the
proceeds ? Yes ; if a large parcel was sent, I do not see why they could not get a fair return.
5200. If these people had railway communication would that improve matters? Yes, mo3t decidedly;
it is the carriage and freight and wharfage that mounts up
5201. What is the wharfage charge ? So much a ease, I think.
5202. What wharf age do they charge on bananas ? 1 do not know. I hare never had any consigned to
me. 1 should e;iy about Id. a bunch.
529:-!. By Mr. Cowley: In receiving produce from the Burdetin or from Dungeuess what is about the
charge per toti ? You hare to make special arrangements. 10s. is the charge for sugar and maize, and
2s, Gil. is the lowest charge for* anything — no matter how small,
5201. Have you had any complaints as to produce being stolen ? Yes ; we scarcely ever get a shipment
■without there being a few dozen oranges taken out. I think I had seven cases of fruit from the Herbert
on one occasion, and only one was half full.
5205. Did you make a claim on the Shipping Company ? Yes ; but they do not recognise claims on deck
cargo.
5296. Did you make a special claim in that case ? Yes ; I claimed for all loss.
5297. .And what was the result ? So long as thev delivered the cases with any fruit in them they did not
recognise responsibility. L get consignments of fruit for forwarding up country, but some cases are half
empty. One case was completely empty last week, and after a lot of corresponding, they allowed
for it.
Joas Allan AVallace examined :
J. A. Wallace. 5298. B y the Chmirman : You are Polynesian Inspector of the district of Townsville ? Yes ; Townsville
A — *•"--> and Lower Burdekin.
8 Feb., 1889. 5209. Are you able to tell the number of Polynesians at present in the district? 543 on the 31st
January under agreement ■ 10 exempt, and 20 or 30 walking about.
5300. Mow often do you visit the plantations? Every six weeks or two months.
5301. Do you make strict inquiry into the health of the islanders, the food they are receiving, and the
regularity of payment ? Yes ; and 1 always see that they are p:\id. I have the dates of payment in my
register.
5302. Do the islanders receive the money themselves, or is it paid into the Savings Bank to their credit?
It is paid to the islanders, but at the same time T ask them if they wish to deposit any money.
5303. Do manyof them deposit their money ? Very few.
5304.. Have you had many complaints made to you by the islanders of ill-treatment? Very few imdeed.
5305. When complaints have been made have you investigated them ? Always.
520U. Do you find them well grounded or otherwise? No - they are generally very trivial.
5307. Are they made against the owners or overseers ? Generally against the overseers.
5308. What is the general health of the Polynesians? I produce a return which shows that. [See
Appendix]
5309. The return that you have just furnished is an accurate return of the mortality of the district? Yes.
5310. Why has the mortality been so great on the Pioneer plantation ? The only reason that I can
give is that the boys were of very poor physique. Thedeaths occurred mostly among the Santa Cruz boys.
They were almost the first shipment we have liad of those boys.
5:111. You have seen that shipment of boys from Santa Cruz ? Yes.
5312. Did it appear to you from youT general experience as Polynesian Inspector that a considerable
number of those boys were under age ? No ; 1 should not say they were under sixteen when they first
came here.
531:-!. Did they appear to you to be boys suitable for the work on the plantation ? I think so. Indeed
t he planters an a rule care more for the younger boys than they do for the older ones.
5814. How do ) ou account for the mortality ? I can give no reason, except that they werenot particularly
strong-looking boys when they first landed. The health officer' passed them and said they were physically
fit for the work. I had nothing to with their introduction.
5315. When you visit the plantation do you j;o to the hospitals? Yes.
5310. A nd you see that the patients afe provided with all the necessary hospital comforts ? Yes.
5317. You have never bad any reason to complain of any of the hospitals ? No ; of course I liavc drawu
the attention of the planter to the rate of mortality.
5318. The mortality on Pioneer did not arise from any unhealtliiness on the plantation? I think
not. Pioneer was »ne of the healthiest plantations 1 riaited for ih© first four years. There was a
heavy mortality at Airdmillau some years ago, and at that time Pioneer had a very small percentage
of deaths. It is only since those boys arriveil that there has been a heavy mortality.
5319. Have you ever heard complaints made that the kanakas are addicted to driuk ? Some of the older
boys are.
5320. You know that persons illegally supply them with drink ? Yes.
5321. Have you had any eonvfetions in the district for that kind of thing ? None. The police do not
take it up, aud I am under the disadvantage of being away from the district.
5322. Have you any suggestions to offer in connection with your duties? No; I have made out a
Biuriiiiary of the working of the labou r bureau. [See Au pendix. - ]
5323. By Mr. Cnuley : In sending islanders to the Lower Burdokiu, do they go there direct or are they
transhipped at this port ? Transhipped at Townsville siuce I have been here.
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THJS 8C&AR INDUSTET IN QUEENSLAND.
157
5325. A complete examination ? They are not stripped. They are mustered and I call the names over, J. A. Wallace,
and the doctor sees e:ieh boy.
5320. It is not a scientific examination ? No; they are not stripped. I have seen the doctor occasion- 8 Feb., 1889.
ally lift a boy's trousers leg to see if he had any sores about hiro.
5327. If a boy looks atall delicate is he put on oneside and a thorough examination made of him? I
have seen that done occasionally.
5328. When they are transhipped to the coasting steamer docs the Government Agent bring them to
their destination? I used to send the agent down with ihem three or four years ago, but that is not
allowable now. I have instructions that the planters are to take delivery of the boys in Tounsville.
5329. After they are once passed in Townsville they are out of your control until they arrive at their
destination? They generally go to the depot for a. day or two until the vessel goes. They may be in the
depot for a wwk or iwo, but when they leave Burns, PhLlp, and Co. 'a Wharf they are under no Govern-
ment supervision.
5330. Who p;iy« the cost oi' their maintenance whilst they are in the- depot ? The planter.
5331. What does lliat amount to nor head per day? Is.
5332. Wheu in the depot are they allowed to wander aboul; the town all iky ? They are quite at liberty
to go about the tov, n, L have never known any to abscond.
5333. Do you see that on board the vessel proper care is take u of them? Yes; but they are only on
board for about twelve hours.
5334 Are tlie bulk of the applications given in your labour return for mechanics, artisans, agricultural
labourers, Ac, for the plantations ? Yes; the greater number oi them. I should say at least 70 per
5335. By the Chairman : Supposing anything were to occur by which these plantations were to be closed,
how would that alfect the labour department r Yery greatly "indeed. In my annual report to Brisbane
I have mentioned that at least 70 per"eeot. of the labour is engaged for the plantations.
533G. Then the stoppage of the plantations would ha ve a very serious effect on the immigrants coming
from England? I cousider so. 1 do not see any other outlet for them. This is a very depressed season
of the year, but I do occasionally get applications for ploughmen, especially in the rainy season ; butfrom
May up to the end of the year there are any amount of applications from the planters ? I consider that
the closing of the sugar plantations would have a great effect on the labour market.
5337. By Mr. Cowley .- Do the employers of this labour pay the passages from Townsville to the planta-
tions ? A free railway pass is given.
5338. Theu the unfortunate men who have to take their labour by water have to pay, whereas the station
owners get them for nothing ? No ; I always explain to the employe that the employer pays the fare m
the first place, but if he serves his three or six months it is refunded. I omitted to mention that the
fare is deducted from the employe's first month's wages, and is refunded on the termination of the agree-
ment. That is embodied in the agreements, and is generally understood by the employers that I have had
agreements with.
William Helt examined :
5339. By tlie Chairman : You are a homestead selector on the Houghton Lliver? I am on a lagoon near w. Hcly.
the river. ^^^a^*-v
5340. What is the extent of your selection? 16# acres. 8 -p eb i lg8 g
5341. How many acres have you under cultivation? I pat in an acre of vines, and whatsweet potatoes I
use myself.
5312. How long have the vines been in the ground ? Three years.
5343. Have they borne fruit ? No.
5344. How are they growiug ? They are not growing well at all. They will not grow, because I do not
understand the nature of the soil and I do not know what to put to them to make them grow.
5345. Did you never grow vines before ? Never.
5346. Practically, you kuosv nothing whatever about the cultiv ation of the vine ? Nothing.
5347. Then you are not astonished at the result ? Not a bit. I have grown sweet potatoes and English
potatoes before.
5343. What suecess have you met with in growing sweet potatoes? I went to the trouble of breaking
up two scrub turkeys nests and mixing them with cow dung. I had a good vine but no potatoes.
5349. Was there no one in the district you could go to to get information as to the growth of the vine ?
I had a Frenchman there.
53.50. Did he not give you any information ? lie said the ground wns too heavy, and on the adjoining
farm to mine they could not grow sweet potatoes any better than I could
5351. What do you propose to do with your vines ? 1 will, have to let them die out.
5352. Did you prune them? I cut them foe two years, but they never grew a yard high.
5353. Where did you get your varieties from? From Toowoomba.
5:3; ji. From Mr. llartmaim? Yes.
5355. Do y«u know what varieties he sent you ? I forget the names. What we are at a loss for here is
an agricultural chemist. The people do not know what suits the ground. If we had an agricultural
chemist here he could tell us what the ground would produce.
535G. If you had a nursery garden here would it not answer the same purpose ? I do not think so,
because on my 1G0 auras I have three different soils. 1 have black soil, yellow soil, and light choeolate
soil.
5357. By Mr, Cowley .- If you could send your soil to Brisbane for analysis it would answer exactly the
same purpose ? I dare say it would, but it is a long wa.y to send it.
53.38. By the Chairman : What is your object in coming before the Commission? To see and get an
agricultural chemist.
5359. That, in your opinion, would help to improve the position of yourself and others ? Yes ; itwould.
SATURDAY,
158
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAEEN T3EFOBE T1FE EOTAL COMMISSION TO 1NQUIEE D?TO
SA TZfliDJT, 9 FEBRUARY, 1889.
TOWNSVILLE.
(At the Queen's Hotel.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Fkederick Goodfellow examined :
F.Goodfdlow. 5360. Bij the Chairman : You are Laud Commissioner for tlie Townsville district ? I am.
^— ^_a_ — ^ 53(U. There is a Crown Lauds ranger besides yourself? No ; I do the ranging myself
Feb., 1689. 5302. You arc quite familiar with the selections in the Townsville district ? With most of them.
5363. Have you prepared a table showing the area of land sclcetcd, forfeited, aud cultivated, in the
Townsville Land Agent's district ? 1 have Selections under the Act of 1863, freehold, 79,166 acres ;
conditional selections, Act of 1876, freehold, 45,311 acres; homesteads, Act of 1876, 6,8'*7 acres 35
perches ; volunteer land orders, 2,500 acres ; L50 conditional selections not yet made freehold, Act. of
1876, 105,(>76 acres ; conditional selections forfeited, 6,713 n«res 3 roods 26 perches : forty-eight home-
stead selections, not yet made freehold under the Act of 1S76, 7,731 acres 3 roods 30 perches ; nineteen
homestead selections, forfeited, 2,781 acres; 136 agricultural farms, Act of 1*81,25,780 acres ; three
agricultural farms, forfeited, Act 1884, 152 acres; approximate area of land under cultivation, Act of
1876, 400 acres j approximate area of laud uuder Act of 1K84, 50 acres ; approximate area of laud uuder
cultivation by sugar cane, Burdrkin Delta, Townsville district, 2,210 acres; approximate area of
selections unier Act of 1S68 and 1876. made freehold and not now occupied, 60,000 acres.
536i. Is there much deinan* for laud in the Townsville distriet uow ? Yes; a very fair demand.
5365. For what class of land ? Mostly for pastoral purposes. On most of the laud round Townsville
the difficulty experienced is want of water and the suitability of the land for agricultural purposes, except
in patches. That is the general complaint amongst the selectors. The want of water seems to be the great
drawback.
5366. "Whereabouts are the 136 agricultural farms selected under the Act of 1884 situated? On the
TSurclekin, and mostly along the railway line between here and Charters Towers.
5367. Are you acquainted with the country ? I am.
5368. Is it good agricultural land ? It is not, in my opinion.
5309. It is the best available ? Yes; within easy distauce of Townsville. There are patches of very
good land, but the majority of it is only fit for grazing purposes.
5:)70. On those selections which have been made freehold and arc not now occupied the conditions were
first fulfilled ? Yes ; but they were mostly selections that huve been taken up on ruus — taken up by the
ownws of runs, the conditions fulfilled, made freehold, ani they are now used as part of the runs.
5371. By Mr. King: Are the™ any cases iu which improvements that have been put on the land have
been removed ? Not to my knowledge. On nearly all the selections for which certificates have been
granted the improvements are still there, and the selections are uearly all occupied,
5372. Is there much country open for selection at the present time? Yes; a good deal of land about
Townsville at the present time.
5373. Suitable laud for selectiou? Suitable for the clas» of selectors who avail themselves of it — for
gangers on the railway line and dairymen. Most of the laud that has been taken up lately is in small
blocks of 160 acres.
5tt74. Is there any land suitable for cultivation tlmt i:> open for selection ? There are patches in the
parishes of Magenta and Wyoming that could be utilised foi' agricultural purposes, but not of any great
extent. There is laud in the parish of Jarvisfield that will be open for selection shortly.
5375. By Mr. Cowley: Out of the 136 agricultural farms taken up under the Act of 18S4 there are only
50 acres under cultivation ? That is all that 1 am aware of. There are two selections on the Burdekdn.
5376. Are the others all occupied? Most of them, with the exception of those which were not confirmed.
Fully two-thirds of the agricultural farms arc occupied.
5377. Are they used for agricultural purposes ? Yes.
Aethuk. Edwaed Douglas examined :
A. TC.Douglns. 5378. By flic Chairman : Ton lwve a conditional selection ? I have a freehold now. It was a homestead.
f — — N It is on what is culled " Double-barrelled Creek." I have a conditional selection iu addition to that,
9 Feb., 18«). situated at the 27-milc peg on the Northern Railway line.
f>379. Jiy Mr. King : What is the total area of the land held by yon ? 270 acres.
5380. By fhe Chairman : You have carried ou cultivation in the district? i'es.
5881. You have grown tobacco ? Yes.
5382. How much did you grow ? As a trial I put. in a quarter of an were.
5383. What success had you with it? Very good. From one crop I think 1 obtained a little over 6 cwt,
of tobacco.
5381. 11 ow did you dispose of it ? I sold it cliielly in town. A good deal of it I seut as samples down
south, nn 1 the remainder I sold iu TownsvihV
5385. Did you get the opiuiou of an expert upon its quality? I did ; from Diiou and Sons of Sydney.
5386. What opinion did they express ? They pronounced it first-class quality ; superior to any that they
had obtained in New South Wales, and of a value of !)d. a lb. iu Sydney. The ruling price then in
Sydnev was 5d. a lb. for the best leaf.
5387. Will it pay you to grow tobacco at 9d a lb. ? It would, very handsomely, and leave; a very
goud margin of profit. I consider the expenses of growing an acre of tobacco would be about £40 a
year. 53^. What
THE GENEHA1 CONDITION OP THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
159
5388. "What would be the return ? The return on au acre of tobacco would certainly not be less than ^-E.Douglas.
£12*, because it produces more than a ton to the acre. /^~^- A - -, ^>
53.S9. Bi/ Mr. King : What price did you actually get tor what you sold ? Is. a lb. 9 Feb., 1880.
5390. By (he Chairman : How much laud have you under cultivation altogether on your selection ? About
five acres.
5391. Have you grown any tropical fruits in the district? I have grown mangoes, pineapples, aud
oranges. They grow very well, and bear well.
5392. "What is the general price paid to the growers for pineapples and bananas? When pineapples
are in season the ruling price in Towusville is from 2d. to 4d. a dozen. The general price for bananas is
Is. 3d. to Is. 6d. a bunch, with something like la or 20 dozen on.
5393. From jour experience do you think that fruit growiug could be made a profitable industry here ?
I do not think so. I think that the Towusville market, whiefl is the only market we can send to, is so
glutted that wc would realise nothing like remunerative prices. Another thing thattells much against us
is the railway freight. There is the freight to pay, aud there are delays in transit which all tell against
the grower.
5391. But if facilities were afforded for sending fruits grown in the district to the southern markets
right an opportunity not be afforded for making money? It would all depend upon the cost of
transit. Our best market is the inland market — Charters Towers, lluglieiuleu, and those places. If we
had greater railway facilities we would have no difficulty in getting rid of our produce.
5395. What are the railway charges for fruit? Fruit in cases is charged 2s. a case for any distauce
under fifty miles. Bananas eau be seut in bulk, but I do not know what charge is made upon then). I
do not think that that is excessive. If there wa3 a reduction in the freights fruitgrowing would pay
better, but then I take it, it would have to be sent to a market where there is less competition than in
Towusville. The competition is so keen that it does not pay. Cook town, the Herbert, the Burdekiu,
and Port Douglas are all competing with the settlers in the immediate neighbourhood of Townsville, and
those people are getting their fruit sent as cheaply to Towusville by boat as ours is carried by rail.
5396. B if Mr. Cowley : Was the Is. a lb. on the tobacco obtained in the colony ? In the colony.
5397. Was that for picked samples or for all the crop ? The best leaf.
539S. What would the crop average? It would average l#d. a lb. The greater proportion of the
leaf was certainly superior.
5399. Was that price obtained after paying freight aud charges ? That was the gross price. Tobacco
produces three crops in the year. The first crop is not so good as the second. The second crop is the
best, and then there is a small third crop.
6100. Tour £40 an acre covers picking aud drying and everything, with the exception of freight ? Yes ;
in fact, I think that is almost the outside cost of cultivation. I am calculating that one man is employed
for one acre, but one man can do the work on two acres. I am giving the- proportion of wages that it
cost mo for the trial which I made.
5101. If you employed one man for two acres, you could not get him under £S0 a year, including rations ?
You must I'cmember that there are four or five mouths of the year when tlio services of the man are not
required, and he could be put at other work. Therefore, the man cotdd only be employed for from seven
to eight months in the actual cultivation.
5402. By Mr. King: I lave you any tobacco growing now ? No; the. drought has destroyed all the plants
Iliad, and I have iiot been able to plant. I have one and a-half acres ready to plant.
54-03. Is it your intention to go on with tbe cultivation ot" tobacco ? Tes ; I have the plauts very nearly
ready for planting out.
54t4. By Mr. Cowley : Do you require much shed room for drying ? A shed enable of drying the pro-
duce of two acres would not cost more than £15. The chief expense would be the iron. The sides might
be made of bark.
5405. Do you not find that the insects arc very troublesome with the tobacco ? They are, unless a great
deal of care is taken.
540(5. Have you uot to pick the leaves ov cr every moruing ? About every other day.
5407. That takes a long while ? You do not find insects except on about every sixth plant.
540S. What labour do you use for that work ? My own children luivc done it. They pick off the little
worms which come underneath the plant. I have only discovered a few, but I have no doubt they will
increase. I do uot consider that that i3 very much trouble, and cutting the plauts is not very much
trouble. I cut them aud leave them to " wilt " in the field, aud in the evening string them on ridge
poles and allow them to dry. In six weeks they are sufficiently dry to pick. Of course these little things
are tedious in u measure, but it is very easy work, and not work that you would put a man to. Children
can do that kind of work.
5409. Do you think that if a man was cultivating twenty acres of tobacco, it would pay him to employ
white labour to do the work? Yes, certainly. From the price that I kuow can be realised, I think that
any man who had Hie money, aud the resolution to cultivate twenty acres, would make a fortune at it.
There is uo crop you can grow so profitably as tobacco.
5110. By Mr. Kiny : What description of soil is yours? It is a dark black soil with sand tiir«nghit.
5411. Was it originally scrub land ? No ; it is land that has been washed over by floods. It lies in a
basin, sm rounded by limestone hills, and this deposit of 8 or 10 inches has been left on the face of
the hind. "Underneath (here is a rich clay. The general character of the soil is black to dark chocolate,
with a mixture of sand.
5412. Is it well drained? Yes.
5413. The subsoil is porous ? Yes.
5414. Is there much of that descriptiou of land iu tbe district ? Tes, a large proportion of it. The land
from tlie 27-mile peg down to the old Woodstock Station is of the ;*anie character.
5415. Is it all selected, or is it open for selection ? The greater proportion of it is selected r«und the
railway line, but some ofthe laud extending towards Bouble-barrelled Creek and Major's Creek has not
been cut up yet.
5416. How loug have you boeu on the selection ? Over five years.
5417. What
MrjTUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN IEEOEE THE DOXAL COMMISSION TO INQTJTEE INTO
E. Douglas. 54.17. What sort o£ seasons have you had during those five years ? I do not see any difficulty with the
seasons. Water is easily obtainable by Finking about 18 feet. I cannot see anything to prevent a
JVb.,1889. man who has money and intends to grow tobacco from succeeding.
541S. You would iepeud upon irrigation ? Yes, on irrigation alone. I would not hot her about waiting
for the seasons. My own well is 23 feet deep, and I have never had "less than 6 feet of water in it-.
5419. By Mr. Cowley .- Do you do anything else besides cultivating your selection ? I am a selector, and
also have charge of a state school.
5420. You are not carrying on agriculture for a livelihood ? No ; I was led to believe by f riemds of mine
that the land was well adapted to the growth of tobacco, and I have found it very successful.
5421. By the (Jhaii vvm : Can you suggest anything by which the agricultural industry in this district can
be improved ? I think if 1 may be allowed to say so. that if the intention is to open up a rich district
in the neighbourhood in which I am, exuding from the 27-Mile to Woodstock Stauon, that is the
directi»D that the Bow en railway should take. It is a fine tract »f g«od agricultural country, fit to
grow anything. It is perfectly level country to A vr, and there are very few creeks to cross. I have
been over the ground. There are no engineering difficulties whatever, and the land is very good. It is not
at present selected or thrown open. If the line went that way it would bring a very large agricultural
population to the neighbourhood, and it would not only do that, but would open a good market for the
Burdekin people and the western district. The general complaint there is that if the line goes to the Six-
mile, they will have to deal with the middle men in Townsville, and thus they will be shut out from what
they consider their legitimate profits.
5422. By Mr. Cowley .- You were not brought up to farming ? No.
5423. The whole of your experience has been gained on this selection of your own ? I have had
experience of t«bacco growing before in other countries — in Arabia, Turkey, and India. I have a very
good idea, of tobacco growing.
5424. You have had practical experience? No; my experience has been gained by observation. The
tobacco seems to nourish here better than I have seen it in other countries. The leaf is not so coarse
and the tobacco seems to be of a. better class. In fact the high price it will bring proves that. The
ordinary price is Gd. and the tobacco I sent to Brisbane was -worth Is. a, lb. I was told by a Brisbane
man that the price he was giving for the best tobacco was ScL, but he said he would give me Is. for the
best of my leaf, and said I should leave the price of the other class to himself. I found that
my tobacco made very good smoking tobacco.
Thomas Mareok examined :
T. Mairon. 542.5. By 1 he Chairman ; You are a selector r» the Towasville district ? Yes;
5426. What is the extent of your holding? •ver 5,000 acres.
Feb., 1889. 5427. How many acres have you cultfval ed ? I used to cultivate about forty acres, but I am not
cultivating any at the present time.
5428. What did you grow when you were cultivating your land? English potatoes and corn,
5429. Did you make it a success ? Not entirely.
5430. What are you doing with the land now? Babying and stock raising.
5431. How many cows do you milk daily ? 105 or 106.
54-32. What amount of butter io you make weekly? 150 lb. a week.
5433. What price do you get for it? 2s. 3d. a lb. wholesale.
5434. Then you find dairying more profitable than farming? Yes.
5435. Do you feed your cows on natural grass ? Yes.
5436. You do not give them any artificial food at all ? None at all, and we liave suffered for that.
5437. Was your loss of stock very great ? Yes, very great.
543S. Can you offer any suggestions by which your industry or the industry of the farmer can be
improved ? Yes, 1 have tried farming laud, aud I have three or four market gardens o 11 my property.
The only tiring that I sec against us here is, that we have no water. We want to irrigate. If we
hmve not the means to irrigati*. especially in such seasons as we have had during the last eight or niuc
years, we will nuver be able lo make agriculture a success.
5 139. Who is cultivating your market gardens ? The Chinese.
5440. They are growing vegetables? Yes.
5441. Is it for them that you woidd advocate irrigation? No, it is from what I have seen, and the way
they grow their crops. I tried to cultivated before I had these people ou the land, ami 1 could not do
it without irrigation.
5142. You:- opinion is that farming cannot be carried ou successfully 'without irrigation? Yes ; that is
my Srm opinion. We have the witter but we have not the means of raising it.
5443. Where about is your selection situated? On Alligator Creek. I have another property on
Stewart Creek.
5 L44. B { > Mr. King .- How far from Townsville ? Alligator Creek is eighteen miles and the other plaoe
six miles.
5145. By Mr. Cowley .- Is Alligator Creek wliere the gardens are? Yes.
5446. Are those orange and banana trees close to tlie'railway on your property ? Yes.
5447. Are they cultivated by a tenant nf yours? Yes, a tenant of mine.
544s. By the Chairman : Did you plant those trees ? Yes ; about ten years ago.
5149. How have they succeeded ? Not very wtdl. They waul; a great deal of looking after. They want
to be irrigated in the dry season. I have been here eighteeu years now, and have had no return on my outlay
•r for my labour in consequence of dry seasons.
5450. By Mr. Cowley: How tnauy trees are therein that orchard? •ver a hundred.
5 151. What rent is 'paid to you ? Those trees are not rented. The garden is alongside of them.
5152. Who rents the trees ? At the present time there is no tenant. The land was sold to a coal
syndicate.
5153. Did you cultivate your land with your own labour? Yes; I had a ploughman to help me. I was
dairying at the same time.
5454. What wages did you pay ? 25s. a week. 5455. How
THE GENERAL C«XD1TI«N OF THE SP«AB INDUSTRY tN QUEENSLAND. 1UJ "
And rations? Yes. T.Mamm.
5456. And it would not pay you ? No. ' -a_^— ^
•6157. Not even with your market so near as Townsville ? No. The first ten years I was here we had 9 Kt„ 1889.
good seasons, but they have been falling off ever since.
5458. B y Mr. King : What was an average crop of English pota.toes to the acre when you were growing
them? I only grew one crop. 1 think" I hai about 3 tons to the acre. We reckoned that a very
fair crop.
5459. What do you reckon an «aver;ige crop of maize to the acre ? 40 or, 50 bushels.
5460. You used to get that ? Yes.
5461. How many crops of maize Aid you grow? Two crops.
5462. Would it not p;iy you :it that rate ? Not as well as raising stock and dairying. At one time we
used to get 12s., 14s., and 20*. a cwt. for English potatoes, but f»r the hist three mouths you could only
get 7s. or Ss. for them. At the cost of labour it w«uld not pay us to grow them for that.
516d. By the Chairman : Was it the bad seasons or the high price of labour that caused y«u to give up
farming ? The bad seasons.
5*61. If the seasons had been good you would not have objected to [laying 2.5s. a week to white men ? No,
could hnve made money in different ways.
5465. By Mr. Cowley : By dairying and stock raising and farming ? I could have made on one what
would have paid for the other.
5466. You would have made up the loss on agriculture by your profi ts on dairying ? I could have made
both a success.
5467. Bo you mean by growing stuff to feed your cattle or could you have made agriculture pay ? I
could have done better by cultivating for the dairying and stock raising. They each would have paid and
I would have benefited, while at the present time 1 am at a greut loss. My stock have died aud I have
nothing to replaee them.
5468. By the Chairman : Where would the water come from to irrigate the selection on which you are
situated ? Alligator Creek ; but there is any amount of water from 8 feet to 10 feet below the
surface. Where I live is the best watered country in the whole district,
54G9. Would you and the farmers be prepared to pay a rate for irrigation works supposing the Government
were to construct them ? Yes, I am willing. That is the ouly thiug we require assistance with. I got a
circular the other day about a travellingdairy, but in my opiuion we can make the butter here if we have
the food to feed our cattle. If we have no food we cannot get the milk, and the dairy is no good to us.
Nothing would help us more than irrigation.
5470. 9o you mean to flood the grass land, or would you cultivate land and raise produce by which your
stock could be fed ? Yes ; we want to cultivate the land and irrigate it.
5471. By Mr. Cowley : To grow fodder for the stock? Yes.
5472. Then you would combine dairying and farming ? Yes.
5473. The selectors are notable to provide steam engines for irrigation purposes.? They are nearly all
" brake."
5474. On account; of the seasons you would like the Government to .-insist yon utw? Yes; and I think
I would be backed up by my neighbours on .Alligator Creek and in the district.
5175. How many selectors are there in your immediate neighbourhood ? All the land is taken tip from
there to the Houghton River.
5476. Are you on the coast side of Mount Elliott ? Yes.
5477. Is there much agricultural laud between Stewart Creek and thelloughtou ? From Alligator Creek
to the Houghton it is nearly all good land.
517S. By Mr. King : Would the railway from Ayr to Tovmsville go through that land ? Yes, it would
go to the six-mile.
5479. By the Chairman : Have you any other suggestions to offer to us for the improvement of the
condition of yourself and youmeighboiu-s? Not that I know of. I am only one out of a lot, but if the
Government oifered me irrigation plant on certain terms I would be quite happy to accept of it.
5480. You say the bad seasons have continued for a period of eight years ? Yes.
5481. And have been more or less severe each year? Yes ; this has been the worst of the lot. The only
help we want from the Government is irrigation works.
Benjamin Gulliver examined :
5482. By the Chairman : You are the proprietor of the Acacia Vale Nursery Garden ? Yes. E. GmHiver.
5483. Situated three miles from Townsville ? Four miles. ^ — «^_v „ — ^
5181. How many acres does your garden comprise ? Ten acres under cultivation. 9 Feb., 1889.
5485. By Mr. King : What i3 the total area of the holding ? Twenty acres.
548(5. By the Chairman : You distribute plants and trees in various parts of the Northern district? Yes ;
find even in the Mouth, too.
5187. "What demand is there for tropicalfruit trees ? A fair demand, Nothingvery great. Thedemand
varies with the seasons.
5488. What number do yon annually send out from the gardens? The average would be about 400
trees a year — that is mixed fruit trees.
0489. ITow long have the gardens been in existence ? I have been there for about seven years. For four
years 1 have been sending out that number.
6490. There has been no diminution in the number of applications for fruit trees? #nly this season.
In dry seasons like this there is no demand at all.
5491. Ts there much demand for vine cuttings ? A fair demand, but it has been supposed thatthev would
not thrive here. Now, people are beginning to grow vines. My grouud may be looked upon as a.n
experiments.! garden, and aa people see they learn what will grow.
5492. Have you had any communications from those who hive already obtained trees from you ? Yes.
54JW. Have the trees gr»wn fairly well ? Yes ; in some districts better than others. I have good
accounts from lierberton, for instance.
54U4. liow
MINCTES_,OE EVIDENCE TAKEN SEFOEE THE HOYA.L COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
liulltvcr. 5494. Plow long have you been making experiments with the vine? About five years.
v 54:)5. Is it your opinion that portions of the Northern district are fitted for the growth of the vine ? Very
9 Feb.,1889. well ac'apted jf th'ey have moisture in the spring ; if not, they throw their fruit in the ra'ray season, which
makes it rather late for ripening.
549U. In this tropical climate is there sufficient time for the vines to rest ? They do not, get much rest.
They remain dormant for about twelve weeks. They never bleed when they are pruned. I cau prune
my vinos without bleeding any of them, and that is one of the best signs.
5437. Has your garden turned out a success ? Yes ; so far.
519*. What labour do you employ ? Primarily I employ Chinese labour for cultivating the new land
with vegetables. That prepares the land for my purposes. I grow crops of vegetables to pay for the
rough labour, ami ns I improve the land I employ more intelligent labour as I go on. I keep one or two
prufossional gardeners now, an ordinary Labourer, and one Chinaman. I am working the ten acres with
two white men, a boy, and a Chinaman. All the garden is now coming under the head of nursery
garden.
5409. Is Ihere much scope for the cultivation of pot-plants? There is not much encouragement.
People get disheartened through the iry season* and do not care to try again. Otherwise there would be
a great demand.
5500. Then at present your tittention is directed entirely to fruit trees ? Fruit and shade trees. People
are planting a good many shade trees.
5501. The conticuous drought for a number of years has had -d most sehous effect on your business ?
This \t>ar I have done no business at all.
5502. What is your opinion with regard to the success of fruit trees in the Northern districts generally ?
My experience would lead me to think that fruit cultivation would be a success if the seasons were reliable
or there was a more reliable way of gettiug water. Lots of old trees have died this year. I should
have lost my trees, but fortunately 1 have a little irrigating plant and it saved them. I have a heavy
crop of oranges this year. I had 500 dozen last year with a fair season. This year, with irrigation
I shall have 1,000 dozen and have lost no trees. There are plenty of places, where there is water 14 feet
under the ground, where people could grow fruit trees to advautage if they had the means of bringing
the water to tbe surface.
550:i. Have you found a profitable market for the fruit you have grown? Always. I have been sending
my fruit to Croydon and I lughenden.
5504. "What price have you got for oranges ? They reach is. a dozen.
5505. Is that the net or gross price ? Net p 'ice. 1 sell them on the ground at that price.
550b". Can you offer ns any suggestions by which the growth of fruit in the tropical districts can be
assisted in any way ? Yes, 1 could give you a list of fruits that have ripened here winch it has been said
w»uld not succeed. I do not like the way in which fruit trees are put in here. They are put in in too
great a hurry. To start on the cheap, people plant them in holes instead of trenching and draining the
land properly. They do that with the intention of draining some other year, and they put it off until the
trees become starved, and then they never do it at all, and never get the crops they could get. All my
laud is trenched 2 feet iuehes, and two good soaking a would satisfy the trees through a whole dry
season. If people would till the laud in the proper wa.y at the first start they wouldbe well satisfied with
the results, There are many trees which are quick growing things' in trenched land, whereas if they are
put in ordinary holes they would lie smaller the second year than when they «ere first pat in. I consider
this a wry dry belt round Towusville and trees require all the more attention.
5507. By Mr. King .- You have a large variety of tropical fruits ? Yes, we try everything-. I have a
bit of ground which I use for experimental purposes.
030S. Do the people of Townsville go out to your garden ? Yes; generally a few every afternoon. It
has uluays been open to the public, aud when people come out they sometimes ask questions aud get a
little information.
5.509. Thou it answers all the purposes of an experimental farm ? It is au experimental garden real I v.
\\ hen 1 first came here I did not know what would grow best, and I have had to liud out. Of all the
English vegetables I used to have splendid crops— cabbages lOlhs. weight, which I sold at 2s «;d. I had
six Chinamen employed at a cost of 30s. a day, and it took about AOs. a day to cover expenses. I had good
crops, but 1 never grew more than enough to pay for the labour ? I had two years at that. I got my
ground ready and then gave up vegetables.
551#. Does the orange moth trouble you? Tes; the same one that attacks the guavas.
5511. Do you lose much through the depredations of this moth? Last year we lost nothing. "We
gathered the fruit before it was ripe enough for them.
5512. You do not know of any method of preventing the ravages of the moth? No ; unless the fruit is
picked. It is only at night that they commit these depredation*. They sp»il all our crops «f guavas.
5518. What variety of vines do yon find host suited to tin 1 climate? The new American vines. There
art' many mrieties'of fruit trees sent up here for sale in the auction rooms.
5514. '. Do the American varieties suffer from any disease? No; llu»y are proof against phj lloxera.
55 15. Did jou get them from theAgriciiltimd Department ? I did not import them myself. They were
imported by IJarlmaiui, of Toowoomha.
Have you ever received any plants of the American vines from the Agricultural Department?
2 the vine here? About June or July. We have to watch
laud after it has been stumped ?
I let a piece at £50, aud the man g
I have had my laud
ve it up.
No.
5517. What season of the year do you prui
it very closely.
5,">1S. What is tlE arerage cost of trencliinp
trenched at odd times. About £'50 au a
5519. Was that by white labour? Yes.
;">520. Do you find people desirous of obtaining information througl' visiting your gardens ? Yes; a few
A man tries vines and cannot succeed with them; he gets plenty of wood and no fruit, aud comes to me
for information.
5521. Vou think you are educating the people to a certain extent? I have educated myself . The cause
of llits vines not fruiting here is that they get no rain iu the spring when they are breaking. If they
'a too late, but if you give them artitical water aud tie down the ends
5522. I'ou
have to wait for the wet season i
»\ith wire they will fruit.
THE GENEEAX CONDITIO!* OF THE SUGAR IHDCiJrttr IS QUEENSLAND.
5522. You have arrived at that, result from experiments? Yes; I have plenty of fruit to show. The E. Oullivw,
vine has been pinned down to the ground and given plenty of water ami ir fruits well. /^*^ v -^~\
5T)i3. B>/ the Chairman .- Do you grow the vine on stakes or trellises ? Both. 1 find the trellises will be !l *'eb. : ltm.<.
the host. They make too mur.li growth for the stake.
5524. Have you communicated with the Agricultural BepartmeDt in Brisbane to let them know what you
are doing ? Xo ; I have had a few seeds from them, but I have not had aDy regular communication with
them.
5525. Would it not answer your purpose to do so ? I have thought about it. I wr«tc to them in
refereuee to'the experimental farm they propose establishing here. I told thorn that I h<ad been here so
many years and would like to give any information I could, but I should not h'ketoseea Government
farm started and selling the produce to pay expense*, in opposition to my private enterprise.
5525\. If tliprc wum an experimental farm established here, do you think the farmers of the district would
avail themselves of it? I believe they would.
5520. You have not t he time to give farmers information ? I give them a little, but I ,m gfiner; dly too
busy.
5-527. An experimental farm established here for the purpose of giving Informal ton to the public, and
enabling them to devote their laud to a gosd and useful purpose, would not ijitcjrfwe with you, provided
it did not compete with you? No. If the Government establish a farm, hit them use the produeo
themselves.
552S. You are aware that, the Government do not sell their produce iusiuch cases ? Yes ; that would not
interfere with any private enterprise.
5:529. My Mr. Cowley: In fact it would encourage you? Yes. My idea is that an experimental farm of
500 acres should be tnken up, on which water can be procured at about the samo expense and trouble all
over it. A man should he set down in the centre of that, and let the people have the land ad z-ouna.
The result of their work on the model farm could be reported annually, showing what crop* they have
pnrwn and under what circumstances, the cost of putting in, andwhat the crop* are worth. '1'L.nt w»uld he
a soi l of guarantee for the people. Of course there would have t>» be a reliable water supply.
5-S.30. % the Chair/nun : You hare experieuced the benefits of irrigation ? Yes.
5531. And you can well understand how the selectors of the district are situated ? Yes, all the farmers
have to drive their cattle ab»ut to the rivers, and they are supposed to supply the town with irdlk and
butter; but besides net being able to supply the town, they are losing their cattle, wher as if they
cultivated a little they would keep thur cattle alive. We are getting butter and potatoes from Sydney
which cau be grown in the'di^t rict. We are paying <£C50 a ton for potatoes.
5532. Have you any suggestions to offer by which tho condition of tihe agricultural industry can be
improved, or as to die fruits that can be grown, and what they are likely to produce ami their value ?
The £rape vine will succeed ; strawberries we can get 3s. a lb. for, and get <;ood crops. Pineapples, as
a general rule , yield abundance of fruit, and are worth 2s. a dozen. Mniigoes we can grow in any 4u.a1.1te r .
TLev are the most suitable, vrec.sf or the district, and the fruit averages Is. u"d. a cloztiu. Potnegrauat SB
grow well, but there is no great consumption for the fruit. They grow iu dry nessons. Guavaa do well
here, although they have enemies. Custard apples *to well also.
553:1 Can you make any suggestions by which the industry van be improved, or do you eonfiue yourself
to the statement that irrigation is necessary? That is the principal thing, because we can do nothing
without water. 1 may suggest the practical working of irrigation by having a model farm to show peopls
what could be done with irrigation, and induce them to settle down and pay the Government su much for
the water I do not think you will get the people to settle down until it becomes generally known what
cau be done on a mod el farm. If they saw what a model farm could du, then they would be more eager
to take up the land.
55,34 Of course a model farm would show land irrigated and the effects of it, and land not irrigated and
the effects of it? Ves ; and people would find that there are tunny crops which could be grown here
which they have never even tried. If they could see what could be clone with irrigation tbey would soon
be independent. We want the Government to start the matter. Ranice libre might nlso be grown here,
and the Chiuese grass-cloth does well here. A planter" sent to rue the other clay for 5,000 plants to put
on one of the plantations. Some of the aloes can also be grown for fibre, and we ha\e a banana from
which hemp can be made, which is something like the tnanilla plant. People therefore ueed not be
confined to fruit or grain growing, for there arc many thiDgs which are now imported into the country
which might be grown in the North.
5535. Yon said just now that trees were sold here by auction ? Yes ; they come from Sydney.
553G. Did you ever buy any? Yes.
5537. What h;w been the result ? I have been cautious enough to get pretty good ones, but I have seen
pt-uple jump at some that i have passed over. L did not get many. 1 hail to ytt a few until 1 could
ra ise my own.
553iS. As ft general rule, you would not advise a selector to go to an auction room to buy plants ?
1 have sold my own at; auction, but they were fresh. I do so to raise the wind ecfasinnally — to get sumo
ready fits In
553!). But I mean as a general rule, when the refuse of the uurserieB are collected and put into an auction
room, you would not advise a selector to buy the plants ? No.
5510. A re the whole of your ten acres under cultivation ? Yes; every bit of it.
5511. You could not spare any portion of your ground at present ? No ; I should have to take out □ te
crop to put iu {mother.
5.342. Would you be willing to allow the Government to place a practical agriculturist in your garden
uhe would not" interfere with you, but who could explain matter-' to fanners — would you have any
objection to that? $o ; a.< bug as we did not get to loggerheads. There are ten acres he might work
upon, aud 1 could lease that. There are no buildings or any accommodation on the ten acres for a man
to rOj«idc there.
H KDXESDA T,
164
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAEIN BEFORE THE HOTAL COMMISSION TO TNQVjIBE I^TO
WEDNESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY, 1889.
MACKAT DISTRICT.
(At Habana Plantation.)
Peesest :
W. H. GROOM, Esq.. M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. n. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in tee Chair.
John Bkackenbury examined :
J. 554:?. By the Chairman : You are a farmer liviuy in tins district ? Yes.
Sriekenburj. 15.3 4,4, l-r ow ma ny acres of land do you own ? We do not own any. 'We lease land.
/ — <-A— — > 5545. How many acres do you lease ? 29t acres from Long and .Robertson, of the Habana. Estate.
l3;Feb., 1SS9. 5540. How many acres of that have you cultivated ? About 130.
5517. Upon what terms ha ve you leased this land ? We have leased it for seven years. We pay no
rent for the first two years, and theu £l an acre for all we cultivuto for the remainder of the tune.
5548. By Mr. King : Was this hind improved when you got it? No ; it was bush.
5549. Was it cleared ? No.
5550. Fenced ? No.
5551. Any buildings on it? No; there were none. Mr. Long promised to give us 10s. a ton for the
cane if he cut and carted it, but if we cut and carted it 13s. a ton.
5552. #ut of the 130 acres cultivated how much hare you under cane ? About 115 a«res.
555:3. How many tons of cane did yon deliver last season ? Something over 1,000.
5551. How many acres of cane did you cut last season ? 110, with ratoons and plant cane.
5555. By the Chairman : Did you cut and deliver it ? No.
5556. What price did you get'for it ? 10s. a tou; that is if we trashed it, and if it was untraslied we
got 9s. Some of ours was trashed.
5557. What labour do you employ ? We hare one married couple, and at odd times we have another
white man and also five kanaka boys.
5558. Are they indented to you or do you get them from the estato ? Indented to us. The first lot we
got we obtained from the island, aud their time is up. Some of them have re-engaged. They were
working on other plantations before they came to us.
5550. You are only one of many others in thisdistrict who art growing cane on the same conditions?
Yes; I think they are all under the same agreement.
5560. Are you satisfi ed with the arrrangement entered into between you and Messrs. Long and Robert-
son ? Yes.
5561. Would it be profitable for men to grow cane vv ith white labour ? Well, I do not think so. In fact
I do not think I would like to try ; no, certainly not. It is very difficult to get labour up here; the place
is too scattered, but in time you might get people to work for you.
5562. Have you ever tried to work the land you have leased with white labour? No; not this land. I
leased ground before, but then we only had twenty-seven acresbetween us. We used to cultivate that prin-
cipally ourselves, and when we wanted labour we generally heard of a whiteman. But then we had teamsat
work, and if we had a man we did not like to discharge him at once, but gave him a few weeks' work.
5563. My Air. King . Did you r cultivation last year pay you ? It barely p.aid last year. It was a very
dry year and the crops were light. A man like myself hardly knows whivfc does pay. If I and my
partner take a little wages we make money. We seem to get a little more money every year ; but so we
ought as we keep working away.
5564. You do not keep any regular account of your expenses ? No; I cau only do a little more than
write, and my partner can hardly do that. I do nut know how it would be if we had to go into debt.
Sir. Long stuck to us when we were short of money.
5565. What wages would you expect to get if your partner and yourself went to work ? 25s. a week
with our horses.
5566. Do you think you have cleared that last year after paying for your land ? No ; counting all the time
we Live been there we have not made that. Last year our expenses were nothiug like so much. There
was a snort time when we did without the man, but if we set down everything we Live spent we would not
have made 25s. a week each.
5567. Are you working your horses in addition to yourselves ? Yes.
5568. Have you had auy experience in growing any other kind of tropical produce ? A little maize and
sweet potatoes. We do not grow them now.
5;j09. What do you consider an average crop of maize in idiis district ? It is generally a very poor crop.
5570. How many bushels to the acre do you generally get? Erom fifteen to twenty. The maize does
not do well up here.
5571. What price do you get for the maize ? VVe have been getting from 4s. to 4s. 6d.
5572. AVho do you sell it to? When we were at the Creek we always sold it to the plantation. We
are generally acquainted with those who want maizt and they give whatever price is ruling in Mackay .
5573. It is more advantageous to you to deliver it to the plantatiou than to itake it into Mackay? Yes ;
Mr. Long will take all we have got, aud he allows us town prices. We have not so far to eart it and no
commission or anything to pay.
5.571. Do you sell sweet potatoes? W'cnsed to when we were at iho Creek, but wc have sold very few.
The kanaka, hoys like sweet potatoes. They look for them onco a day, and would sooner have them thau
bread.
5575. What is the average crop of sweet potatoes to the acre ? 10 tons as a rule.
5576. What price do you get for them when you sell them ? When we sold them we got £-1 a ton ; but
I do not know what they are now. £Sor £9 I think.
5577. Who
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
■577. Who do you sell them to ? To the plantations. All the farmers can grow in this district goes to
We have nothing to do but to ask the plantations if they want a thing and they are Brackenbury.
a years.
ivy heavy black soil, and it is quite impossible for
the pi:
geuerally b«uud to want it.
5578. By Mr. Cowley : llow lone; have vou leased this laud? Sevi
5579. Have you ever mid any rent P Yes.
5-580. Regularly? Wo have never paid the full amount.
5:581. How much have you paid? We paid £100 last year ; the year before that £130 and the year
before that something like £70 or £S0.
5.582. Then ilr. Long has forgiven you your rent io a certain extent? Tes ; the seasons have been so
much against us. One year we had no rain; and another year the rain was so heavy we could not get
the crops olt. This year we had a light crop, and I asked Mr. Long for a reduction and he made it
again.
5583. Is not 10s. a ton, staudiug in the field, an exceptionally higli price to pay for c/ino in this district ?
Tes ; I think it is.
5584. l)o yon know of any other grower for this estate who gets 10s. a ton ? No ; I think the price is
from 7s. to 8s., according to the quality of cane. Some of the fanners hnve been delivering it for
something like 10s. or lis. a ton.
5585. Does Mr. Long ever send men to help you if you are iu a fix ? Yes, he has done so.
5586. He sends you "black labour ? Yes. and anything we require ; if I wanted a team of bullocks c
anything else 1 would get it. Some of our ground is very he
the borses to work it.
5587. Has he ever fonnd you any tools, or advanced you money ? Yes ; he advauced money for our first
lot of boys, and he advanced us money for grubbing.
55S8. You say that cane growing would not pay very well with white labour, even when Mr. Long cuts
and delivers ; if he did not do that would you be able to get along at all with white labour ? No.
5:jS9. Not even at the 3s. extra which he allows you? I do not think so. I would not like to make
an agreement to grow cane unless I had the run of those boys. I would not do it if 1 could get a better
job.
5590. Do you do anything else besides farming? No, not now.
5591. J lave you children ? No ; I am not married.
5592. How many horses do you use? About nine — sis for ploughing and one or two for harrowing.
We have more horses, but that is about the number we employ.
5593. Do you find that the kanakas work wt-llfor you, or have you any trouble with them? At times
they are a little trouble, but not much.
559 J. Do you find them suitable for your purposes? Yes, very suitable. They are not very good when
they first come here.
5:395. TJuless you could get black labour you would not enter into a contract to grow cane ? No ; I am
Mire I would not. Of course, this land of Mr. Long's is rather difficult to work, but there is ground
about the lagoons that is not very much trouble to work ; but at the time wo were there we had plenty
of money ; the plantai ions were all starting, and we could make good contracts. The plantations used
to let out contracts for ploughing, and we worked our teams. We had nine teams working a.t The
Palms for a long time. We made over £200.
559U. You made more in those days by contracts than you do now by growing cane ? "By a long way.
That is when we did make money. We do not make any money now. At times we make money, but it
does not come in in the same way as it used to do at that time.
(At Mr. Denman's Selection.)
Euwar» De>~ilax examined :
5597. By the Chairman : What experience have you had in the cultivation of sugar and other t ropical E.Denman.
products? Most of my experience was gained in Demerara. I went there first in April, 18(54. ^ — ^a^— ^
559S. What experience have you had in Queensland ? Seventeen years' experience. 13 Feb., 1889.
5599. AV'hat is the name of your estate ? Etowra.
5600. What is its total area ? 597 acres.
5G01. How much of that is under cultivation ? .At the present time I have only about twenty -five acres
of bananas and fruit trees.
5602. Have you grown any cane since you have been here ? Yes ; I have grown a good deal.
5603- Why are you not growing it now ? Because it does not pay to grow.
5601. Will you explain to us why it does not pay? The reason is the difficulty of getting labour; then
there is the low price of sugar and the uncertainty of the agreemeuta made for crushing cane. #ue
year I grew very nearly 4,0i tons of cane and another year 2,500 tons.
5605. \ ou sold your cane to the neighbouring plantations ? Ves ; part of it.
5606. And how much did you get for it? The first year I got lis. a ton on the ground. That year I
had about 2,500 tons. The next year I had 3,70u tons and 1 got LOs. on the ground.
5607. What labour did you grow it with ? With kanakas. The whole of the work was not done by
kanakas. Part of the cutting and part of the clearing was done by white men.
5608. How many white men had you? It was contract work and I kept no account. I do not keep any
books.
5609. And yet with such a large amount of cane you say you could not make it pay ? It paid in those
days. The labour was cheap and the price fair.
5610. "When did it begin not to pay ? The year afterwards I had to sell at 10s. a ton and cut and cart
the cane to the mill, taking promissorv notes at four months in payment.
5611. And after that jou discontinuix! growing? No; that year a fire took place and about 3.000 tons
were burnt. 1 had taken off about 900 tons. Out of the 3,000 tons burnt, 1,800 were taken to the mill and
crushed, 700 tons that were not burnt remained uncrushed. The next year no cane was crushed at all.
The price was Ss. a ton at the mill. Of course I would not accept that aud I allowed the cane to stand.
The next year 10s. a ton at the mill was offered, and I accepted it, though of course I considered it very
low.
lirSTTES OF EVIDENCE TiKEJT BEFOUE THE EOY\J, COMMISSTOX TO UTQITTBE INTO
E. Denraan. l,,-.v. Tim* rear, after I had taken about 1,000 tons to the mill, the boiler burst aud they stopped crush-
/ — — N l.jT f Hi i last year I took about IdS tons to the mill. A large area w.as left standing and it di.l not pay
is Feb., lssji. hi bother vrltli it. That wis owing, hi a great measure, to the effects of the eyclooe In the early pirt af
the vear and the drought afterwards.
■y>l'}. Th n thia rear you have no caue at all? I have got a lot of cane that will very likely be fitf»rthe
null if they giro 'anything like a fair price for it. I have no labour, and if it goes to the mill they will
have to cut and cart it. 'What I hope to do is to sell a great deal of it for plants.
5813. What is the amount of capital invested in your selection ? That would be hard to say. I may tell
you that all the capital in the selection has come out of the selection. 1 h-ave made the place pay itself.
i>8l-i. Can you give the approximate amount ? T cannot.
5615. Bi/ Mr. King: Ton must have put something into it when you started? Very little. Knowledge
w.as the principal thing— the work that has been done on the place. To put the land under cultivation,
to do wh.it rav tenant and 1 did, that is to cut the scrub, and cleaT and plant it would take about £2,:};)0.
5610. What rate of interest did yon get fur that amount of money invested, say for last year ? Last
yi ar L got nothing. The thing did not pay its way at all. Of course I made more in previous years.
5G17. What were your working expenses tor ? About £10 >. I k»ep no books but 1 know every-
thing pretty nearly.
5< il8. During the years you have spoken of, when you were grow'mgeane aud the mill was taking it, what
labour was employed ? Kanakas.
51519. What were the average w.-jges pa*id to the coloured men ? I have p.aid £17 10s. At one time
the wages neve £0 a ye.ii.-, find then thero was the cost of importation and the return passages.
•5U2Q. Then you consider the kanaka costs £17 10s. per annum, including his rations ? No that is the
amount I pawl last year exclusive of rations.
5021. The bojs you havenow are time-expired boys ? Yes. I pay one £10, another £16 10s., o;ie £17,
ait J one £lSwith rations.
5022 Bif ihe Chairman • What description of labour do you consider most suitable for field work ?
Undoubtedly kanakas. I have hadexperienee of coolies, Chinese, Africans, Portuguese, and Creole blacks,
in IVm. raru. With the exception of the Africans (I mean the liberated slaves brought from Africa)
none of theothera would, in my opinion, be a suitable or desirable class of labourfor Queensland. I consider
the kan: k;. the must suitable labour. I know that Malta has been named as a source of labour supply,
but I have lived there some time and I am convinced that the Maltese w»uld be most unsuitable.
5(523. Haw you employed European labour in field work arid arc Europeans able and williugto do the
work with horsfs and ploughs? In cutting scrub you cannot use horses. I have employed Europeans
at terul' felling uml clearing, and where they understood the work they made fair wages at £2 an acre for
cutting and £7 an acre for cutting and burning off. I would only employ white* labour to cut and burn
off up to t lie end if "February.
5024. })>j Mr. Kiufj : Have you evt>r employed Europeans for trashing, weeding, or hoeing ? ]S"o ; I have
nut 1 have a European just now who does a little hoeing. lie is a most willing man. He came out
under indenture to Mr. Paget, but even with weeding among (he bananas at the top of the hill the man
was quite done up, while the two kanakas showed no signs of distress or f'Aigue whatever.
5025. Do you think tliat Europeans would be willing to do the hand labour amongst the cane ? No : I am
certain they would not. I have no reason whatever t> have any good feeli ug towards the planters; but
wint [ s/n is whit I feel. It is a coivictioii that I have? arrived at after a good many years' experience.
5(j20. By Hie Chairman .* How many acres of cauc do you eultivate for each black labourer employed r
In cultivation would you include cutting, clearing, burning off for planting, weeding, trashing, aud cutting
and loading again for the ruilL
5027. By Mr. Jung ,- Supposing you had 100 a^res of cane, how many black labourers would you require
to ito the v hoh* work ? 1 should say a buy wouli do about three anil n-half acres. He might, under
exceptional circumstances, attend to five acres, but 1 think three and a-half acres would be a fair average.
5G2S. Bi/ tli" CI mi mow : 3u the blacks employed in field labour suffer iu health ? No. Some of them
tire con titutiouully weak when they are introduced, aud require to be kept at very light work. Healthy
idauder- do not suffer. I think it would be a good thing to have a certain chest measurement for
recruits. It is in the chest they fail.
502!). What tropical productions other than sugar can be grown iu this district ? Almost anything,
except cocoa. The climate is not suited to that ; but rice, coffee, tobacco, fibres, and things like that
5030. What labs r would he required to render their growth profitable ? You must have black labour.
SG'.tt. Have you grown any tropical produce besides sugar on your own selection? I have just tried
sufficiei.t to hnnw that they will gi*ow, but not to prove whether they would be payable.
5(532 Can you *-t ite the causes which, in your opiuir»), have d spread d the sugar industry ? I think one
of the cau-es is that many of tiie people engaged in the industry, both managers of estates, cane- growers,
and selectors, kid little uv no experience of the industry when they enteral upon it. A large proportion
of the eipital invested is burrowed capital, and a high rate of interest is paid. Kanaka labour has been
very float- find scarce, and sugar has been low in price. Some years ago the proprietor of a sugar estate
where J had clmge of the mi II, at Inverness, made the reinnrk tome, " There is nothing iu managing a
sng'ir estate. Voti have mdy to look over your neighbour's fence, and do as he dues."
Silii'A. Cui you offer any suggestions by which the industry can bo relieved from its present depression?
As far as sugar growing is concerned, I have done with it af present. In my opinion the only remedy
would be. to allow no mill owner to employ more than fifty kanakas, and no cane grower more than ten.
The mills would then become central factories ; a fair price would be paid for the c;me. and every »ue
with land would grow cant* ; then when we sww the returns published wo would be satisfied that they came
out of the laud, and not out of the banks and syndicates. Thure is another thing 1 would be glad to men-
tion if it i-; out of the w.aj . The agreements in this district to crush cane are simply no good. You
cann o| enforce the agreement aguinstthe. mill owner. If he refuses to take your cane vo uku-eno remedy
agai t in. So ;• ears ago a farmer, whois now a mil! owner, mide i li is 'remark:-— He had been trying
to get what he wasjustly entitled to from tho person who was crushing his e.-ine. and lie said, " ] t appears
to me that an agreement to crush c9De is a mere tissue of fraud."
563 1. Can
THE GEJTEHAT, COTDITIOX OF THE StXGATl rSDUSTlIT T5T Q l ' KKN gT,A?rp.
JU7
5G31. Can you offerany suggestions £ nr the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing? K- D™w«ti.
Well, fruit growing does not pay. 1 am devoting my attention now to fruitgrowing. Last year the return f —
would not pay two kanakas' wages, although I employed seven. My opinion is that we ought to Btick to 13 fvh.> 1889
what wt' know, and what has been proved. In my opinion sugar cane is the most reliable crop, ani it is
adapted above all other tropical products to Northern Queensland; but it is also the crop that require*
the moat labour, and the cheapest labour too. I think it would be best to stick to the industry we know
eometliing of. My first experience in connection with mills here was with a Mr. J. E. Payne. When I
came out here I took charge of his mill. Mr. Spiller offered Mr. Payne ten kanakas by some vessel that
was bringing them, but Mr. Payne considered that white labour was more suitable and cheaper. He got
twelve Danes and Scandinavians and Germans from a vessel that came into Bowen in July, 1872. The
labourers were paid £25, one ploughman £28, and a blacksmith £.52 I found it utterly impossible to
do the work, even in the mill, w ith white iabour. Of course, when one man gave it up another would he
quite billing to try it, but they nil gave it up, and especially the firing under the coppers. It ended in
my having to employ two ka nakas to attend to the battery, for which we had to pay 25s. a week each,
k'sidesi their rations, and we had to get aboriginals to attend to the cane carrier.
5035. By Mr. King : Then it is your opinion that sugar cane cannot be profitably grown without hlack
labour? Tea ; not only in i he lieM, but in some works in the mill. I would not attempt to do it myself,
antl the labour must lie cheaper than it is now.
5636. You said just now that cocoa wouldn«t grow here — for what reason ? The climate is not suitable.
It is not humid enough. The cold weather would kill it-
5G37. Two or three hundred miles further north where there is more wet. it might grow ? It might, but
1 am speaking of this district; I still think that sugar would be far better, because cocoa is a delicate
plant, and a storm that might do very little damage to sugar cane would wipe out a cocoa plautation.
5038. What do you do with the fruit you grow ? I sell most of it in town. A gre;it many of the trees
are not in bearing yet. I am growing more than I can get a market for if it was all in full bearing. Abrub
£tfOO worth of fruit was destroyed last year by the cyclone.
563t>. Have you exported any to the southern ports ? N o; 1 know others who havedone so, and ithas n»t
paid. Fruit exportation will have to be done in a dry state. I know a man who sent aome limes, I think
to llocklmmpton, and the account sales left him in debt.
5010. What price do you get fir your mangoes locally ? About Gd. a dozen. I supply a shop regularly,
ami have a better way of getting rid of the fruit than others.
5G4L. Can you dispose of all your mangoes? No: not in Macka.y. This year is the year that mangoes
should not bear. They bear every «ther year, but owing to the drought there has been a good crop. The
drought has favoured the niaugoeV
5012. What price do you get for your bananas ? M. a dozen.
5<wA3. Can you dispose of all you grow at that price ? At a time like this we might sell several hundred
dozen a week, but now I have not got many.
501 1. What other fruit trees ;tre you growing ? Liint-s, oranges, and custard apples.
5tf45. Do they ail thrive and bear well? Yes. What I intend to go in for in»re are limes. There is a
chance. I. do not see why we should not make as good limejuice as they make iu Montscrrat.
3t>lG. Jiy Mr. Canity • Yaw say you would limit the number of kanakas to ten to each farmer. Accord-
ing to your showing they could cultivate about 35 acres. Would a farmer make a living off 3.5 acres
of cane ? 1 f well attended to.
5017. What price would you expect to get for the caoe ? I should expect 12s. on the ground or 15s. at
the mill.
SOiy. Don't you know that it is utterly impossible for the planter to givethat? No I do not. He can
make a ton of Bugarout of ten tons of cane ; 15s. a tou delivered at the mill would mean £7 10s. on a
ton of sugar ; a, ton of sugar should be manufactured for £2.
5Gtn. What is the cost of labour iu Deinerara? It is all contract work.
5(!50. What class of lahour is employed ? Coolies.
5651.. What in thftir average rate of wages per day ? I could not say exactly. It depends upon the kind
of work they are doing. The people working in the buildings would get 48 cents or two slullings a day.
Some would get more.
5G52. Any rations? No rations.
."iG53. Is thiit not about 100 per cent, less than is paid here ? 1 don't think so.
56.54. Don't white men get more than that ? There are no white men employed in the mill on some of
the plantations.
5G55. Rations have to be given in as well? Yes ; but you have one advantage here — that you can use
implements.
5656. 1 am speaking of the mill now. You say that in Demarara the labourers get 2s. a day in the mill,
niifi no rations. That is 200 per cent, less than the men get here? No; the kanakas cost about 2s. Gd.
a day here, and they do most of the work.
5657. The bulk of the men in the mill are white men are they not ? Not in the mills I have had to do
with.
5f >-"» S . Do you think a suftcicnt number of small farmers could be g»t to supply a mill of a capacity oE
2,000 tons if the farmers were restricted to 10 men and die mill to 50 ? Yes ; the selectors would let
out their land. Mr. Long can get any quantity of people to grow for him.
50;>9. How many has he now ? lie has refused a good many. Jle has about nine. The greatest draw-
back in this district is the agreement. The agreements here are not binding. The mauager of Farleigh
made agreements some years ago. and carried them out for three years, but then the owners turned round
and said their power of attorney had been exceeded, and thty refused to carry out the agreement. On
the; other hand, if sugar had gone up in price, the cane grower would not have been allowed to back out
of Ins agreement. If a manager or attorney makes an agreement it should be binding against mort-
gagees or proprietors.
5(3(>0. Then when the planters buy cane at 10s. a ton delivered you consider they are making a great
profit ? I think s#.
5661. You
16S
MTNFTES OF ETTDENCE TAXEJf BEFOHE THE TIOT.NL COMMISSnVNT TO EfQUTBE IKTO
E. Denman. 5GG1. You think there .tregood prospects of the central manufactories succeeding? It will depend upon
z^""*"-*— *"~\ the land and the crops grown. The mill maybe good, but the land not suitable. Then a great deal
13 Feb. ; 18S0. depends upon the management. As far as the central mills are concerned they might n«t do very well,
but it will be more their own fault.
5662. If it is a co-operative affair will not men get the best terms ? My experience is that the farmers
'(rill not co-operate for their own interests. I know there is no market here for cane. If I do not send
my cane to one mill the next mill will not take it
(At Nindaroo Plantation.)
Celestin Dupuf examined :
C. Dupuy. J5(5f;3. By the Chairman : Tou are a native of France ? i T es ; of southern France.
r — — X 5661. Are you a naturalised subject ? Yes ; I have been for eighteen years.
13 Feb., 18S9. 566'i. You 'are a selector in the Mackay district ? Yes ; ] have ISO acres ;ilong the beach.
5666. How much of it have you cultivated? I have cultivated 180 acres of cane, but now I have ouly 25
acres planted this year.
5067. How long bave you been growing cane ? Since 1883.
5668. What return did you get in 1883 for your cane ? I had nbout IS tons per acre.
5669. What did you get per ton? 14s.
5670. Delivered at the mill ? Yes.
5671. What did you get in 1884? In 1883-4, l is., and in 1SS5-6, 10s.
5672. How many tons did you get in 1S85 ? At t hat time I had 130 acres. I had about 18 tous to the
acre.
567'3. What did you have in 18S6-7 ? In that year the cane wa* burnt. I had some white men who were
not satisfied with cutting and loading cane at 2s. 6d. a ton, and they burnt my cane. This year I lost my
cane. It did not pay to cut it and I left it in the field. That was in consequence of there being such a
light crop. 1 have been ratooning for three years.
5674. Tin- yo;ir you have only 25 acres planted? Yes.
5675. What labour do you employ? I have four kanaka boyt;, and I employ one white man. The white
man is so uncertain in this country. He is never satisfied.
5676. What amount of capital is invested in your selection? About £12 an acre for grubbing and
planting.
5677. That is about £1,300 altogether ? Yes.
5678. What about the buildings? They arc not very large. The roof is only straw. The stables and
buildings would cost about £300 ; itmight be a little more or less. I have lost altogether £5,000. Every
year 1 have had the selection I have lost money.
5679. What labour do you consider the best for growing sugar cane? If we do n»t h«ve cheap labourin
this country it is no use g»ing in for growing sugar enne. H\ eryone will be bankrupt. You cannot
depend upon white men. I had eight or ten white mens and when I most wanted them they went away.
Tlu> country is dead if you do not have cheap labour.
5680. By Mr. Cowley : Are you a. member of the Farmers' Association ? Not yet. They told me to come
and I should join.
5681. Would it pay you to grow and deliver cane at 10s. a tou if you could getSouth Sea Islanders?
Certainly. There is no doubt at all. You cannot depend upon white men. I know by my experience that
if you do not have cheap labour the country is dead I do not speak altogether for myself.
5682. By He Chairman -. Arc you growinganything else besiiles sugar ? I am growing wine. It is only
since 18S2 1 commenced growing sugar.
5683. Ha vr many vines have you ? Only two acres. I neglected the vines for growing sugar, and I am
going to plant them again.
5684. Nasi the growing of vines been a success ? Yes ; but the rainy season comes too enrly. Sometimes
the grapes are not ripe in January, and the rain ruins them. I have made wine from Miulberries. I have
about four acres of mulberries planted.
5685. Are you able to sell your grapes in Mackay ? There is no good market. Nearly everybody has
goue away. About five or six years ago I could sell plenty at Is. and Is. 6d. a lb.
5(586. And not now? Well, very few. Now they are only 6d. and 4d. a lb. Nobody has anv money.
5687. And you are making the grapes into wine? Yes; I mado seventeen quarter-casks of wine, and
lost them through the burning of my cellar.
5688. Are your orange trees a success ? Yes ; they grow very well, but I have neglected everything for
the came.
5689. Now yo» are turning your attention to fruit growing? Yes ; I am going to plant caue if I have
labour, because tlio sugar is more profitable than anything else.
50DO. By Mr. Cowley. From your experience as a wine grower, do you think the maugo juice w»uM
mike wine? I could not toll, 1 have mado the best wine from mulberries.
Douglas Gladstone examined:
D. G-Wlstone. 5691. By ike Ckaivvir/n : You are a selector in this district? Yes.
/ — — s 5692. Are you a member of the Mackay Farmers Association? No; I am not.
13 Feb ,1889 5693. What is the area of your selection ? Eighty acres.
5694. IIoDjestead ? Yes.
56f)5. I fow much have you cultivated ? About twenty-live acres.
569f5. "What are you growing ? I am growing niaizf now.
5l;07. Have yo u grown any other crop belles maize ? Yes ; I have been growing cane for vears.
5Ci98. "When y u u were growing cane on your selection, was it a success ? So; it was not.
5699. What was the cause of it not being a success ? I put it dow n principally to the price of labour.
I could not make anything out of it.
5700. How
TIIE SEKEllAIi CONDITION OF THE sr/GAK TNDTT9TEY IN QTJEBN8I/AJTD.
169
£5700. How many acres of cane had you ? About forty acres. I was growing cane on some leased ground. Gladstone.
5701. Then, in addition to your homestead, you had a quantity of leased land ? Yes ; and grew altogether ^— ^-a— >^
thirty or forty acres of cane. 13 Feb., 1889.
5702. What was the yield of cane per acre ? From 20 to 30 tons.
5703. What price did you get for it ? 13s. delivered at the mill.
5704. How did you eome to discontinue growing cane ? It would not pi.y me. I lost money over it.
5705. By Mr. King : At 13s. a ton did you lose money ? Yes. I had t o carl, it, ami it did not pay at all.
5706. By Mr. Cowley .- What distance had you to cart it ? live miles.
5707. What labour did you use ? White men anil kanakas.
5708. Could you give the proportion ? More white men than kanakas I had at the time.
5700. Were they cutting and loading ? Yes.
5710. By Mr. King : What is your average crop of maize ? About 20 bushels to the acre.
5711. What price do you get for it ? Sometimes I have got as low a3 Is. 9d. a bushel for it.
5712. What is the average price? About 3s. 3d. is the usual price.
5713. Whom do you sell it to ? The planters, and sometimes in town.
5714. Supposing that the sugar plantations were shut up, would that affect you as a grower of maize?
Yes ; 1 might as well grow nothing.
5715. By M>: Cowley : Do you owe your failure in sugar growing to laving to pay white men? I put it
down to having no reliable labour. You cannot get labour. Even last week I tried to get a white
man, offering him from 15s. to 20s. a week, and he laughed at me. lie saidthere had been plenty of rain,
and he thought wages ought to be higher.
571G. By Mr. King : What capital have you invested in your selection ? That is a thing I could not
tell.
5717. Wliat has it cost you up to the present time ? I could not say at all.
571S. By Die Clmirman : How long have you had the homestead selection ? Eighteen years.
5719. Then you have made a freehold of it? Yes ; long ago. But I have not made a single cent since
I have been here. I a in worse off now than when I came here.
5720. And have been working hard all those years ? Yes; and uot a man worked harder.
5721. By Mr. King : Have you got a family ? No.
5722. By ilie Chairman : After having had experience in growing cane in this district, what do you
consider the most suitable labour for the cane field. Kanakas arc far the best. The one thing we want
is reliable labour, and you cannot have tkat with white men.
5723. By Mr. Cowley .- Is your land under the plough ? Yes.
5724. How much of it is under the plough ? About thirty acres.
5725. Can yon work that by yourself with the assistance of kanakas? I can work it with one plough-
man and myself.
572t>. It would take you and another white man to work it — if you could get sufficient kanakas to do the
whole of the work but the ploughing, would it pay you ? A man would make something out of it. He
would not make a great deal. There is another objection to my growing cane, and that is because I am
so far away from the mill. Of course I could make a little out of it. It would pay better than anything
else to grow cane,
5727. By the Chairman : Have you grown any fruit trees ? Yes.
5728. Were they a success ? The flying-foxes always eat everything. I had about 3 tons of grapes last
year, and tins year they ate every grape there was.
5729. Does the vine succeed here well ? In some years, and in some years it does not. The flying-f oxes
come in millions. You cannot s?ee the sky at night time, they* are so thick. Mangoes aud custard apples
they take in exactly the same way. This year they have taken the pineapples, and they are known
to havo taken the young cocoanuts. What we want in tiis distiict is very reliable labour, such as kanakas
who will engage for a term of years. If you have to pay £30 a head it is too dear, and you cannot make
anything out of them at all. If we could get kanakas for about £10 a head, as we used to do, we could
make cane growing pay.
THURSDAY, 14 FEBRUARY, 1889.
MACKAY »ISTKICT.
(At Homebush Plantation.)
Present :
W. IT. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Earn., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Neils Phteeson examined :
5730. By th« Chairman : You urea member of the Mackay Farmers' Association ? Yes. ^ Peterson
5731. And you are one of the members chosen to give evidence before this Commission ? I was asked ^^^J^l^
5732° *By Mr. Kinq : Are you one of the shareholders of the Central Mill ? > T o ; I am not connected 14 Fot '> 1889 -
with the Central Mill.
5733. By the Chairman : You are a selector rt-sidiug in the Homebush district ? Yes.
5734. What is the area of your selection? 141 acres.
57;i5. How many acres have you under cultivation ? Eighty.
5734). Wkal are you cultivating ? Principally sugar. I have seventy acres under cane this year and ten
acres under maize.
5737. How
m?TT7TE8 OF ETICES CE TATC¥>- BEFORE THE EOYAL COM'.rTSSrOK TO TXQUIBE IXTO
Peterson. 5737. How long haveyou be«n growing carle ? Seven years,
v. — N 57.1s, How have you ui^posed of it? I bare sold it to Homebusli.
., lf^P, ;,7:i:i. What has beeu your average crop? if I did not include it would be about IS tons per
acre.
57*0. What was the crop in IS'sS ? -A bout G tons to the acre.
571! . What did vou get per ton for it ? 10s.
57-) ± Delivered at the mill ? Xo ; the.j to»k it off the field.
57i:i. By Mr. King : Thev cut it ? Yes they are not paying that now.
57 H AY 1 hat is the price they t^ive uow ? The new agreement is for lis. a ton, and the grower delivers
it on the main line.
5715. Is that better or worse than the old agreement ? Far worse, because as the? crop was last yearyou
could not even take it off at 3ft. a ton.
574(5. What du you re, kon with a fair crop the cutting and delivering would cost you according to the
tU'W agreement ? Ton could do it for 3s. a ton ; that is to say, by gettiug reliable labour.
5747. Then the new agreement is 2s. a ton worse than the old one? Yes.
574S. Jit/ the. Chairman : What was the cause of the Ji^lit crop in 1888 ? The principal cause wax the
drought, and if we had had sufficient rams the grubs would not have troubled us :it all. They were only
in a few patches.
•^7-19. What labour do yon employ in growing your cane ? Kanakas and one white man.
57.50. 1 low many kanakas ? Four.
5751. Are they indented to you or are they time-espired boys? "When I started I had four iudented
boys. Since then I have hai time-expii-ed boys.
5752. What w.iiies do you give the time-expired hoys ? £15 is the general wages, but then there is £1
hospital fee, ami £5 return passage money, which you have a chance of getting back if the boy engages
again.
5753. Wliat waaes do you par to the Europeans you employ ? £ 1 a week and rations.
5751. What description of labour do yon consider the most suitable for the cane field'- Kanakas.
575."). Would a white man at £1 a week do as miich work as a kanaka at £15 a year? Hi one way; the
work that the kanaka* do is m,f suitable for white meu ; they would not take it. If white men are
pushed thev will Take a contract, but it' they seeam iliing else sticking out they might leaxe off in the middle
♦f tln-ir work or go on the spree. They vvill not take the work the kanakas are doing so long as they eau
get anything c Ise There are certain parte of the work which are right enough f»r white men, but when
it comes to during, trashing, and cutting, those occupa tions are u»l suiiable f»r awhite man in this climate.
-1750. Has the growing of cane so far been profitable to you r In one sort of way it kas, until last year.
la#i year 1 lost heavily.
57S7. Wliat has your seleclion cost you altogether— what capital have you invested in it? £1,000.
f)7.">s. Hftvc yi»u received interest on" that outlay beside* supporting yourself and family ? ^fo.
575H. Supposing that tie importation of kanakas ceases on the 31st December, 1S90, w hat effect is that
lil««iy to have upon yen f I will have to stop altogrther; I could not work. Even last year I lost with
luuiakas. I worked'very nurd myself all the time, and had very little white labour, and I still lost about
£200. With a season like lasi year it does not even pay with kanakas.
57l>(>. Veil use ploughs mid other agricultural implements in cultivating your ground ? Yes ; all sorts of
implements to do the work in a proper manner.
5701. You came from Denmark ? No: Sweden.
'o7y>2. Do you think your own countrymen would do the work you aa-e doing ? Yes ; the same work that
I am doing, but I am not hoeing or trashing. I am simply looking after the horse work — ploughing and
harrowing.
57UU. \Y ould you care to put your countrymen at the work that the kanakas do ? Xo ; because they can
ilo b»ltfcr at holm*. Sugar cane cannot be grown witiiout cheap reliable labour, and that cannot be
depended upon with uhite meu If a white man worked tor 8s. or 9s. a week and if he was married he
coul J not live fere. He could live better at home. It ^ould not pay my countrymen to come here. We
would r.uher tell them to stay where they are-
57(51. Js the opinion tliatyou have now expressed, the opinion of the members of the Farmer's Association?
I cannot : answer for them'ali, but I think it is. They have uot had a meeting to discuss that point, but
1 hat is the opinion of a great number of them.
5G7.7>. You werenr ^authorised to state that for the Association ? No ; that is my own opinion.
570(3. Bji M< . Kin// : What are the wages of an agricultural labourer in your country ? 1 could uot say
uh.'it i he wages are at present. Hi ere are different wage?. About 100 dollars were the wages for a good
man when 1 left Inme. flu-re are eighteen rix-dolfars to the pound. 1 have heard siuce that they
get more, but I am not sure.
57(57. '1 hat: is about £.3 l()s. a year ? Yes; and rations. That is what they got when I was at home,
but that is about twenty years "ago.
57(j.S. ll;«e you been aide to get as much kanaka labour as you w< anted? Yes.
57G9. II' y,.)U got as much kanaka labour as you wanted, would you bo able to gro^v cane at the price tho
company are n iw offering ? No ; 1 would not. It would he right enough in a fair season if you could
rdy upun n fair crop of [H tons to the acre. Ton could just pull through then, but there would he
nothing ro gum by ii. My opinion is fh at the cane is worth more than they are giv ing for it. Then
again, we are subject to ill-treatment by toe mills. For iu stance-, delay in taking off the crop. They
kept me three months before taking the crop off. and the season before a lot was thrown awav.
5770. In any centra! null that would be the case, would it not. They cannot tuke all the cane at once?
In some cases it eould be t iken. but there is often mismanagement." lo a season with heavy frost the
stripped c me is killed quicker than thu untrashed cane, ami if the cane is neglected you get nothing out
of it.
5771. ByM,: Coidcy • How many white men do you employ besides yourself? One, and not all the
year round.
5772. Have you a family ? j*o.
S»773 What do you do with the maize you £row ? I feed my own horses with it and sell some. I have
:io* i;rosMi much before this season. The first year 1 grew three or four acres. Of course I grow sweet
potatvea lor my own use. 5774. In
THK fIFVI'TlAL COXDITTOV OF TTTK SUGAS rVDTJSTTlT TW QFTEXSr. \XT».
171
5774. Tn the <>yont of l-Tomebush mill closing what would be the result to you ? I would hare to do the w - "Prt*Mon.
best I '.wild for a living. ^— ^v^-— ^
5775. Is there anything el»e yon eoulil grow for a living? i daresay, with one fhmg and another, [ u F.'k, 1-M9.
might make a Jivinir: with cattle and fruit trees, and ore thing ftncl another. In fart, that would be
move to be depended 011 than Niigm - ,
577'Ij. If you could, gift kanakiw at £(> a year, could you grow c me at lis a ton ? Yes; but I H aid
rather have tin: kanakas I am paying £15 a year to than tho.se- I am paying £(>. The first year I got
four, one \\"A9 a gin atirl one died, so that I lust £1(5. .Another was not exactly fit for the work. Those
four cost me more at £C> a head than the overtime boys do at £f.">. because the overtime boys are used to
the climate and are healthy and d o their work. Tou do nut ii"od to show them and stand and w.atch
them. If I have old boys used to the work I tell 1hem 1o go otit into the held, ami they stop there with-
out watching so long a-* you treat them prvparly. In fact they are mor j happy th;m their masters.
5777. Do any of these men plough or scarify? Not plough, they scarify.
5778. TlicV work the Imrso hoe between the cane ? Yes.
577!). Hi/ the tVtfiiniw.it .- In the event of sugar failing, are (Iu»reany other articles of produce that you
could gruw ? 1 ilar* my there are, but we do not know ivally what we eoulil grow. We should have to
gain our experiencr lirsi
5/S(>. By Mr. Gowhjj : In the event of you being aWr> to grow anything, could yon grow with white
labour only ? It depends upon what we were growing. Truit traces l' dare say y«u could grow, but I
have had no experience with them and I th» not know how it would pay. I have some orange trees and
they seem to grow very wcdl.
5781. How suv ynii paid for your caiic ? I am paid for it when i( is delivered at the mill. W"e can get
money 111 advance if wo n.sk for it, hut if not we are paid cadi on delivery.
5782 How much advance will the coinp/iny give you at the crop? I forget the principle of it.
578.1 Does the advance, whatever it nay be, bear interest ? They charge per cent, interest. 1 have
not had any money from them in advance for some Years.
5781. Do you do any work besides cane growing or do you confine your labour to your owi subition?
I work ou my own place.
5785. H y the Cktih'unan : You said just now that the wages of an agricultural labourer in Sw eden were
£5 10s. a year and rations ? That na~ twenty years ago.
5786. Don't you think that many of your countrymen would co ne out to Mackay when the wages are
£.52 a year and rations ? We could not afford to pay that. Those are the wages of ploughmen. When
ue come to the weeding, hoeing, and trashing, sut-h as the kanakas arc doing, we could not afford to pay
a white null] m»re than 8s. a week. If we cannotget some cheap labour we cannot get along. We could
not pay the present labour £l per week. If each man was paid alike the general w ages would be some-
thing like H)s. a week. The kanakas work for small wages and suit the work battel- than white men, and
so wo c;in afford to pay white men more.
5787. Von said yon did not think you were getting a su Indent price for the cane? The new agreement
price is iml, m illicit -lit. Mv agreement is for 1.0*. a ton ami llin company takes it off.
5788. Would not the central 'mill cure that dillieultv ? I mini it s 00 how it ouuM. Before the central
mill was siuHcd I saw » statement about an average ump Imin { :«•'» ton s to the ivre, but that Is all false.
That might have been the crop one reason, hut it. is nol t\t» nvorago. We could all stmte thai; we have had
an acre that gave 10 tons, but what is the use of that when all the other ground yields is 12 tons to the
acre. I saw that statement made and I consider it is wiong.
0789. Then you clo not think the central mill will improve the position of the sugar growers ? I think it
will do a great deal towards it. ffodoubt the central mill willgivoas much as can be given to the
farmers who arc growing cane for it. An it was before the planters had it all in their »wn hands. If I
was a farmer close to ;i mill, 1 had to depend upon that mill only, ami the planter gave me 7s. or 8s. or 9s.
a ton fiir my cane, and I had to sell it or let it stand. As it is now, the central nulls will be in opposition,
and will he able to fix tin- price of cune.
5790. By Mr. CM>le// : If thciv are any pruftfrs of course the shareholders get their share? Yes.
5701. T'liev have to bear their share of the loss as well? Yes; and a great oue, too. If they get favourable
seasons they would staud a bettor show.
IiouEirr Newman "Bhtdqemax examined :
5792. By the CfmfmtM i You are a selector living in this district? I have been. I am an employu of N -
the Com pany now. I am assistant agricultural manager at Hoinobush. ' scm
5793. Bi/Mr. Kinij : You had a selection? Yes; 1 have been growing cane on my selection, until this
year, fee the List fifteen or sixteen years, but bad seasons compelled me to sell the selection. 1 *■**>"■■ *
571)* What was the area of your selection ? 1,71-3 acres.
5795. "Whaf did you do v\ilh it? I grew 200 acres of cane, and beforo I came to ldomebush I was
growing cane ami tobacco near to Maekay.
570U. What has become of your selection ? I sold it to the company.
5707. Why Aid you sell ii ?' I could not afford to carry it on any longer. I lost all tli€» capital I had,
and with Uiul nroshorts I considered it better to sell to tlie company when they give me a good offer.
5798. How much did you lose on it? 1 lost in reality about £1,(50(3 and I wuh in debt about £7,000.
I put T 1 ,000 t iteli into the selection when I started in ' 1881, and I wis £7,00 ) in debt when I left it in
1888.
5799. What did yon do with your carte ? I sold it to the company. 1 had a contract with them.
5800. .\f what pi-ice? 12s. a" ton delivered ou the trucks. Ihe compiny laid the line of (J5p yards, and
I Contracted the sitine as other selectors did,
5801. Could you not make it par at 12s. a ton ? One season when I had a good crop I made a little;
hut then f do not think I made 'A per cent, on my capital. I cleared expenses and had a few pounds
to carrv ou For another year; but [ was getting lo.ep'er into debt,
58U2. VMmt labour did you employ? 1 generally kept four while men for ploughing, mid thirty-five
kanakas when I started. " .As their time expired I conldnut afford to engage others, and hired them from
the company at the. usual rate of £L a week. One year I had Javanese and another season Chinese to
take oil* the crop ; but they were a failure. 5803. What
172
JIiyrTES OP EVIDENCE TAKES' BEFOttE THE BOTAE CO?nfIS8rO?T TO INQUIBE CJTO
R If- 5S03. mat do you consider the most suitable labour for field work ? Kanaka labour is the ouly labour
BrHeeman. j ]wve ever met :' w ith yet that could do the work to advautage at all. I tried whites on oue occasiou, and
f A n I think thev were the worst of anr. I had fourteen new chums, but they were very much of a failure.
14.Eeb., 1S8». 5g04. Would it be possible, in your opinion, to grow cane with white labour ouly ? I tliink it would be
utterly impossible- _ _
" •»«- n —.1 TT 1_ _ J - : ,~ *-^K„™^n 9 Voe'. ¥r,T rfron roars
number of other growers.
5807. Did that pay? The manufacture paid very well, but the growing did not. A small selector with
a family of three or four could groMf a couple of acres very profitably , with the children to attend to it.
To grow tobacco you want a lot of small cheap labour.
5808. What crop did you get on an average per acre ? About a quarter of a ton. The heaviest crop I
ever had was half-a-tou to the acre, and the lightest, ten pounds.
58»9. What price did you pay for tobacco to other growers ? I paid an average of Is. a pound. There
were iu those days a great many people manufacturing tobacco. 1 got 3s. a pound at that time ; but at
preseut the same tobacco sells for Is. 8d.
5810. Did you ever employ a goad mauy aboriginals ? Yes.
5811. Did "they assist you "materially Y Y»u could not depeud upon them. If oue could get a mob and
keep them a month, they would do very well, but they got discontented and cleared out.
5812. After your seveu years' experience in tobacco growing do you think it would pay white men to grow
it ? Small selectors might grow small quantities. I think a man could make a living out of rt.
5813. That is always providing he has his children to do the light labour ? Yes, or other meaus of getting
cheap labour wheu he wants it.
581-4. By Mr Kini) .- Had tou auy experience in tobacco growing before ? No; I never saw a leaf of
tobacco growiug before I started in Mackay in 1873.
5815. Was your tobacco examined by experts ? I gained a prize at the show two or three times, and in
Sydney I got a certificate of merit, but no prize. It was tobacco that a man who could uot afford to
smoke anything else used to smoke, and say it was very good.
5816. But did you never submit your leaf to auy judges ? No ; during the time I was growing it I never
met an expert.
5817. By Mr, Cowley .- Did you ever sell auy leaf in the Sydney or Brisbane market? No, the manufac-
turer I had was supposed to be a.n expert, and he always considered my leaf very good.
5818. By the Chairman: Do you know that iu several parts of New South Wales, and at Texas in Queens-
land, tobacco can be grown easily by the white population? I have heard so.
5819. Tf it can be grown profitably there by white labour, why not here ? Probably their seasons arc
more regular, and they cau depend upon a regular raiufall. The seasou we had half a tou to the acre we
had thuuderstorms twice a week.
5820 There are several million pouuds of tobacco leaf grown annually in New South Wales. Surely, if
it cau be growu there, it can be growu here ? 1 suppose the district is more thickly populated there, and
they eun get children or men just wheu they are wanted, l'ou only require labour perhaps for a mouth.
5821. When si mau says, " I will not do anythiu;; unless you give me blacls labour," when he kuows other
thiugs cau be growu by white labour, what can you think of him? I am not a stickler for black labour.
If we were uear a large towu where we could send to an orphanage or benevoleut asylum for a lot of old
women or men or children, theu we might grow tobacco.
5822. But the labour is doue by strong, stalwart meu in New South Wales, and why not here ? I am
not aware of it
5823. By Mr. Chvcley : Have you had any experience of New South "Wales ? Not of agricultural land.
5821. Is not iusect life more abundaut here? I should think so, from what I remember. The district I
was living in in New South Wales was oue of the driest.
5825. Does not a great part of the labour iu tobacco growiug consist of picking off the grubs ? Yes ; a
child of three years old can do as much as a growu man. When I was growing I also employed a large
flock of turkeys to pick off the grubs.
0. Matsen. 5826. By the Chairman .- Are you a member of the Farmers' Association ? No, I am not.
/— ^v^—- ^ 5827. You are a selector living in the Homebush district? I have a farm on lease for five years.
14 Feb.,1889. 5828. From whom do you lease the land ? Mr. A. Diehm, of Mackay.
582!). He is a fellow couutr yman of yours ? No, he is a German and I am a Dane.
58.30. What d« you grow on this leased farm ? Sugar eane.
583L. ITow mauy acres have you under cultivation ? I have fifty acres under caue, and I sun getting
about tweuty-five more under tillage.
5832. How long have you been growing cane? For two year*;.
5833. Have you sold a crop yet? Yes; two crops.
5SH4. Who did you sell it to ? The Homcbunh (Ympauy.
5835. What did' you get for it ? lis. a tou.
5836. AVhat was your average crop of sugar cane per acre ? The first year I had altogether a little over
200 tous, and last year I had 280 tons.
5837- By Mr. King .- How mauy acres did you cut last year ? Twenty-two acres.
5838. By the Ckairman .- What labour did you employ ? I kivl four kanaka boys and myBelf.
5839. Have you a family? Yes; 1 have a wife aud family.
5840. Were your labourers time-expired bovs? Yes.
584T. What wages did you give them ? £15 a year.
5842. You employed no white men ? I had a white man therefor three months in 1888.
5813. Would it pay you to grow sugar cane at lls.a ton with white labour ? No ; it would not. It could
not be doue.
5844. Supposing you were not able to get kanakas, what would you grow then ? I would haveJto.give
up cane growing and tackle somethiug else.
Ole Matsex examined:
5845. You
'Jill! GENEBAJ, CONDITION OF THE SUOAIt INDUSTRY IX QCEEXSL Alf D. 173
5845. Tou would not undertake to lease the land and grow cane without kanaka labour? I would not, 0. Mat9*n.
and I could not. f-
5846. By Mr. Cowley : What rent do you pay ? I have to pay 2s. a tou to Mr. Diehtn for the use of 14 Feb., 1889.
the hind.
5847. By Mr. King: What are the wages of an agricultural labourer in Denmark? They were £8 or
£9 a year seventeen years ago.
5848. And rations? Yes.
58 19. If you could get those men out here, would they be able to do the work that kanakas are doing
now — would they be willing? They could not do it and they would not be willing. I have seen white
men working here without :my success whatever. In 1874 I was on the Pioneer. They were without
kanakas for ten months and about 150 white men were employed, but it was almost impossible to get the
work done at the lime. The only way in which white labour will pay is by contract, but you cannot get
the field work done to satisfaction. For cutting firewood and fencing they are alright, but for field work
white men are not suitable.
58.jO. How many acres do you lease? For what I clear I have nothing to pay, but the land that was
cleared when 1 took it I pay rent for.
5851. Bi/ Mr. Ki.ni/ : If you wore not farm i tit; yourself and were looking for a job w«ukl you take work
at 1kh*« g, or trashing, or weeding cane ? If compelled to do so. If 1. con Id get nothing else I should
liave to do it. Otherwise I would leave tlie district before 1 would tackle it. The only work that is
suitable for Europeans in this district is working the horses and ploughing.
Hans Christian Chmstison, examined :
5852. Bij the Chairman : A re you a farmer residing in the Homebush district ? Yes. H. C.
5853. \Vhat is the extent of your selection ? Only sixty acres. Christian.
5854. Is that a homestead? No, I purchased it. ^-^_a_^— N
5855. How mauy acres out of the sixty have you cultivated? I have twenty-five acres cultivated and 14Feb.,1889.
thirty acres reuted from another man.
5S5U. Wlmt are you g rowing ? Sugar-cane.
5857. On the whole fifty-five acres? I have forty acres to crush every year.
5858. Do you crush the cane or sell it? I sell it at Homebush mill.
;>859. Whatlias been your average yield of cane per acre ? From 18 to 20 tons per acre
5S60. And last year? That lias been the average all through.
5861. What price do you get for it? I h<ave had 8s. a ton for the last two years. Before thn.t I was
getting 10s. When getting 10s. I had to cut and load it.
5802. You do not cut and load it for 8s. ? No ; if I cut and load it now they give me lis,
58(53. What labour do yon employ in growing the sugar cane ? I am employiog kanaka boys, and I have
a few boys of my own.
5K64', You have a grown-up family? Yes.
5865. By Mr. King: Are you working on the selection yourself? Ycsi.
5866. How many of your sous are working with you ? There are two.
5867. How many kananas have you employed ? At the present time I have two, but I have had one at
other times.
5808. A re they time expired boys ? Yea.
5869. What do you pay thein? £15 a year and rations ; £1 for hospital fee, aud 2s. 6d. agreement.
5870. What do you consider the most reliable labour for growing sugar cane ? Kanaka boys. I have
tried white labour for cutting cane, but it is not reliable? Sometimes two or three were away for a day
or two drinking.
5871. By Mr. Cnolcy : Can your ownjsous do the work that the kanakas are doiug ? Yes ; they have
done so.
5872. Have they sustained any harm from doing it ? They have done the same work that the boys are
doing, trashing aud hoeing in the eaue.
5873. If yuurtwo sous tire eapableof workiug in the cauoliehl, do not you think that white men generally
are capable of doing it ? Ves ; but they are uot willing to do so. One of my sons is away. My other
two boys are at home, and they have to work for their living as well as I have.
5874. Then you think it is the knowledge that sons are working on their own account that en-
courages them to do it ? They are not quite able to go out on their own account yet. aud they have
to do something at home. If they could get out of it 1 am sure they would not do such work as
trashing cane.
5875. By J\f r. f\in<j : Are you doiug well out of cane growing ? I cannot say it has paid me so
hadly up till last year, but that year put a set ou me. If I had not had my own boys to help me I would
not have done anything ittnll.
58715. By Mr. Cowley .- How old are your boys ? Fourteen ;uid elev en,
5877. Then 11 icy are still under your control ? Yes.
5b78. By Mr. /Liny : Do you think yon can grow cane to pay, and employ only white labour ? No; I do
not think so.
5879. You are a German, are you not ? I am a Dane.
5880. Whal part of Denmark do you come from? North Schleswig.
5881. Do t hey grow beet-root sugar there ? A little for their owu use, but uot much.
5882. What are the wages of au agricultural labourer in your country? It is twenty years since I left
home, but good wages were then about £10 a year and rations.
5NN3. What oilier crop could you raise to payyon, supposing the mills stopped ? I do not know. I have
tried to grow rorn For a Fuw years, f would manage to live at corn growing, but it is not a paying game
any way. It is as delicate- a crop as anythiug else. If the mills stopped there would be no sale for corn
or ww ret potatoes, or anything like that.
5881. Fou could hVe on the land, but you would not be able to get any money out of it? No.
FRIDAY,
171
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE B0YA1 COMMISSION TO IHQUIEE INTO
FltlDAT, 15 FEBRUARY, 1S89.
MACKAY DISTRICT.
(At the Racecourse Central Mill.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | II. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Es«, M.L.A.
TV. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., is the CnAifi.
Thomas Peakce examined :
% Pearee. 5885. By the Chnrnmn .- Yon are a freeholder, living in ibis district ? Tea.
— s 5S>G. And you are also Chairman of the Kaeecour.«e Or.fral Sugar * '..mpauy ? Yes.
J5Feb.. 1989. 5887. How'uumy shareholders are there in die- company ? Twenty.
5SS«. Up«u what conditions was this central mill erected ? It has been erected on behalf of the company
through a loan obtained from the Government. The money was borrowed from the Government, to be
repaid at the rate of S per cent, annually, the Government holding a mortgage over the whole of the
properties. Then (here was a lien or bill oV encumbrance binding each settler to the condition of growing
certsiin n antities of calm annuallv. for which he was to receive 8s. a ton. Then the conditions g» on
to explain that if at the end of t he sea^n, when all expense* and the Government interest had been
ptt.il, there was any surplus remaining it was to l>e either equ.il'ty divided in proportion to the quantity of
cane delivered, or the profits could be carried to a reservo fund. The conditions are like those oE any
other company.
5SS9. By Mr. King : Was ir not one of the conditions that black labour was not to be employed?
Yes ; the 9th clause says, " That I will employ labourers of Kuropean extraction and none others in and
ab«ut the cultivation, carting, and cutting of the cane." There is nothing in the articles of association
as to black labour.
5S00. B ij iJie Chairman ■ When were you to commence paying interest? I think it commenced last
dune.
58.91. Was the mill erected and ready for last crushing ? It was ready for the last season.
5b02. And was there any tain; presented for crushing? Two of the directors and two shareholders
inspected the whole of the estates of the shareholders and brought up a report. Y\ Idle there were one or
two shareholders desirous of working the mill, our engineer told us we should only do so by sustaining a
loss of £200 or £300. Some few sharehuld'errj viewed it in the same light, and consequently we allowed
them to sell their cane elsewhere. Of course there are miu utes of these things in our m'uiute book.
5803. Interest is due to the Government from the 1st .June last ? We believe now it is due from
January, 1888.
58U1. Of course that lus not been paid? No; for reasons we explained to the Governmeut. Of course
there w as no crushing, and it would involve us in a terrible loss.
5S95. Are any hands employed in connection with the company now ? The secretary only.
5800. What salarv does lie receive ? £130 a year.
5897. How is he being paiA now ? He is paid all that is due.
5898. By Mr. Cou-lty : Out of capital? Yes; oE course.
5 4 -U9. What are the prospects now for the next season's crushing ? The season has been such, that I may
say there is very little prospect of a crushing unless we buy cane. Our articles of association enable us
to buy cane. «
5900. Is it not one of the couditions on which the money was advaueed, that each shareholder binds
liimecif to grow a certain number of acres of cane himself ? Yes.
51)01. Mas that been fulfilled? Yes; so far as it was possible. We had the area of eane in but ite
made no sugar,
5!)02. Then the crushing next season will fall short again in consequence of the drought ? Yes. There
has been land ploughed on our ground; but we have never been able to plant it.
5! 03. Has the condition »f employing nothing but European labour been adhered to? Yes; strictly.
It was reported that some shareholders were employiug black labour, but Ave searched aud found no
evidence.
59(^4. You arc aware that reports have been circulated that black labour has been employed ? Yes ; and
-we suit a notice to all shareholders, calling their attention to that.
5005. What did yrmr mill cost you originally ? The original cost, in Glasgow was £9,897.
5000. What has been the total cost, including erection and buildings, as it now stands on the ground?
1 think about £19,000.
5907. What is your opinion of the ultimate success of tliis cent ml mill system? My opinitn is that it
will be a complete success, but of course they think that 1 am an enthusiast; but from lots of evidence i
can go I her, aud from Mr. llodgkinson's evidence, settlers can grow from 10 to 30 acres of cane. The
vi ui'oit nnnte thing here is that settlers are not within any means of conveyance. You inus* be aware
that cane, which is a very large and heavy crop, is heavy to carl, aud if the settlers are ten miles from the
null they might as well bf a thousand. I will illustrate what [mean. 1 saw a report from England
some time ago to the effect that the sugar company establishing a (rainwav had been the means oE 1000
act'e-s of cane being cultivated. ZVow the same thing would apply here. Of course I may state that since
this mill was erected, and there were doubts* as to getting caue, wc applied to the Government to know
whether they would allow us to buy trucks of the s uno gu; <j;o as the railway and utilise the railw.-iy. The
(iovermuent Mere quite agreeable, but unfortunately there has been no cane, grown. We waut further to
get a branch line towards Barber's Creek There is a lot of good hind there. The secretary grew cane
llure four years ago and produced 50 tons to ihe acre, and the Marian mill could not take it off. It
was loss of time and of money, and hence die place was abandoned. If there were tramroads or
railroads to bring the produce, there would be no ditficulty in producing cane. How some of the settlers
TH£ GENERAL CONDITION OF THE BUG A. It INDTTSTE1' JN QUEENSLAND.
are living I do not know. I have even heard that some of thetn have to hunt kangaroos for food, but so T. Petrce.
long as they are isolated so long must they liv e iu poverty. It is perfectly us eless to settle on the soil / — ^'-^ — ^
unless there U some means of conveyance provided, applicable to the district. It costs 30s. a ton to bring 15 Feb.. lSSD.
maize into towu, and the settler has to stop over night when he go»s into town. I see no hope for the
district unless we have an extension of tratnroads or railroads. When they are provided I believe the
su^'ar industry will be in a very different state in this district.
5908. Are you asugar grower yourself ? Yes.
5909. How many years experience have you had ? Only one year.
5910. Had you any previous experient-e ? No.
5911. Youarenot acquainted with the practical details of sugar growing? No.
59L2. You would not like to hazard a practical opinion on its working? No; I think that would be
presumption.
5913. How long have you resided in this district ? Twenty vent's.
5914. Is the climalo suitable to the health of Europeans? lam sixty-four, and can jump afenceyet.
5915. Do youthiuk sugar growing can bo carried on in this district by Europeans ? Only to a limited
extent. There are settlors who can grow from 10 to 30 acre*. Beyond thai I do not think they could go.
5010. For what reason ? Win ply IhaL it does not pay thein to employ white labour. Neither do 1 think
that large estates can ho carried on by whit* labour.
5917. Do you think that Ss. a ton delivered at the central mill is a payable price for sugar cane? No,
I do not.
5918. And yet the directors could not afford to give any more ? The directors and shareholders kail no
experience of mills. They had sufficient experience to justify them in believing that there was a better
margin, and that they would get it in the crushing. They put down tUe- cost of cultivation at 3s. Suppos-
ing you grow 20 tons to the acre, that would be £s an n.ere, and that would cover thf cost of labour.
5919. At the time you entered into the arrangement with the Government whi di led t» the erection of
the eentral mill had ihe shareholders a reasonable prospect of growing the caue which they promised and
undertook to do ? They Lad.
5920. Have the circums tances of the district changed since that condition was signed ? 1 do not think so,
with the exception of the adverse seasons.
5921. Then you put down the non-success entirely to the drought ? I do.
5922. And is the drought also the cause of the selectors having been so unfortuuate as to have to hunt
kangaroos for food ? It is.
5923. "Would any man in such a position be able to do the work that many a kanaka is
course white men can do the work, but whether white labour is as cheap as
believe that white men can do the work.
5924. In preference to living on kangaroos ? I ani cerlain of that
592.7>. Is it your opinion tliat the planter prefers the kanaka to the European <
cheapness ? Not altogether, "White men are not reliable ; there is no doubt of that,
at the time you most require them to fake offence and demand their money. If they stop on they arc
offensive and lazy, and hence they are not what we call reliable. Therefore the settler who doe** hi.s
own work is safe, but if he goes beyond that it is a question whether he can make a success of cane
growing with white Labour only.
592G. You said just now that you had no experience, and therefore you can only speak from hearsay ?
I am speaking only from hrarsay.
5927. By Mr. King: Have you employed white men at weeding or trashing? Never in trashing but I
have in weeding and planting. The \diite men will contract for me all Ihe year round.
5923. Are you aware what is the cost of cutting and delivering cane ? It depends on the distance, I think
our scale is: if a man is within one mile he has to deliver his caue free, and if within one and a half miles
he gets 4d., for every half-mile up to five miles. That would be 2s. Sd. for four miles and the general
payment for cutting is about 2s. 3d.
5929. Cuttiug and loading would be 2s. 6d. ? Yes.
5930. If vou allowed au extra Gd, for cartage that would come to 3s. for cutting and delivering the cane?
Quite that.
5931. That would only leave 5t>. for the growth of the cane ? Yes.
5932. Do you consider that cane can be growu for 5s. a ton ? No.
593'3. You are authorised to buy cane — are you authorised to give a higher price than Ss. a ton? There
is no restriction.
5931. Would it not dissatisfy your shareholders if you gave a higher price to outsiders than they get
theinntdves ? No ; because if we derive a profi.t they participate.
5935. Are you authorised to buy cane grown by black labour? There is no restriction, because the
grower* do not partieipaie in (be profits.
5930. What amount of money have you received from the Government, altogether? £21,000.
5937. Yon have some £2,000' in hand? More or less.
5938. Do vou expert to have sufficient inducement to crush this year? Yes; we do expect that inas-
much as we have submitted an offer for a large ^uautity of cane, but we have not yet had a reply. That
would attach more settlora to the estate, and if we are successful, we anticipate that we shall crush 6,000
or 7,000 tons. That would juve us a very fair season's work.
593i). If you were confined to your own shareholders' cane, what would
should crush.
•5940. The shareholders have suffered severely through the drought?
suffer more.
5911. Are the majority of them now in the position to grow the cane which they guaranteed to grow?
a doing now ? Of
uotlier question. I
i the grounds of
They are very apt
happen ? I do not think wc
Yery severely ; they could not
I do not know anything to the con
a position. Of com
hich h
I have no information to warrant me in saving they are not in
been
tidustiw was very depressed, and that was the n
upo
these
people is very ciiuiilerable. The sugar
) of this mill. Out of tw'entj settler.in this company
only three are involved, and of these one owes £^0 and another £50. That speaks very fairly f»r the
settlers.
176
MISUTES OF EVIDENCE TAXEN IEFOBE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO UfQUIEE I1ITO
T. Pearce. 5942. I have heard it said that owing to the bad season and delays in crushing at this mill the majority of
/ ^-^v_ — N the shareholders have exhausted their resources and run into debt, and are not in a position to cultivate
15Feb.,18S9. the cane which they have guaranteed, is that correct? I do not think so. I could name a good many
that I know are uot in difficulties.
5943. By the Chairman .- You have a personal knowledge of them ? Yes.
5944. Bv Mr. Kinq ; To keep this mill working to its full capacity you would require to have 2,000 acres
of laud under cultivation ? I do not think so. The estimate of this mill is a ton an hour.
5945. Fifteen hundred tons a season ? They say that is possible, but working night and day it might
make 2, #00 tons. The average yield of sugar per acre of cane has been tons.
594(5. If you were to try to work up to 1,500 tons of sugar iu the season you would require to have at
least 2,000 acres under cultivation ? Yes I will admit tliat.
5917. That would mean that each of the twenty shareholders should cultivate 100 acres of caue to keep
the mill fully working? But why should our mill require such an enormous amount while other large
mills obtain only half the quantity ?
5948. If you want to get the greatest aiuount of profit you must work your mill up to its full capacity ?
It is desirable, and when the cane is hero no doubt we should. If we hai the tramways there wtuld be
no doubt about getting the quantity of ca»e.
5919. .How many acres do you consider one settler and his fauilly can cultivate ? An agriculturist could
eu.tivate his twenty acres without any difficulty.
5950. How many acres of cane have you had ? Only fourteen. The weather was so dry I could not
plant any more.
5951. How much labour have you employed on that fourteen acres ? Honly had one man and his wife
and son to clean the cane.
5952. Hid the woman work iu the field? I do not know. She mightjfor all I know. She is quite
capable.
5953. What wge was the boy? Fourteen or fifteen or sixteen. I had them for planting cane. At that
time you want every assistance
5954 What business have you been carrying on since you have been settled in Maekay ? Storekeeping
generally.
5955. By Mr. Coiolmj .- Can you give us the number of acres of cane the twenty shareholders are now
growing ? Two hundred and forty acres of cane when they decided not to crush.
5956. That is an average of twelve acres each ? Yes.
5957. Ho the Government require the 8 per cent, interest to be paid in advance? Yes.
5958. You say you are paying your shareholders 8s. per ton delivered, what are you offering to other
growers ? This year we have offered as high as 14s.
5959. Ho you make any difference between plant cane and ratoous? Is. a ton in favour of plant
cano.
5960. Is 14s. (he average price ? INo ; 14s. is the highest, and 13s. the lowest.
59(51. Do you know for a positive fact that the whole of th« twenty shareholders have not employed a
single black man ? Not to my knowledge. It came to our ears that there was a man iomg it, but we
could not learn if he wast absolutely doiug it.
5D62. Ho they employ black labour outside of cane cultivation? ITotthat I am aware of , hut there is
nothing in our emcumlirances that would forbid them doing it.
5963. bo you consider that it is binding morally, if not legally, not to cultivate with black labour ? Yes ;
according to the encumbrance.
5964. You have not paid any interest to date ? No.
5965. Have you any prospect of paying it for the next year ? We have money in hand to pay it. If we
buy cane we could pay it.
5966. But no prospect unless you purchase eane ? I thiuk not ; arising from the fact that the dry
weather lias prevented anything from being done.
5967. Is this £19,000 the total amount of your indebtedness ? £21,000.
5968. But the £19,000 expended — does that iuclude interest still owing, or is it exclusive of interest ?
Exclusive. We wilt owe £22,000 odd at that rate.
5969. What would be the amount of iuterest owing on this £19,000 ? About £1,500.
5970. That would leave you £500 with which to commence operations next season, less the amount that
you have to pay for the secretary's salary ? Yes.
5971. You say there are a great many settlers without means of conveyance — does that not apply also to
those w ho sell to other central factories ? Yes ; it applies to all. There are hundreds of settlers in the
same position. The same difficulty applies all round ; on the north side more particularly.
5972- It is your opinion that the settlers can grow from 10 to 20 acres of cane, but not more ? I do not
think so.
5973. That would be the limit for one man ? For one man.
5974. Ho y mi tli ink that, taking the average seasons, a man can make a good living for his wife and family
from ten acres of cane ? 1 do.
5975. At 8s. a ton ? A settler can get 14s. He can get 15s. 6d. at the present time. I could give the
name of the planter who offers los,. 6d. a ton.
5976. I am speaking of your shareholders who have to deliver to your mill at 8s. a ton. You are of
opinion that they can make a living at 8s. a ton? That was oftVred as u mere advance on the cost of
growing. We sent round to the various settlers to know what would be the probable cost of growing
cane, and the prices varied from £4 10s. to £2 1 an acre. We found that a fair average was from £7 to
£8 an acre. That is why the price was nominally fixed at 8s. r» ton.
5977. Keally they are getting 8s. a ton for their cane? Yes.
5978. You are of opinion that 8s. a ton would not pay them ? If they had no consideration beyond that,
cortainly not.
5979. You say that one man can grow twenty acres of cane— how many times do you plough the
land before planting it ? Here they plough it twice and harrow it twice. My opinion is based ou what
are stated as facts by practical men. The man who sitid it would cost £21 to grow an a^cre of cane has
had to work for other people ; the man who gave £4 10s. as the price is a large settler and prosperous.
5980. The
THE OE>'EBAL CONDITION OF THE ST70AII IJTDUSTIIY IS QUEENSIAITD.
5980. The land will take two ploughings and two harrowings. How many times will it have to be T. Pea
needed with the horse-hoe ? We have to weed as often as the weeds grow. Old ground is full of weeds, {—
and new ground is not. IS Feb.,
598 J. Then the cane has also to be cut into lengths for planting, and to be carted and placed in the holes
and covered up, a»d then there is the hand weeding and trashing. Do you really honestly think that one
man can do all that in twelve months and cultivate twenty acres ? I know it has been done. I believe
a man can do that work if he is an agriculturist:
59s2. By the Chmirnwn ; You say you know of your own knowledge that it has been done ? Yes.
5983. Are your shareholders still of opinion that there will be sufficient profit to reimburse them and
pay interest to Government, and buy the cane at 8s. a ton ? Yes; I have heard nothing to the contrary.
5984. You think there will be sufficient profit to compensate them for growing at 8s. per ton? "When
we have a fair season. I can tell you that 15s. 6d. a ton is offered. Our company did not deem it
prudent to offer more than L4s. . 1 am informed that ten tons of cane will make a ton of sugar. I am
credibly informed that £3 10s. will cover the cost of making a ton of sugar, including everything —
working es.pen.ses and interest. Sugar at present is £16 a ton all round. If we can m.akeit for £!• lCs.
and get £10, that leaves £5 10s. as net profit. I have no practical experience in the making of sugar,
but that has beeu laid before experts, and they have never coutradicted it. I asked a banker onc« why
such a low price was paid for cane, and he said because the planter had it all his own way.
5985. By Mr. Cowley : Considering that the planter has paid such a low price, do you know of any
planter' who has made money? No; that is a matter I could not enter into. Three years ago the
largest estate in this district would not give 6d. a ton, but as soon as the central mill was erected they
offered lis. in the field.
5980 By Mr. King : Can you mention any mill that is paying lis. a ton in the field at the present time?
Yes; Homebush.
5987. By Mr. Cowley; Tliat is hearsay? I got it from the settler himself.
5988. Is it your intention to buy cane grown by black labour if you can get it? "We should not object
to it. It is not particularly our intention.
5989. Then it is your intention ? Yes ; if we can get it.
599#. Have your mortgages to the Government been completed? Yes.
5991. The shareholders ? The shareholders have nothing to do with the Government. The individual
shareholder is encumbered to the company, and the company is encumbered to the Government.
5992. All these mortgages have been completed and are registered? Yes.
5993. Bo you think your mill is in a complete state and fi t to take off one ton of sugar per hour? I am
assured so. There are a few things to be done.
5994. Are the danders, coolers, and centrifugals complete ? Everything is ready to make a ton of
sugar a day.
5995. As chairman of directors, and being conversant with all the shareholders, do you know whether
they are still satisfied with the condition that they are not to grow cane with bLack labour ? No ; I will
tell you straight. There are several of our shareholders who say "we cannot continue to do this with any
degree of success with white labour only."
5996. By Mr. King .- You say that sugar can be manufactured for £3 10s. a ton ? I am told so.
5997. The interest is £1,500 a year ; if you make 1,500 tons a year there would be £1 a ton for interest
alone ? Yes.
5998. Bags are 4d. a piece and thirty-two go to the ton ; that is lis. 8d. for bags ? I must tellyouthat I
only repeat what I am told.
5999. That is £1 10s. 8d. for interest and bags alone? They reckon £3 10s. would produce a ton of
sugar.
6000. I see by your balance sheet that the company has made advances to settlers who are growing cane?
Yes.
6001. At what rate per acre have you advanced? Some advances are on the land. To one settler we
made an advance of £3 an acre.
6002. What settler was that? Ross.
6003. Had he eighteen acres ? He had sixteen acres growing, but the season has been so bad that it
failed.
6004. This man then has got a dead horse to wort out ? "We hold the deeds of the property.
60i5. By the Chairman .- You said just now you were a storekeeper ? Yea.
6006. Tn the course of your business transactions have the selectors complained to you of the very low
price offered for the cane ? Some years ago. That was the origin of the central mill' system. It was in
consequence of thtse continual complaints that something had to be done. 1 saw the same evil in other
countries. I propounded a scheme, and out of that Sir Samuel Griifith brought forward the central mill
system.
6007. What price was offered then ? Six shillings ; but M>. Long, who has always been very liberal, has
always given lis. to 1.3«. a tou.
6008. Then tho establishment of the centra] mills has been the means of giving a fair price to the grower
for his cane which he could not get before ? Yes ; that is so.
6009. They have beeu a substantial boon to the district in that respect alone ? Yes ; and every settler
will bear testimony to that.
6010. Does the soil of the disti.net show signs of exhaustion by over-production ? They say so ; but
practical men, who thoroughly understand the business say " No." They say it is the inferior manage-
ment which is the cause of the depression — that boys who have been brought here have been employed
as personal servants instead of in the field.
6011. Do you kuow of your own knowledge that these boys are employed in other capacities than in
sugar growing ? In times past they were.
60L2. By Mr. king: You said just now that you had heard complaints from growers about not gating
a sufficient price for their cane ? Yes ; repeatedly.
0013. As a storekeeper Lave you never heard complaints from most growtxs that produce dealers do not
give a fair price? Yes.
8 6014. And
MINUTES Or EVIDENCE TATTEN" BETOEE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQT/IBB INTO
Pearce. 6014. Aud the same complaint is made by fruit growers ? Yes ; no doubt.
— 6015. In fact producers all round complain that the men who purchase from them do not give enough for
Feb., 1889. the produce? Yes, but sugar cane is an exception. If a mau cannot get his cane crushed, he cannot go
to another market. No cane grower could send to Brisbane or Sydney. It is a different tiling altogether,
especially wheu you have been induced to grow, and then sustain a loss.
6016. Do not the cane growers generally have an agreement? Yes, but it is not worth the paper it is
written on. I think Mr. Denman gave you some information on that point.
6017. You are aware that an agreement can be enforced at law? But how can you go to law. The man
you deal with is either the manager or nominal owner. You have to ileal with the banks. Everyone in
the district has enough to do to make the two ends meet without going to law. I do not know more
than two men in the district who are making money — Mr. Long and Mr. Hyne. Those are practical
men. They understand their business and make it pay. Mr. Long makes it pa v, because his manager
was getting £500 a, year, with one-half per eent on nil profits. His time had not expired, and they
quarrelled. He sued Mr. Long and got a verdict for £500.
6018. By Mr. Copley: Was that for wrongful dismissal ? No, for profits, and Mr. Long's arbitrator
awarded the manager that amount.
6019. It appears tlmt a manager can enforce an agreemeut, why could not a cane grower ? Many of the
settlers could not.
6020. By t/te Chairman .- Do you know of cases in which agreements hare been entered into with settlers
extending over a number of years, and the mills have closed and thrown the selectors on their beam ends?
I cannot say that I do, but frequently agreements have been refused altogether. The settlers have had to
take the word of the manager. Mr. R«ss, of 1 his district, was planting cane on his selection when Mr.
Hyne came by aud asked him who he was planting for. lie said, " For you." Mr. Hyne said, "I am
not g#ingto crush it." Then, when it was ready, he asked Mr. Hyne if he would crush it, and Mr.
Hyne abused him because he did not grow more. I do not say that Mr. Hyne was wrong, but that does
not suit the settler.
6021. Cases have occurred in which a change in the management has take place, and the new manager has
repudiated the agreement? Yes ; I have heard of that. The case of Mr. James, who grew for Farleigh.
The agreement was good euough.
G022. The central mills have cured that in this district ? Yes.
6023. By Mr. Cowley: Is it your experience, or is it simply hearsay evidence, that induces you to say
that the planters as a rule are not to be trusted, and that their word is not to be taken ? I would not
say that. The planters have gone in for very sharp practice, but if a man is buying goods he buys as
cheap as he can.
6024. But I am speaking of repudiation of agreements ? lam not making sweeping assertions about
the whole «f the planters, because I have the highest respect for them. I may take Mr. Davidson, who
I highly respect, but I say he is totally unfit f»r sugar growing. He is of the planter class. They
cannot live here. If I want sugar and go to Mr. Davidson, he says "Go t» my agent." if I go to Mr.
Hyne he treats me properly. The result is that the agents have made money, while the planters hate
lost it.
6025. You would not like a planter to hawk his goods round? I would sell to anyone.
6026. Do you propose applying to Government for assistance to build a tramway ? We have money
reserved for that, but we must see the Government (irst.
6027. But you have only £500 available, and that will not build a tramway ? No ; but we may induce
the Government to give us a little time.
6028. How many miles of tramway would it take to bring in the cane? About five miles.
6029. How much extra cane will that give y«u? It will make available sm almost unlimited quantity of
land. There would be 300 acres grown if there were means of bringing in the cane.
6030. You say that four years ago there were eomplaints about the low price offered to the growers. Is
it not a fact that four years ago 10s. a ton in the field was being offered ? I am not aware of it.
6031. That is5s. a ton more than youoffer for thecane delivered? We cannot regard that as an absolute
purchase. 1 1 is an arrangement.
6032. Still if there are no profits that is all the men will get ? I grant you that.
6033. You say there would be no more grown by the settlers if it was not for the central mills. Is it not a
fact that numbers of settlers grew cane before the establishment of these central mills? The only place
that I know of is on Mr. Long's estate. At Eton they abandoned it, but of course if you have had a crop
of cane in for two or three years you cannot abandou it all at once.
G034. Is it not a fact there was more cane grown before the central factories were established than
there is uow? I cau tell y»u another circumstance. When we had something like 7,000 kanakas ami
4,000 whites in the district, previous to lHS.'l, the highest quantity of sugar made in one year was 14.00U
tons. Since that period 25,000 toufi have been made.
6035. By Mr. King .• In one season? Yes; wlieu the labour could not be procured.
6#36. By the Chair mmn : Did Mr. Hodgkinsou hold meetings of selectors in this district? Yes.
6037. Were you present at the meetings ? I was not present at all of them.
6038. Were you present at Eton ? No ; I was not at j3ton.
6039. Were vou at Abingdon ? I was there. I was not present at any particular meeting of the share-
holder with 'Mr. Hodgkinswi.
6040. Do you not know that Mr. MacKemie offered to sell his mill to the Etou Sugar Mill Company for
£20,000? I do not, Mr. Hodgk inson recommended that we should purchase Mr. Hyne's mill, but the
shareholders were unanimous in refusing it.
6041. By Mr. Cowley: Was there any land to go with the mill ? Forty acres.
6042. How much land have you in connection with this company ? Fourteen acres.
4043. By the Chairman : Were you present at the meeting of Racecourse shareholders when it was
definitely decided to apply to the Government for money for a central mill ? 1 think so.
4014. Did you ever hear of an offer being made by W. liyne and Co.? Yes; to sell the whole of their
plant and forty acres for £18,000. One person drew out of the company because they did not purchase it.
6045. Mr. Hyne offered to lease out the whole of his land, over 700 acres, in forty acre blocks, to
farmers to grow cane? I am not sure of that.
6046. You heard his proposals read ? I have read them. The general opinion was that Mr. Hyne was
likely to erect another mill. Chahles
THE OENEBAL COiT>ITr«jr OF THE STTUAS INDtJSTBT IN QUEfKTSLAMD.
179
Chaeles Kemp examined :
6047. By ilie Ohairman : You have a farm on the Nebo road? Yes. C. Zemp.
60i8. And you are a shareholder in the ltacecourse Central Mill Company ? Yes.
6t49. How many acres have you now under cane? At present only about sixteen acres on account of 15 Feb. ,1889.
the drought.
6050. How many acres did you undertake to grow when you signed the conditions ? I intended to grow
fifty or sixty acres yearly, but I have been unable to do anything much. I have had twenty-five acres
under cultivation and it has been a failure.
6051. What sort of a crop have you growing now? It is a medium crop.
6052. Will it be a half crop ? It might be.
6053. What will be the yield of cane per acre ? From what I can see it would be difficult to estimate it,
but the yield might average about ten tons.
6054>. flow long have you been growing cane? For myself I have been growing it for the last sixteen
years.
0055. What have yon done with it ? I have sold it sometimes to Mr. Bavidson and sometimes to Mr.
Walker. I sold it to the River estate one season and two seasons to Mr. Hyne.
605(5. What have you got per ton for it ? I sold some at £16 10s. an acre eight years ago.
6#57. Did you evet- have any difficulty in disposing of your cane ? Not in those years, but during the
last year or two wehavohad a little difficulty in doing so, ;md have received nothing like fair value for it.
6058. By Mr. King: What is the lowest price you ever got for your cane from the planters? Thelowest
price was 6s. per 100 gallons of juice. A ton of cane is supposed to produce an average of 129 gallons of
juice.
6f 59. That would be very nearly 8s. a ton ? Yes.
6060. Did the pkntcr cut rind cart it ? Yes ; that wa3 the lowest price I ever got
6061. Did that pay you? No.
6t62. Will it pay you to deliver your cane here for 8s. ? No ; I am sure it will not.
6063. How do yon expect to carry on ? Well, the iurluccinent wo had for entering the company and
growing caue for 8s. a ton was that we would share in the profits. I know myself that the cane can be
manufactured in this mill at an average of £.3 a ton, and I considered that instead of receiving only 8s.
a ton, if we could get 800 or 900 tons to crush annually, I should reeeive 17s. a ton.
6064. Are you aware that if this mill made 750 tons of sugar a year the interest would amount to £2 a
ton, and the bags would cost 10s. 8d. a ton, and with fire wood -at 9s. a cord, that would bring it up to £3
a ton without paying any wages or freight whatever? If you put the interest on, it will amount to that.
6065. Supposing that next season is a bad season and there is no profit and that the mill only makes 400
tons, will the shareholders be able to go on? No; the only thing we can do is to hand over "whatever
money there is belonging to the Government and hand over the mill.
6060. If you had to go on for two or three years only getting 8s. a ton, would you be able to carry on ?
No ; I would not. #ne year would stop me. I have no capital to spend. In fact I have already lost tha
capital I had in growing caue.
6067. What is the area of your selection ? I have only twenty acres of my own, but I have forty acres
rented.
606S. What rent do you pay f«ry«ur forty acres ? £1 and 15s., and for some I had a few years ago I paid
£2 an acre. I would just as soon have to pay £2 an acre as get it for nothing. I could live on it when
I paid £2 an acre, but times are so bad now that if I could get it for uothing I could not make it pay.
6069. By the Chairman .- How does your name come to appear iu Mr. Hodgkinson's report as the
holder of a sixty-acre freehold ? Sixty acres I was cultivating, but not as a freehold.
6070. Your name appears in Mr. Hodgkinson's report ? I had the crop but not the freehold.
6071. The number 01 acres you agreed to cultivate were twenty ? Yes, that is correct ; but I was not a
freeholder.
6072. Then the statement iu this report is not correct ? No.
6073. By Mr. Cowley .- When you sold cane juice for 6s. a hundred gallons how many gallons did you get
per acre ? I never kept an account of that. Two years ago a crop realised me £2 10a. an acre.
6074. What mill did yon sell it to? Tekowai.
0075. Was that a doublo crushing mill ? Yes. That was the first season they had double crushing
power.
(507 6. What assistauce have you in cultivating these sixteen acres? I have two grown-up sons, and we do
the work amutigst us.
6077. It is a. family affair ? Yes ; and we have a store also.
6078. Are you willing to grow and capable of growing cane for this mill at 8s. a ton with white labour?
I am willing, and will do my utmost. I will give it a fair trial, as I promised; but if I do not receive
more than 8s. a ton I will have to give it up. I will go on and see if there is auy difference made. I
am perfectly well aware that unless we can get 1,000 toiis of sugar through the mill it will not pay us.
6079. When you paid £!J an acre for your land you made it pay — you sold your caue to the planters
then ? Yes.
6080. And you made it pay at that time ? Y es ; for a few years very well. I was quite satisfied.
Heebeet Josiing examined :
6081. B y the Chairman : You are a shareholder and director iu the ltacecourse Central Sugar Company? jj j os ii n g.
6082. You were present at the meetings held in this district when Mr. Hodgkinson was here ? Yes. 151^^88^
6083. You are the proprietor of eighty aores of ground ? At that time I was. *'
608i. You have a reduced area now:' Yes.
60S5. You undertook 011 that occasiou to cultivate forty or fifty acres of cane? Yes.
6086. A re you earn ing out your part of the contract ? Yes ; as far as I can.
60S". And solely w'ith white labour ? Yee
6088. Did you grow cane last \ car ? Ye&
6089. Why
180
MINUTES OF EVEDEi^CETAKES BEFOJtE THE ROYATj COMMISSION TO IKQlMHE HiTO
II. Josl'mg. 6099. Why was it not crushed at the mill? They could not get sufficient cane to make a start.
S^-^x^^ G090. Then you sold it to some other mill? Yes; to Meadowlands.
15 Feb., 1889. 6«91. What did you get per ton for it ? 9s.
6092. Did you deliver it at that price? No ; they took it. The price was 9s. for plant cane, and 8s. for
ratoons.
6093. How manr tons did you sell ? 170 tons.
6094. Tou have'still got the same quantity of la.nd you agreed to cultivate under cane? Yes. I have tbe
ratoons from the plant cane I put m first.
6095. How long have you been residing in this district? Twenty-four years.
6096. Is it a generally healthy district for Europeans? Yes.
6097. Is it sufficiently healthy for Europeans to carry on the cultivation of sugar cane ? No ; not as
labourers.
6098. You are carrying ou your own cultivation with white labour ? Yes ; since I joined the central
mill. Before that I had all sovts of labour.
6099. Is it your opinion that the cultivation of cane in this district can be carried on successfully with
white labour? I have come to the conclusion that it can not. My experience tells me not, with bad
seasons and the labour not suitable. If we had the proper seasons white labour would be less suitable.
For the last four years we have had no sugar weather. There are four mouths of the year when it is
impossible for a working man to do the work. He will not do it except to get enough to eat, or to get a
rise and get away.
61*0. Under the circumstances, you will carry out your contract with the Government ? I must as long
as I can, but if we get another season like this our money and credit will be exhausted.
61f 1. When the arrangement was made two years ago things looked a little more prosperous than they
do now ? Yes ; we thought the Government were going to send plenty of labour here — Scandinavian
labour, or something of that sort ; but if I want a white man now I have to pay him 23s. a week. I pai d
a man 30s. a week for hoeing last year, and I could get a man to drive a dray for 15s.
6102. By Mr. King .- How many acres do you expect to have fit for crushing this year ? Twenty-six.
6103. Is there promise of a fair crop? No.
6104. Do you think it will pay y«u to grow cane for 8s. a ton ? No ; not at all. That is one of the things
that vvill have to be altered here.
6105. There have been several bad seasons since this agreement was made with the Government ? They
have been all bad.
6106. From your own knowledge of the condition of the shareholders, do you think they will be able to
carry out their agreements ? I do not think so. In fact, I am positive they will not.
6107. They have not got the means to cultivate the area of ground they originally agreed to do? I
know 1 have not, and there are others worse off than I am.
6108. By the Cham-man -. How long have you had your laud under cultivation ? Some of it has been
under cultivation for ten years.
6109. Have you manured it ? No.
6110. Does the soil show any indication of exhaustion? Not at all.
6111. By Mr. Cowley .- You have reduced your area since you had that meeting with Mr. Hodgkinson —
how many acres of freehold do you own now ? Forty-five acres.
6112. How long have you been growiug cane? Fifteen years.
6113. Did you sell to the mills previously ? Yes.
6114. What did you ger before last year for your cane ? 9s. and 10s. standing in the field.
6115. Unless you get a profit from the working of this mill you will have to give up growing — unlessyou
get a profit over and above the 8s. ? Yes.
6116. In a good season, when you get thunderstorms and hot weather, would it pay you to grow cane
with white labour at 8s. a ton ? No.
6117. Not hi the best season ? Not in the best season, with white labour.
6118. Tou are close to the mill ? Thirty chains away from the mill. I rent ground as well.
6119. It would not pay you to grow cane at 8s. a ton with white labour? No ; I find white labour is no
use when you actually want it.
6120. By the Chairman .- Have you grown anything but sugar r 1 tried to grow rice.
6121. Has that been a success ? No ; there was no rain and it died.
William Laxdeli.s examined :
W. Landells. 6122. By the Chairman .- You are one of the directors of the liacecourse Ceutral Sugar Mill Company ?
15 Feb., 1889. 123. You were present at the meeting held by Mr. Hodgkinson when you agreed to establish the mill ?
N o ; I was i lot present.
6124. You subsequently signed the condiiions ? I did.
6125. You were then represented to be the owner of forty acres of land ? Twentv-eight freehold and
forty leasehold.
6126. You undertook to cultivate from forty to fifty acres of cane ? Ycsj up to sixty acres.
6127. Have you carried out that condition ? Not completely.
6128. How inauy acres have you reguhnly cultivated ? I had five acres of ratoons and I planted twenty
acreB of cane
6129. Did you get any cane last year ? Yes ; but unfortunately we had such a bad season that I ploughed
out eleven acres and put in four acres of rice. It came on splendidly, but we had no rain and it died
out. I only cut four acres of plant cane and four acres of ratoous.
6130. You disposed of that ? Yes ; to W. Hynes aud Co.
6131. How many acres have you got under cane for this year ? Five acres stand-over and five acres of
ratoous.
61.'}2. \ re most of the shareholders in the same position as yourself? Yes ; just the same.
6Ui'3. Ynu liave no hope of being able to carry out the conditions ? Not this season.
6134. You uudertuukjtu grow cane with white labour ? Yes.; 6135. Has
THE OENEEAI. COITOITION" OP THE STTO \R INDUSTRY IN QFEEK9I/AND.
181
613-5. Has the labour been any difficulty with you? We cannot do with white labour. My expenses W. Landell*.
last year were £150, and the returns were £26 and some odd shillings. We cannot rely on white labour. <'—^-- v -
We sent for some, and I had two new chums for three months. For the first »ix weeks they were very 15 Feb., 1889.
awkward, and at the first instalment of wages paid I could not afford them any longer. I told them if
they did not like to stop I should be glad to get rid of them. I had two of my sons with me fortunately.
6136. When you signed the conditions with regard to growing cane for the mill things were more pros-
perous? Tea.
6137. And you had a hope of being able to carry out the conditions? Yes.
6138. You have now come to the conclusion that it is hopelessly impossible to do so? I cannot do it
unless I get reliable labour. I draw your attention to the tremendous amount of hand work required.
It would take about 5,600 plants to plant an acre of cane. These plants have to be handled four times ;
cut, put in the cart, buried, and planted. That represents about 26,000 plants for one acre. Then the
hoeing, trashing, and weeding has to be done by hand. If we en joyed the same privileges that you have
on the Downs we would be all right ; the machine comes on the land and sows it, and the same machinecomes
and reaps the crop. Here the whole thing has to be done by hand. Then the weeding comes on. The
two men I had last year said that they could not stand it. They got headache a.nd backache. I am an
old stager, and have been engaged in tropical agriculture for twenty yearn, and ( cannot standthat work-
in 1887 when I started hoeing my nose began t« bleed. The reliability of labour is really the question,
and not the cheapness of labour. If a gold rush took place in the middle of harvesting our men would
not stop.
6139. lou know the names of your brother shareholders ? I know every one of them persoually.
614». And you are able to ussure us that most of the farmers who signed the conditions are in exactly the
same position as yourself, and if they were asked to sign the conditions now they would not? They
would not.
6141. Would you do so ? I would not.
MONDAY, 18 FEBRUARY, 1889.
MACKAY DISTRICT.
(At lYEackay.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. CtWLEF, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GftOOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Geoeqe Ironsides examined :
6142. By the Chairman: Are you a selector iu this district? Yes; and Chairman of directors of the G. Ironsides.
North Eton Sugar Company. r^^^^s
6143. And you are oue of the guarantors to the Government for the erection of the North Eton Central 18 Feb., 1889.
Mill? Yes.
6144. Were you present at the meeting which Mr. Hodgkinson held in this district when the fanners
agreed to the conditions on which the Government undertook the erection of the mill ? I
was.
6145. And you wereSne of those who undertook to grow cane entirely by white labour ? Ye.s ; I was.
6146. How long have you been a resident in this district ? About eighteen years.
6147. How long have you been growing sugar cane? The most of that time. I have been about four-
teen years growing sugar cane.
6148. How many acres are comprised in y«ur selections ? Between 1,100 and 1,200 acres.
6149. And how many acres have you had under sugar cane? 200 acres.
6150. What was the average yield of cane per acre during the time that you hive been growing it? That
is a very hard question to answer. Sometimes you will have a geod crop, and sometimes you will have
a bad one.
6151. But I am asking you to state an average, you may take one or two or three years ; just give us
some idea of the yield per acre ? I think that takiug it all through the yield would be 20 tons to the
acre.
6152. Some years it has been more, and some years it has been less ? Yes; last year, for instance, the
crop was very small; but that is the only time I have had a bad crop.
6153. And to whom did you sell your cane? To various parties. To the Victoria mill, the Marian
mill, :and Homcbush.
6154. What price did yon get for it ? Various pi-icea ; lis. is the highest that ever I got ; 7s. 6d. and
5s. \vas Mie lowest. That is for cane standing in t lie field.
6155. What labour did you employ in growing that cane ? I had a few kanakas.
6156. Any white ? Yes.
6157. And what was your reason for desiring the erection of a central mill ? Well, my reason was that
I would have had to give up growing cane unless there was something of that kind, because I could not
get rid of my cane. I had just to take whatever price the planters liked to give me.
6158. In order that you might get a fair price for your cane you undertook to grow cane exclusively by
white labour? Yes.
6159. How many acres have you under cane ? 12* acres.
6160. And hare you leased any of your land to others for the purpose of growing cane ? I have.
61G1. How many lessees have yon on your land ? Five.
6162. What are their areas ? fifty acres each.
6163. Are
MINUTES OF EYIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOYJi COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
G-. Ironsides. 6163. Are they single men or men with families ? Some of them have families, and 9ome are single men.
( 6164. "What rent do you get ? I get none.
18 Feb., 1889. 6165. On what terms is the land leased to them ? #n condition that they grow cane for the central
mill
6166. "Without any rent ? "Without any rent
6167. Ia it a stipulation with them that they should not employ coloured labour ? Yes.
6168. IVom your experience of eighteen years in this district, are you of opinion that sugar cane can be
gro n ith European labour ? I am.
6169. Profitably ? A man can make a living out of it.
6170. And you give that as your deliberate opinion ? I do.
6171. Bo y»u think that the climate is suitable for the health of Europeans ? "Well, it has never
hindered me from working ; I have done all sorts of work in the field and never felt the worse for it.
6172. Have you ever been employed trashing and weeding cane ? I was, eighteen years ago.
6173. And you never objected to it? No; never.
6174. "Were you doing that for wages or working for yourself ? "Working for myself.
6175. How much can e was crushed at North Eton Mill last season ? Something like 1,400 tons of
sugar cane.
6176. What quantity of sugar was obtained ? 100 tons.
6177. How was it that the quantity of cane was so small, when the estimate given to Mr. Hodgkinstn
of the probable crops of cane was so large ? Well, it was a very bad crop. The area was there, but the
cane was not there. There were acres with scarcely anything on them.
6178. "What was the cause of the failure ? The dry weather.
6179. Do you think that if the season bad been at all favourable, the required quantity of cane would
have been grown ? It would.
6180. "What are the prospects of the central mill becoming a success ? Good seasons and tramways to
bring the cane in.
6181. Have the board of directors gone into a calculation 'as to the amount of sugar it would be necessary
to manufacture in order to pay working expenses and interest on the loan obtained from the Government?
Yes.
6182. How many tons of sugar have they estimated they would require to manufacture to pay interest
and working expenses ? From 1,200 to 1,500 tons.
6183. Have you been called upon by the Government to pay the interest on the loan ? AVe have not.
6184. How long have you had the money ? We have not had it all yet. There is a balance of £4,223
still in the hands of the Government.
6185. Have any of the shareholders who signed the conditions altered their opinions since the conditions
were signed ? Well, they have given no notice to the company that they have done bo. I have heard it
talked about that they have, but I have never heard anything about it.
6186. Any change of opinion has not been conveyed to you ofJicially as chairnan ? No.
6187. Nor to the Board of Directors ? No.
6188. Do you know if the area of land held by the shareholders now is the same as was held by them
when they signed the conditions ? Yes.
6189. Is it freehold ? The most i
t freehold ? The most of it.
6190. They have not reduced their freehold area ? No.
6191. Could a shareholder dispose of his property without the board of directors knowing anything of
it ? No ; he could not.
6192. What has been the total cost of the mill up to the present ? I could not exactly tell you the
amount; about £20,000.
6193. Have you ever formed an^estimate of your working expenses for the year ? Yes ; we Lave gone
into them.
6194. Wha t would it amouit to ? I cannot e xactly tell you at present.
6195. C«ul d the secretary give us the information ? I do not think he can. It has been gone into
many a time.
6196. And yet you cannot give us your estimate ? 1 cannot. We know exactly what men we require and
pretty nearly what the wages will amount to.
6197. Have you not, as a board of directors, properly prepared <m estimate showing what the whole of
youi' working expenses and interest for the year are likely to be, and what amount of sugar you would
require to produce in order to make it pay ? Certainly ; but 1 do n»t carry it in my h cad.
6198. Would the secretary have any b«oks from which he could give us the information ? 1 do not
think he has them here.
6199. How many shareholders are there in the company ? Twenty.
6200. Has your company offered to buy cane from other growers who are not shareholders ? Yes.
6201. What did they offer per ton ? Last year we gave 13s.
6202. Were any questions asked as to whether it was grown b;y white or coloured labour ? No.
6203. Then you may have offered to purchase kanaka-grown cane at 13s. a ton ? Well, yes.
6204. While your shareholders growing cane with white labour only get 10s. a ton ? Yes.
62#5. By Mr. King : Do your articles of association limit you to purchasing cane from the shareholders
at 10s. a ton? No.
6206. By Ike Chairman : Is that the minimum price ? Yes.
6207. Do you think that the twenty shareholders who signed the conditions ate capable of growing
sufficient cane to yield 1,500 tons of sugar ? Yes ; I do.
6208. Do you think that if the seasons were favourable the shareholders will adhere to the conditions
of their agreement ? I think so.
6209. By Mr. King : What is the amount of capital the Government have promised to a.dvance to the
compaiy ? £25,0u0.
6210. And you have received £20,000 ? Yes.
6211. Have you any outstanding liabilities? , Yes.
6212. How much ? £4,223.
G213. Then
THE GENEBAX CONDITION OF THE SUGAE TNDUSTB.T IN QUEENSLAND.
183
62W. Then the whole of the Government advance of £25,000 has been expended ? Yes ; when that G. Ironsides,
sum has been paid.
6214. Bo you know when the Government rciH commence to charge you interest ? I do not.
6215. Have you not received any notice from the Treasury ? No.
6216. What number of employes do you now have engaged in connection with the North Eton Central
Mill ? Only the secretary and manager; two persons.
6217. At what salaries? The manager £300, and the secretary £100 a year.
6218. AVliat price did you get for the sugar yon made this year? About £1 1 per ton for first sugar-
6219. What were the expenses for working the mill this year ? I could not tell you.
6220. What wages did the men you employed get ? £1 a week.
6221. Each man? Tes.
6222. No more than that? No,
6223. Tou say thut 1,400 tons of cane were crushed. How many tons were purchased from outside
growers, and how many were contributed by the shareholders ? Well, I cannot exactly tell you the
amount. 1 think that something like 300 tons were purchased from outside, but I could not be sure.
6224. About 300 tons by outside growers and 1,100 tons by the shareholders? Yes.
622.5. Can you say how many acres of the shareholders' cane were crushed this year? I could not. It
was something like 500 acres, very nearly. It went about 2 tons to the acre, and plenty of it not that.
6226. What i? the cost of cultivating an acre of cane ? I do not know. It depends a good deal on how
you work it.
6227. You have been engaged in cultivating cane and employing white labour to do so, what is the cost of
doing so ? I do n«t know. I do not need many hands to grow cane.
62*4. Have you no idea from your accounts what is the cost, and what your expenses are? Yes; but
I have kept a rather careless account. I have always made enough to clear my way and a little over, and
never bothered my head about it.
6229. By the Chairman : Do you keep any books ? No.
6230. By Mr King : Are all the shareholders of the company in good circumstances ? Pretty fair.
6231. Have they the means to cultivate their land? They have.
6232. You were talking about extending the tramways through adjoining land. Have you made any
application to the Government for capital for this work? Yes ; that was done some time ago.
62'33. How much do you consider it would take to do this? We applied for £10,000 ; but if we had half
of that amount we could go on.
623i. How many miles of permanent line would you put down? We were calculating on ten miles.
6235. Do yon consider that ten miles could be put down for £5,000 ? Yes ; but we could do with
less.
6236. The whole of the capital the Government has guaranteed to advance has been expended ? It has
been expended.
6237. By the Chairman : Have you any lawsuit pending with anyone just now in connection with the
mill? Yea.
623S. Who is it against ? The liquidators of the Crystal Brook Sugar Company.
6239. What have they demanded from you ? About £1,000 more than what they ought to do.
6240. Has the company been served with a writ ? Yes.
6241. And are you defending the action ? Yes.
6242. Have you offered them terms of settlement? Yes.
624.:?. Will you state what those terms are ? There is only £250 now hetween us, and we have offered
them what we owe them. It is £4,500or something like that that they offer to take now, and the amount
that we owe them is £4,223 or something like it.
6244. By Mr. King : Do you think that the action is likely to be settled for the amount you have
offered them ? I think so.
6245. Supposing that you go to law and win or lose the case, in what position would the company be?
I don't kuow. I do not see thattheycan touch the company.
624 ; ;. Couhl the company pay the costs if you lose the case ? I suppose we could pay it.
6247. Where would you get the money ? I do not know. They have not got the money.
6248. How will you provide for the expenses of starting the work this year, unless the Government make
some further advance ? We can do it. We had to do it last year, and 1 think we can do it this,
6240. You say that you do not know what the working expenses will be this year? I do not know the
exact amount.
6250. Can't you give it us in round numbers? No I cannot. It is all in tho books, but I could not tell
you what it is.
6251. Has the company had any difficulty with any of its shareholders ? Well, yes, there have been
some growls.
625:^. Bo any of the shareholders wish to withdraw ? We have no formal notice of such a thing,
62,53. Have any of the shareholders withdrawn their shares? No.
6254. Have they made npplicati on to do so ? One did.
6255. Did the directors nmkc t!i e transfer ? They il id not.
6256. On what ground did they refuse ? They did not think that the man to whom the property was to
be transferred would have acted in the interests of the company.
6257. By Mr. Cowley ; Can you give us any particulars of the total amount of your liability, showing the
total amount of debt, including interest due to the Government ? No ; I cannot.
G2,j8. Can you give us the gross amount that your sugar realised last year? I could not do so here.
6259. You cannot give us the gross amount paid for the cane? 1 cannot tell you.
6260. Can you tell us whether it is all paid for ? It is all paid for.
6261. Are you offering to buy cane for next season from outside growers ? We have made no offer
yet.
6262. Is your mill thoroughly capable of taking off 1,509 tons ? There are some little alterations that
would have to be made to enable it to do so.
6263. Have you estimated the cost of those additions ? We think they could be done for about £300.
6264. You say that you have made an application to the Governmeut for more monL'y for the purpose of
constructing a tram line ? Yes.
MINUTE3 OF EVIDENCE TjLEEN BEFORE THE ItOTAL COMltTSSION TO INQUIRE INTO
G. Ironsides. G265. What security do you propose to give ? Only the security that they have got. We have no other
security to give for the additional £5,000.
18 Feb., 1889. 6266. But in fact you made an application for £10,000 ? Yes.
6267. And you had no additional security to give for it? No more than that we would guarantee that
more cane wouli be supplied to the mill.
6268. How many additional acres of cane would those live miles of tramway give you ? Something like
500 acres extra." All this has been sent down in writing to thf: Government.
6269. Has anyone leased their land to tenants besides you ? Antony.
6270. Are those tenants growing cane exclusively with white labour, or are they employing coloured
labour? They are. They are not employing coloured labour that I know of; that is those connected
with the central mill.
6271. When you say that they get the land rent free, do they clear the land for you ? Some of it is
cleared and some of it is not cleared.
6272. Tou say that they lave fifty acres each. How many do they cultivate of that? They have only
commenced. This is the first year, ani only one of them has any cane, ani only three have d»ue a little
this year.
6273" What is the extent of the cane grown by them ? Twenty acres between the three.
6274. Is there anything in the lense of those tenants compelling them to grow cane by white labour ?
Tes, they rnaie exactly the same agreement that I have myself with the Government.
6275. Has the land of your shareholders been mortgaged to the Government ? Yes.
6276. Have those mortgages been completed ? Yes, and registered.
6277. Then it is not a fact that since they have mortgaged their land to the Government they have
mortgaged it to outside parties ? I have heard it said, but do not know whether it is a fact or not.
6278. Is it not your duty as chairman of the company to find those matters out? I did so. I made
inquiries by writing to the Government to see if the deeds had been delivered.
6279. And you wouli have found out in that way if any of the shareholders had mortgaged their
properties to outsiders? Yes.
G280. How many acres of cane can a white man plant, cultivate, cut, and cart to the mill himself ? That
is rather a difficult question to answer, because it is a job not fit for a man; tbal is to io all that work by
himself.
6281. But how much couli ten men io ? They ought to do 100 acres, ten acres each.
6282. Have you ever known a man to do ten acres ? I never have ; but I would undertake to do ten
acres.
6283. What wages wouli you pay a man who could do ten acres all round ? £1 a week.
6281 How many horses would he require ? Three.
6285. What implements? A plough, harrow, and scarifier.
6286. Was any of the cane purchased last season grown by kanaka labour? I do not know if it was.
6287. Not as chairman ? Do you not know whether the persons you bought it from employed kanaka
labour? I do not know whether they had kanakas or any other coloured labour.
6288. What do you estimate is the cost of manufacturing sugar after the cane is ieliverei ? Well, we
have scarcely bad a fair trial, because we did not get halt as much cane as we required, and we could have
crushed twice as much with the same labor.
6289. What wages did you pay to your mill hands ? We paid the men knocking about the mill £1 a
week, the engine drivers 3ts. a week, and £3 a week to the sugar boilers.
6290. What would be the number of men required to run the mill ? About 45.
6291. That is including everything? Yes.
6292. By Mr. King .- Is Mr. Antoney a shareholder ? He is.
6293. Is he a large shareholier in the company ? Yes, he is a large shareholder.
6294. Can you say whether any of the shareholders in the company employ kanaka labour for anything
else, besides the growing of cane ? Do they employ kanaka labour at all ? Not that I am aware of.
6295. You do not know if they are employing kanakas on any of their land in any capacity ? I am sure
they are not. A few men who had boys before they signed the agreement, kept them until their time was
up ; but since that there has been no coloured labor employed.
6296. With what bank have you been connected ? The Queensland National Bank.
6297. Have you an overdraft ? Yes.
6298. What security have you given the bank for your overdraft ? The directors are personally respon-
sible for the overdraft.
6299. AVho has the deed of encumbrance ? The Government.
6300. Who prepared it ? The Government.
6301. Have you got a copy of it, ? I hive not. It is ill the articles of association.
6302. Han it come to your knowledge that ieeds have been issued to the shareholders by the Government
without the encuiubniuce being endorsed on them ? It has. That is exactly what I am inquiring about,
and about which I can get no satisfactory reply from the Government.
6303. St/ the Chairman : Have you put the malter properly before the Government ? Yes.
6301. What reply have you received ? No satisfactory reply.
6305. The issuing of th«se deeds has taken place within the last four or five months ? Yes.
6306. Then in point of fact the company has no claim on those shareholders who have received their ieeds
from the Government without the encumbrance being endorsed on them ? That is exactly what I want
to know. We can get no satisfaction from the Government, ani we iutend to take steps in the matter.
6307. Do you employ a solicitor in connection with the compauy ? Yes; and I am now trying to find out
what deeis have been issued.
6308 And have you instructed him to lodge a caveat against their registration ? Yes.
6309. Then the board has taken every care to properly protect the interests of the company ? We have.
6310. Sif Mr. King : What is the amouut of the company's «verdraft at the present time'? At present
I think it is) scarcely anything ; we are about clear.
6311. Si/ Mr. Cowley: How far is the lani on which you grow the cane from the central mill? The
farthest away is about a mile.
6312. When
TUH GENERAL COTTDITTON OF THE SUGAB JNDTJ8TBY Of QUEEWSIjA3?D. 185
(5312. When you said that ten white men could cultivate 100 acres of cane, do you mean to say that they G. Ironsides,
could do the u'liole of the work to grow, cultivate, cut, and deliver the eane at the mill? Yes, I think , — -A^ — N
ther could. 18 FuV, 1889.
(5313. And about what would be the average of such a crop as they could grow ? About 20 tons to the
acre.
6311. Well, after carrying i»n now as you have done for the last two or three years with white
1 bour, are you perfectly satisfied with your prospects, and believe you can make it pay ? Yes ; fully
satisfied. I am of the same opinion now as I was before I went into it.
0315. By /Jie CliaiTmmn ; Are you pretty well acquainted with the shareholders of the company ? Yes-
6316. Are they all of the same opinion as yourself? I do not know whether they are or not. I have
never heard any saying they wished to have black labour.
G317. What amount of capital have you invested in your own selection? I could not give you the
amount.
(5318. Could yon give us the approximate amount? I know what I started with, and I have not gone
back. I started with £700. I think £3,000 altogether lias been invested in the estate-
6310. Then yon are firmly of opinion, from your knowledge of the district, that with good seasons the
North "Eton Central Mill would pay? I am ^uite sure of it.
6320. Both interest and working expenses ? Yes.
6321. And you could grow the cane exclusively by white labour ? Yes.
Willcait HOBEBTSoy examined :
G322. By the Chairman : You are a selector residing iu this district ? Yes. W.KoberUon.
G32'3. Are you one of the directors of the North Eton Central Mill Company ? Yes. >^A-^— N
6321. Aud you are a shareholder in the company ? Yes. 18 Feb., 1889.
6325. Were you present at the meeting held in this distriet by Mr. Hodgkinson ? No.
6326. But you signed the necess ry documents undertaking to grow a certain amount of cane by white
labour? Yes.
6327. How mauy acres did you undertake to cultivate ? 10 acres.
632S. How many acres have you under cultivation? 10 acres.
6329. How long have you been growing cane ? Two years.
6330. Have you taken any crop off the ground ? Yes.
6331. When ? Last season.
6332. How much did you take off? 1 can hardly recollect what it was. I only took about half the crop
to the mill; the other half I sold to selectors who wanted it as plants. I had something like from 2 to 3
tons to the aere ; that is all.
6333. Are you able to say how many tons you sold to the mill ? No, I can't say ; I do not know. I
sold to the mill about £10 wortli of cane, and counting that at 10s. a too, would mean about 20 tons of
cane. I received £1 I9s„ say £5, from those people who bought it for plants.
6331, By Mr. Cowley : Then you got £15 for your 10 acres ? Yes.
6335. By (kit Chairman .- Have you still got the 10 acres under cane? Yes.
6336. At the meetings of the board of directors, did you go into the question of ways and means as to
the probable receipts and probable expenditure, before the crushing season commenced ? Oh, yes; most
decidedly.
6337. H«w mauy tons do yon estimate that you have to grow to pay interest on the capital invested and
working expenses ? 1,500 tons of sugar to be manufactured.
6338. Is the area which the shareholders have at present uuder cane likely to produce that amount ?
No; it is not.
6339 What is it likely to produce? It is likely to produce 2,000 tons of eane if they extend their
operations.
6340. But what are they likely to produce now? They are capable of doing it, but they want
tramways ; and there are a lot of shareholders who would increase their area considerably if they
had tramways.
6341. By Mr. King : How many acres are under crop for next season by the shareholders? I am
not in a position to say.
6342. Have they the area uuder cultivation to yield 1,500 tons? No. The season has been so very
dry that they could not possibly get it.
6313. By the Chairman : Is there any unwillingness on tho part of shareholders to comply with
the conditions originally signed? There is unwillingness in some cases; in a few cases which are
exceptions. There was unwillingness in one instance where a man contrived to get possession, of his
deeds. He had signed a bill of encumbrance to the company, and then worked underhand to get tho
Government to issue the deeds to him, and he obtained them and passed them over to the bank and
lodged them there, and now he says "Oh, the company can do what they like."
6314. How long is it since lie got his deeds ? I am not sure ; but I should snv four or five months.
G345. Was it too late for the board of directors to have lodged a caveat, agamst any dealings with those
deeds? At that time I was not on the directorate. I have only recently been appointed a director. We
wrote down eight weeks ago to the Government on the subject, and we cannot get a satisfactory answer.
6346. How long have you been a director ? Only about nine weeks. Not so long as that. Since the
first of the year.
6347. Then practically you know very little about the financial position of the company ? Can you tell
us what your liabilities are vow ? There is £25,000 due to the G-overment. That is the limit of the
company.
6348. Have you received the whole of that £25,000 ? No ; we have received £20,000 odd. They hold
about £4,800 of the balance due for the mill. This mill has been bought nobody knows how. The company
does not know how tho mill was bought. I was at a meeting of shareholders one night and somebody
suggested that if the money was available, and if they could get it, they should buy the mill. That was
reported on the minutes of the meeting as having been sanctioned by the shareholders. It was never
sanctioned at all. At all events the mill was bought, and we had to pay for it. This mill was shoved on
us I do not know how. It is too big. 0349. Who
186
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAJ?" EN BEFORE THE ROYAIj COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
W.Robertson. 534,9 ^ho prepared the minutes ? II, D. Dunn. He toot down tlie minutes, and Hodges got them
' — afterwards and published them as being carried by the meeting. The meeting in reality never decided to
18Fcb.,1889. pm-chasc the mill at all.
G3-50. How did the meeting come to know that the mill was for sale ? There was a man there to sell it.
63.11. At the following meeting were the minutes read and confirmed by the shareholders? They were
never submitted. They were signed by the chairman as correct. They were confirmed by the chairman
signing his name at the foot of them ; that is all.
G352. And yet you are quite positive that no resolution was passed at the meeting authorising the
directors to purchase the mill ? Yes ; no such proposition was submitted.
6353. And yet it appears on the minutes as having been passed ? Yes ; the chairman was not present at
the meeting and he signed the minutes, and did not know anything about it. Ironsides, who signed
them, says he knows nothing.
6351. Is there a lawsuit pending now with regard to the man who sold you the mill ? Yes ; a writ has
been issued against the company. There was something wrong with the mill, aud the company had to
have it overhauled and repair some things.
G35-5. How have the company provided for the payment of interest and the payment of working
expenses for the current year? The Queensland National Bank offers them as much money as ever they
like.
6356. Is this " as much money as ever yon like" to be obtained from the bank in the shape of an over-
draft for which you are personally responsible? I do not know. I have not been in conversation with
the manager of the bank. I am told that we can get plenty of money from the bank.
63.j7. Have you never signed a cash credit bond ? I have not.
6358. Have any of the other directors done so ? I do not know.
6359. And yet you can get as much money fi-om the Queensland National Sank as you want ? Yes ; I
have been told so.
6360. £y UTr. King : I understand that yon admit owing the Crystal Brook Company a sum of £4,200,
and that the Government have that sum left out of the £25,#00 which will »e paid over if the vendors
accept it? Yes.
G361. If this lawsuit should go on and the company should lose, and be let in for £2,000 costs, how
-unll they meet it ? I do not know how they are going to meet it. The have got no money.
6362. Supposing you do not lose, and the interest of the £25,000 only commence on the 1st January
of this year, and the interest will amount to about £2,000 a year, do cyou see any means of paying that
money to the Government and providing for the next crushing ? No.
6363. Do you know what was the cost of working the mill during the crushing? I can only refer to the
statement of revenue and expenditure. "We have had no balance sheet laid before us since the company
was started. I do not know what the assets and liabib'ties are. We have a statement of revenue and
expenditure. In fact, the company is in a very confused state at the present time.
G3f>4. Can you say what was the expense of working the mill last crushing ? No ; I cannot say now. I
can only say then by taking it for granted that the statement of revenue aud expenditure is correct. I
have not examined the books.
<;3G3. Have you any idea of the cost of the crushing season, and what the expenses were for that time ?
It would be almost impossible to form any idea of the crushing ; it was simply a trial.
'b'36l). But what was the cost? I could not tell you the cost.
6367. Do any of the shareholders employ any kanakas on their cultivated land in any capacity whatever ?
Have any of them got any kanakas. or any coloured labour ? No.
G3G8. Have you any idea what quantity of land the shareholders have got under cultivation now, for this
season ? Altogether I should think about 500 acres. I am not sure ; that is what I put it down for. I
know two men who have over 100 acres each ; and all the rest have from twenty to thirty acres, and
from that d*own to ten acres.
9369. Have the whole of the shareholders got the means of cultivating the area under cane that they
undertook to cultivate? No; they have not the means.
6370. I see that the price you give the shareholders for cane is 10s. a ton delivered, and you have bought
cane from outsiders at IBs. a ton. Do the shareholders like that ? Some of them do not like it. They
cannot see that it is for their own interest that the company should ta.ke it at that price. It costs just as
much to work the mill and crush their own cane as it does to crush the extra cane that they purchase for
13s. a ton. The sugar obtained from that ca'ne is for the benefit of the company.
6371. You are cultivating ten acres of cane? Yes.
6372. AVnat is the cost of cultivating those ten acres with white labour ? The money that I laid out
on it was £80. 1 have cleared the land, and it cost £80 to get it cleared and made ready for the
plough and planted.
6373. Last year ; what did it cost you ? Only about £0 for the ten acres. The way I cultivate it
makes it diiEcult to ascertain exactly what it cost ; because I have men employed in my business, and I
send them down into the cane field to work when they can be spared, and have very little else to do.
6374. Do you do the cutting and carting by day labour ? I do it myself, I employ a man, and in his
spare time he delivers the cane to the mill.
t>375. By Mr. Ctwley .- As a director, are you thoroughly satisfied with the mill as it now stands ? No ; I
can't say that I am. I have not had an opportunity of making myself acquainted with all the workings
of it, arid I will not be satisfied till I do so.
6376. Do you know if this mill will want any additions to it to enable it to take off a big crop ? Yes ;
there are additions required.
6377. Have you estimated the cost ? Mr. Lyle is our engineer ; we , have that to him. He says that the
cost wouli be about £1,000 for subsiders, coolers, filters, and clarifieis.
6378. If £1,000 were expended on the mill would it render it Capable of taking off 1,500 tons of sugar ?
Yes. But it would require a further cost of £5,000 or £6,000 for a tramway to bring the cane to the
mill.
6379. Have you any additional security to give if you borrow this money, and are you prepared to give
it ? Only m making the tramway. People have said that if that wasdone they would talce up shares.
6380. And will they mortgage their property the same as the others ? They have saiil so ; whether they
will stick to it or not I can't say. UliSl. Are
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE 3UGAE INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
1S7
6381. Are you willing to give additional security if the tramway is made ? Yes ; I would take up more W.Koberfcson.
shares, and give additional security. I have given too much security. I may say that £125 is my ^^- A -^"~ > v
liability to the company, and I have given up the deeds of 10u acres of good land. They have the deeds 18 Fek . 1889 -
of my selection, and they have more security from me f«r my ten acres of cane than they have from
people who have guaranteed thirty or forty acres.
6382. How many acres do you think that one man could plant, cultivate, cut, and cart to the mill ? One
nan could not do anything.
63S3. Supposing you had fifty acres, how many men would it take to do everything for it ? Six men would
cultivate, cut, and cart in one season fifty acres of cane.
6384. How many times do you geurrally plough your land before planting it ? Three times.
6385. And three harrowings ? Tes.
6316. And then you dr ill it ? Tes.
6387. Do you trash all your cane ? Tes. It lies with the company whether they accept burnt cane or
not. They did accept burnt cane last season.
6388. But if required you have to trash ? Fes.
6389. Ton say that six white men could cultivate fifty acres of cane. After includiug all the expenses of
clearing, cultivating, &c, dm you think you could grow cane to pay ? ifes ; it the seasons were
favourable
G390. "When you say that your If acres of cane cost you last year £5, what do you mean ? That we did
it for £5. It was nearly nil ratooua.
6391. Did they have to plough and harrow it ? Tes ; of course.
G392. Did you lioe at all ? No.
6393. Any trashing? It is not fit for trashiug : there is nothing to trash yet.
6394. It has cost you £5 up to the present ? Tes ; since we took the cane out in October.
6395. Have you ever made au estimate of the cost of manufacturing sugar by your mill ? I have merely
estimated the cost t» be about £,3 10s.
6396. Is that manufacturing alone, or preparing it for market ? Everything — preparing it for market.
6397. By Mr. King : Does that include iuterest on the cost of the mili and depreciation ? No; I do
not take that into account.
6398. By Mr. Cowhy And does this refer to your employing white labour outy in the mill ? Tes.
6399. How many men do you employ in the mill ? I am not sure ; about twenty-five men, I think ; but
at times there are tnoru employed than at others on the regular staff.
6400. Do you l>u;y firewood ? Tes.
6401. What do you pay per cord ? Nine shillings.
6402. Delivered ? xes. 1 have paid more than that.
G403. Bij the Chairman : How long have you been living in this district ? Fifteen'years.
6104. And how long have you been an employer of labour ? Eight years.
64U5. What labour have you employed during that time ; liavo you ever employed coloured labour ? No.
640G. From your experieuce in this district during the time you mentioned, are you of opinion that in
this part of the colony sugar cane can he grown profitably with white labour? Fes.
6407. By Mr. Cowley .* Profitably? Tes ; ou the central mill system ; if you can get the right sort of
people to grow it — white people who will go to work.
6408. By the Chairman : Are you personally acquainted with the shareholders of the company of which
you are a director. Tes.
G409. Are you of opinion that they are the proper class of persons to grow cane in this district with
wMte labour ? Tes ; under favourable circumstances. We have had a very disastrous season.
G410. Is the district of Mackay largely settled on by small selectors ? There are a few very large estate
holders, and they are the curse of the district. The unfortunate selectors are scattered about. Tho
majority of the people aro selectors in the Mackay district.
6411. Have these selectors families grovi ing up ? Tes.
6412. Are many of them sons ? They have a fair average of sons and daughters.
6413. The boys will be growing up and looking for employment by-and-bv ? Tes.
6411. Are any of them growing up now and working cane with their fathers ? Tes
6415. Do you think that if the land was more settled on a larger proportion of native-born white labour
would be open for employment ? Tes.
6416. Is the district healthy? Tes.
6416a. Is it suitable for the European constitution? Tes; it is exceptionally healthy.
6417. Then, from your fourteen years' experience in this district, having grown sugar cane yourself, are you
satisfied that it can be grown profitably with white labour ? Tes ; in favourable seasons. If we do not
get rain, and have no artificial means to irrigate, we can't get good crops with any labour.
6418. That is only in relation to the profit? Ves ; but wo have had an exceptional drought. The flood
and cyclone were equal to a drought, and we have had a drought on the top of it again.
6419. Do you think that the drought has seriously interfered with the success of your mill ? Tes, most
decided ly.
6420. Y\ r as the crushing last year merely a test, or was it taken in the ordinary course of business?
Merely a teot to see that tho mill was all right, and that everything was in going order, and to find out
any defects that there might be about the mill, and not for making money ut all.
6421. Did you not really crunh all the cane grown by the shareholders ? Tes, we crushed all the cane
grown by the shareholders, except in one case.
G422. Theu although it was a test, it was a test with all the cane grown ? Tes, we had to take the cane
off the land for the people. It would not do to allow the cane to stop there.
6423. By Mr. Cowley : What wages do you pay agricultural labourers ? £1 a week and tucker.
6424. What; was your avernge crop of cane ? Last season it was about two acres to the ton.
6425. What was the average yield, of can e last year ? Well say an acre to the ton.
6420. What is it in favourable aeasons ? About 14 tons to t lie acre. Taking everything, ratoons and
plant cane, about 14 tons an acre.
6427. And you would be satisfied to go on extending your area with white labour, getting 14 tons to the
nere. Would that pay you for your outlay and the interest on capital ? Yes. I wouldbe quite satisfied
with 14 tons an acre at 10b. a ton, which would be £7 an acre. 6428. By
189
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOBE THE ROIAI, COMMISSION TO INQFIBE INTO
\V.KobertsoB. g^og ^ e Chairman : Could fifty acres be cultivated by six Europeans as you have stated ? Tes.
/" 6429. That is an average of about eight and a-quarter acres to the man ? Yes. That is if they were
18 Feb., 1889. working the land for themselves, and reaping the benefit of it. They would do it for themselves, but I
would not like to employ them myself and expect each man to cultivate eight and a-^uarter acres.
6430. By Mr. Cowley : How many men would it take if you were employing them to cultivate fifty acres
of cane and paying them £1 a week ? A bout ten or twelve.
6431. Is your land pretty good ? Tes.
6432. After your land was cleared and stumped how much rent would you ask if you leased it to
anyone ? It all depends upon -what sort of man he would be. I would ask a higher rent from one than
I would from another
6433. Say a good farming man ? I cannot answer that question. But I might start at £2 or 30s., or,
say, £1 an acre. Some get more and some get less.
6134. But £l an acre wtuld barely pay you for your outlay. It would cost you more than £8 an acre
to stump, clear, and fence? That is quite correct.
Duncan McInnis examined :
6435. By flte Chairman : You are secretary of the North Eton Central Sugar Company, Limited? Yes.
6436. How long have you held the position ? Since the 1st of August— for about six months.
18 Feb., 1889. 6437. Can you inform us upon what basis the company was formed? The memorandum of association
will inform you.
6438. What was the capital of the company ? In the first^place it was £20,000, and they got a further
advance of £5,000.
6439. How much of that has been expended ? The whole of it.
6440. How much has been received from the Government ? £25,000.
6441. Have you received the whole amount fr«m the Government ? There is a balance lying in the
Treasury now to make the fi nal payment on the machinery. There is a dispute as to the amount due,
but I believe it is in a fair way to be settled.
6 442. In point of fact a lawsuit is pending 1 It is pending. We had an offer made the other day,
and I have no doubt it will be settled.
6443. The company have been served with a writ ? Yes ; and they have given instructions to defend the
action.
6444. When that claim is satisfied the whole of the money of the company will be practicallyexpended on
the mill ? Yes.
6445. What provision is made foT carrying »n the mill financially ? There is no provision. The
directors will have to endeavour to raise money from the bank upon what security they have to offer.
6446. Out of what fund are they defraying expenses now ? An overdraft personally guaranteed by the
whole of the directors of the company.
6447. They have given a cash credit bond? They have given an ordinary bank guarantee.
6448. How many tons of cane were crushed last season? About 450 acres were crushed, but I believe
the majority tf it was hardly fit for crushing. It was horrible stuff.
6449. What amount of sugar was manufactured ? 100 tons.
6450. "What were t he working expenses of the mill last crushing season? About £1,500.
6451. Out of what fund was that paid? Wedrew on the bank. Part of it was paid out of the last
£5,000 granted by the Government. The amount due on the machinery was £-4,235, and the balance,
£764, was placed to our credit in the ba»k by the Government.
£452. Then, practically, the £1,500 was paid partly out of capital and partly out of overdraft ? Yes.
6453. Has that overdraft been paid off? There is still an overdraft.
6454. Are you sure that all the directors are personally liable for the overdraft ? No ; they are not now.
The directors were changed last month.
6455. How does the overdraft stand in relation to the new directors? The shareholders who signed the
guarantee are still liable to the bank although they are not directors.
6456. Did they sign the bond as shareholders or directors ? As directors, I believe. They are personally
liable.
6457. There can absolutely be a change of directory without any personal liability attaching to it? Yes ;
they are liable as private individuals. They had to do something of that sort or they couli not get any
money.
6458. What is the amount of overdraft at this moment. It is very small now. We have realised on
nearly all our sugar, and I believe the overdraft is down to about £200-
6459. Have the directors contemplated the expenses for the coming season? I do not think so. I do
not know that any arrangements have been made.
6460. Have they not had an ordinary meeting to consider the ways and meaus of the company, and how
the interest, capital, and working expenses are to be paid ? The first meeting I was at on the 2Sth of
last July the chairman asked the meeting to suggest some mentis for carrying on during vbe crushing,and
no one had any suggestion t» offer. They left it entirely to the directors. The directors did the best
they could. The shareholders would not make themselves liable in any way.
6461. lias the Colonial Treasurer intimated to you when interest, will commence from ? We never heard
anything about it. I do not think there is anvthing on record.
6462. When the money was advanced, was anything said as to when interest would be chargeable from ?
I do not think so. I have never seen any correspondence.
6463. Has any formal demand been made for either six months or twelve months' interest? No demand
has been made to my knowledge.
6464. Supposing a demand to be made by the Treasury for this interest accruing on the £20,000 already
advanced, yon would have to pay it ? They simply could not pay it ; they have no means.
6465. Are you in a position to state what area is undur cane by the shareholders for crushing next season ?
Approximately about 450 acres. There was a great deal more land prepared, but on account of the lack
of rain it was impossiblo to get the cane in.
6466. Then the crushing next season will be sma.ll ? Very small.
6467. So
THE GENERAL CaXDITION OP THE SUGAR EfDUSTST IN QUEENSLAVD.
189
6467. So that there will be no possibility whatever of paying interest ? I do not think there will be any D- Mclnnig.
possibility. ^^v^— ^
6468. Independent of your shareholders' cane, do you know of any that was purchased for crushing ? 18 Feb., 1889.
There was a little purchased, but I do not know how many acres.
6469. Do you know what price was paid for it ? 13s. at the mill.
6470. Have you heard any complaints by shareholders that only 10s. was paid to them and 13s. to
outsiders? 1 have heard informal complaints. No formal complaints have been made.
6471. Have you got a list of the shareholders, with the amount for \ vhicb they are all personallyliable ? No.
6472. Thenreally you do not know who are and who are not shareholders? I eould not swear positively.
If put on my oath I should hesitate a good deal, although practically I know who they are.
6473. You have not a copy of the deed af encumbrance— the one signed ? No ; they have been applied
for to the Government, but have not been sent up. I have never seen them.
0474. Did all the shareholders transmit their deeds to the Government to have the encnmbrance endorsed
on them ? Yes ; all the freeholders, and it remained with the Government to endorse those that had not
been issued.
6475. Do you know how many shareholders had not their deeds? The majority of them. I believe only
three or four were freeholders.
6476. lias it come to the knowledge of the board of directors that some of the shareholders who were not
freeholders at thetime hove become freeholders since, andthatthe deeds have been issued to them by the
Crown without the encumbrance being endorsed on them ? Yes.
6477. What action has the company taken to protect itself? I wrote down to the Registrar of Titles
who signed the bill of encumbrance on one of the freeholder's deeds and asked him if such was the case,
and he wrote back and said he could not tell me; that it would be too much trouble to search and find out.
Upon receipt of that, 1 wrote down to the Treasurer asking him to be kind enough to obtain the
information for me. I wrote on the 8th December, and received no answer.
6478. Has the attention of the companv's solicitor been drawn to this? No; not yet.
6479. He has not advised you what to do to protect the interests of the company ? No ; the company's
solicitor spoke to me just before I heard of the matter, and warned me there would be trouble with
regard to this.
6480. Do you personalty know that one of the shareholders has lodged his deeds, which he signed
on undertaking to mortgage to the company, with a bank and has obtained a cash credit on them ? I
know two who have got their deeds and parted with them. I could not swear to it ; but practically
I believe it is the truth.
6451. Since this has come to the knowledge of the directors, have they drawn the attention of the
Minister for Lands to the fact tihat only three or four freeholders entered the company on its formation,
and that others are now entitled to their deeds and are receiving them without the encumbrances being
endorsed on them? N o ; 1 wanted to get an admission from the Government that these informalities had been
allowed. I wanted to get their admission that the deeds had been issued without the encumbrances being
endorsed on them. I wrote to the Registrar of Titles on the 17th of September, asking him the question ;
but no reply has been received. I da uot want ta take any steps until 1 am officially informed t hat such
is the fact . In oue uasa it has come to the knowledge of the directors that a deed has been issued from
the Real Property OfG.ce without the encumbrance being eudorsed on it, and, if that is true, the
Government lose more than one-third of their security.
6482. Have you prepared a balance-sheet showing the financial position of the company after the
crushing, or up to the end of 1888? No ; no balance-sheet has ever been prepared. All that has been
prepared is a statement of receipts and expenditure.
6483. Can you say what is the total amonnt af the liabilities of the company at the present time, not
including the debt to the Government ? I think twa small accounts are awing — one for £59 and another
for £35.
6484. Then there is the debt of £200 to the bank I find that our whole liabilities up to the present
time would not amount to more than £100.
6485. That is in addition to the liability for the machinery, which is disputed ? Certainly.
6486. Has the company made any advances to shareholders ? Yes.
6487. What advances have been made ? The total amount is about £200.
0488. To how many shareholders? Four or five?
6489. How many acres of cane have the shareholders under cultivation ? I should say about 120
6490. When were these advances made ? Within the last three mouths. There was one advance made
to a man named Lind, and his cane last year dfd not reach the amount advanced to him, and he lately died
in the hospital. I do not know how that will come out. The money was advanced more than three
months ago, and he died owing £30.
0491. How is the money obtained? The company guarantees the bank, and the shareholder practically
gets an advance through the directors paying the bank interest.
6492. That is an additional £200 of liability? AVe do not consider it a liability, because there is an
asset that exceeds it.
6493. By Mr. King .- Do you believe that the whole of the shareholders are in a financial position to
cultivate the acreage of cane which they have guaranteed to cultivate ? 1 believe practically they are.
There may be one or two small exceptions. I do not know their private affairs, but taking them all around
I might say they are.
0494. Was this man who died in the hospital a freeholder, or did he lease the land? He had his deeds.
He was one of the two who got his deeds without the encumbrance being endorsed on them, and I
beiieTe some one has them now.
6495. Is the land mortgaged to any one else ? Yes.
6496. Supposing interest is only charged from the 1st January last, the interest on £25,000 at 8 percent,
would be £2,000, do you see any prospect of the mill earning that amount of profit during this year ? No,
certainly not.
6497. To what do you attribute the fact that the mill will not be able to pay interest ? To the dulness
of the seasons, and the consequent inability of the shareholders to get their cane planted.
6498. By
190
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAiiEN BEFOEE THE SOTAt COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
D. McTums. 6498. By Mr. Cowley : Ton say that 450 acres were crushed, yielding 100 tons— has that been actually
realised or is it only the estimated quantity ? We have sold all except about eight tons in the sugar-
18 Feb., 1889. house.
6499. Can you tell us the net receipts of what you have already soli ? It averaged between .£12 or
£13 a ton net.
S500. How much labour did you employ in the mill? We averaged about forty Europeans.
6501. What was the rate of wages paid to labourers ? £1 a week to common labourers.
6502. What number were employed at that rate ? I do not know.
6-503. Rations and house are extra ? Tes.
G504. Can you tell us how much interest is due, as shown in your own books ? No ; because we have
never known when the interest vtas to begin.
0505. Did you not expect interest to date from the time of the first advance? I have never been
informed on the matter.
G50G. You have 450 acres to crush this year of the shareholders cane— can the whole of that cane be
brought f the mill without a tramway ? Yes, certainly ; but not profitably to the mill. They cannot
keep the mill going. If you give them their own time lin y could bring it to the mill.
6507. Have you every reason to believe you will get those 450 acres ? It will all come to us.
6508. Can you tell us how many acres of land are actually mortgaged to the Government as security ftr
the £25,000 expended ? No ; I have never had the bills of encumbrance.
6509. Have you the copy of receipts and expenditure with you ? It is only the statement of receiptsand
expenditure for the last six months.
6510. There are others prior to that ? Tes ; I only know of two others that have been submitted.
651 1. Are you not by your articles of association compelled to submit a balance sheet to the shareholders
every six months, or at the ordinary general meeting ? Tes.
6512. Has it never been submitted ? No : there has never been a balance sheet made out.
6513. Have you never been directed by the chairman of directors to furnish the shareholders with a
balance sheet ? No.
6514. Do you keep a regular set of double entry books? Tes.
6515. Have you received instructions from the Auditor-General how to keep your books ? Tes.
6516. And you keep them as per his instructions? Tes ; I am just starting to write up the new books.
6517. Then you are in a positiou now to strike a balance sheet. Tou have all the requisite information
at your disposal to enable you to strike a balance sheet up to the end of last year ? If the question of
interest was settled.
6518. Have any of your shareholders ever informed you, as secretary, that they cannot grow cane profit-
ably with white labour ? Not as secretary.
6519. Mare they ever expressed any dissatisfaction in your presence ; or desired to employ coloured
labour? No, not ofkially.
6520. Are you aware whether an estimate has ever been made ofthe necessary sum to complete the mill —
that is to take a crop of a thousand tons off. Has the engineer ever submitted an official report? No,
he has never submitted a statement.
6521. By Mr. King : Is any additional expenditure required to complete the mill ? Tes.
6522. B y Mr. Coioley .- Can you give us any idea of the amount required ? I have no idea. The engineer
is here.
6523. How often do your directors hold their meetings ? At present once a month.
6524. Do you always attend and take minutes ? Certainly.
6525. li y Mr. King : What staff does the company employ outside the oft' season? Only myself and
the engineer.
6526. What is your salary ? £100.
6527. And the engineer's ? £300.
652S. There were live men sifting sugar the other day when we were at the mill ; what wages are they
getting? I believe four of them are getting £l a week and one 15s.
6529. By Mr. Cowley : Was not one of those men an engine driver ? One is. He is a selector now and
was glad to get a job of that sort.
6530. Have any shareholders expressed to you any dissatisfaction with the position in which they find
themselves in connection with the growing of sugar' cane for the company ? Not officially. No formal
complaint has been lodged.
6531. By the Clmirman . Have the directors had under consideration the importance of laying down a
tramway in connection with the North Eton Central Mill ? Yes; their idea is that it will be impossible
• for the shareholders to deliver their cane to the mill unless by tramway on account of the selections being
bo scattered.
6532. Where in it proposed to put these tramways ? tt is proposed to put the main line down from tlie
mill in a north-west direction, which would thus tan the best laud. Then portable Hues could also be laid.
65.33. AVhnt is the estimated cost ? .About £6,000 or £7,000.
6534. Jig Mr. Cowlrg .- For how Many miles ? We should require about ten miles.
6535. By lite Chairman : Do you think the area of land under cultivation would be increased by having
the tramways laid down ? Certainly.
6536. Do you think the land owners would give a guarantee to that effect ? Tes. I have, a document
which I sent down to the Government showing the acreage of cane which would be cultivated over and
above the amount which the shareholders were bound to grow. The only way in which the company can
assure the mill being kept going is to undertake all the harvesting, and bv so doing relieve the grower of
the labour of harvesting his own cane.
6537. lias that document beeu prepared with the knowledge and sanction of the directors ? Tes. The
line would also tap the selections of many men who are not Hbireholders uho would gladly grow cane for
the mill under agreement. Of course the agreement uould contain the provision that only white labour
was to be used.
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SCf*i E INDUSTRY Ilf QUEENSLAND. 191
6540. Huve you any reason to suppose that it is cheaper now ? No, but I should think the quotations D. Mulnnis.
would uot hold pood for move than a reasonable period . ^~ — N
6541. If the material is £550 a mile laying it would be ^^considerable expense? Certainly. 18 Feb., 1889.
6542. I suppose you would want some trucks ? That price includes trucks.
6543. How many to the mile ? I believe we were to bave a hundred trucks ou that estimate.
6544. One hundred for ten miles ? Tes.
6545. Tou said you did not see how the mill could pay tho iuterest due on the cost of construction — kow
would it pay the additioual interest on the tramway ? The thing will never pay unless the laill is kept
going, and it cannot be kept going without a tramway.
6516. If tho tramway is constructed, is there any probability of you paying interest ou the mill and
tramway ? 1 believe there is.
6547. Bj/ Mr. Cadet/ : You «<ay it is impossible to keep the mil] going without a tramway— are there
not many other seloctors in this district who are in the same position as the mill shareholders, and who
cannot deliver cane without a tramway? Certainly.
6548. Do you think tht same privilege should be extended to them ? If they could get it.
6519. What guarantee can you give for this £10,000 which you propose to borrow for the tramway —
have the directors ;my guarantee to give other than what they have given? No; they could mortgage
tho tramway.
6550. Will all these other settlers who will grow cane become shareholders, mid mortgage their property ?
I consider it probable that: some will.
6551- Have any offered to do so ? No ; they have not been asked.
6552. You say that providing you get this tramway the company will harvest the cane. Is it their
inteution to do so by white labour at weekly wages? No ; by contract.
6553. I)o you purpose to use locomotives ou the line ? No ; simply horses.
6554. irave you arrived at any idea as to the amount to offerfor cutting aud loading cane by contract ?
The details have not been arranged yet.
6555. What price do you intend to pay the farmers for cane when you cut arid load ? Nothing lias been
settled yet.
William Ltj.e examined :
6556. By the Chairman : You are engiueerand manager for the North Eton Central. Mill Compauy ? Yes. w. Ljle.
6557. You erected die whole of their machinery ? Yes.
6558. Is iii complete ? No. 18 Feb 1889
G559. Is it capable now of turning out 1,500 tous of sugar in a season ? With a few additions.
6560. How much would it cost to make it complete aud capable ok' turning out 1,500 tons of sugar ? Pro-
bably about £2,000.
6561. Supposing the capacity of the mill was required to lie 2,000 tons, how much would it require to
complete it? Of course iho mill even now as it is might go ou crushing, but not economically. I could
easily spend £5,000 or £0,000 upou it.
6562. By Mr. Cowley .- That is the total cost, including bricks, labour, and every) lung ? It is au increase
of tank power I want. 1 have uot gone into it very minutely, but approximately I should say about
£2,000 would be required.
6563. Can you form any idea of how many cords of B.rewotd are required to make a ton of sugar at
your mill ? With the boilers 1 h;ive at present* I consider about two cords.
William IIexet Hike examined :
6564. By the Chairman.- How many years' experience have you had iu the cultivation of sugar cane? W. H. Hjuc
6505. What is the name of the estate you now hold 1 Meadowlands and Balmoral. 18FeCl^«9.
6566. What is the total area ? 1 ,437 acres.
6567. How much have you under cultivation ? About 320 acres.
6568. How many acres of c;iue of your own production were crushed last season ? 200.
6560. How much sugar did your owu cane yield? 250 tons.
6570. Hid you also purchase cane? Yes, from farmers adjoining.
6571. How many tons of cane did you purchase from them ? About 1,800.
6572. What did you give- per ton for it ? 13s. delivered at the mill, but wheu they cut aud loaded only,
I gave 12s.
6573. What did you do with your molasses ? Fed th« horses with it.
6574. What amount of capital is invested in your estate ? £50,000. That is, of course, a rough
estimate.
6575. What rate of interest did it return last year ? None.
6576. Has it ever returned interest on the capital iuvested ? Yes ; 1 made £10,000 a yea.r out of it at
one time.
6577. When did it commence to fail ? Since 1883.
6578. What were the working expenses for 1S88 ? £5,500.
6179. What labour have vott employed in working the plantation ? .Europeans and kauakas, and one
Chinaman as cook.
6480. What average wages have you paid to the coloured classes of labour ? Indented boys get £3 or
£S, according to the Government Agent's arraugemeut, but I have had a lot of overtime boys who have
had as high as £-Ki a year, I am sorry to say.
6551. What w;iges have you paid to Europeans ? They get very low wages this year — 15s. and £1 a week
An odd man or two gets 22s. Ud. and 2o,s. Sugar toilers and blacksmiths, of course, get higher wages.
6552. What class of labour do you consider the best for field work ? Europeans backed up by kanakas.
658:i. In what proportion would you employ them ? One European to four kanakas.
6581. Have you ever employed Europeans in field work ? Yes
0535. What
192
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO HNQT7IEE INTO
W. H- Hjne. 6585. What success bad you with thein ? They did not like it ; they always jibbed on it.
S — — — n 6586. Have you found that generally, or only in isolated cases ? I have let cane by contract to hoc many
18 Feb., 1889. years ago. The men worked hard at it, but the 'round was comparatively clean. They could not do it
now, with the ground in its present state, at double the price. I gave them 9s. an acre then, and they
had onlv about eight inches to knock away from the cane
6587. flow many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ? Generally about five.
It must vary according to the nature and condition of the land.
6588. Are the boys generally healthy on your plantation ? Tes ; at the present time. The last two or
three years we have had very good weather for them. They have not suffered lately. When we used to
have good seasons for canej and there was a tremendous lot of rain, the boys suffered. They wore their
wet clothes all day, and had to be looked after like a lot of children. That was always a source of loss.
6589. Does the field work affect the health of Europeans? I have seen great strong ploughmen come
here and in less than six months they have been as thin as possible. Tiiey eat as much as they can, and
seem to grow weak.
6590. Their health is affected by eating beef and uot by work ? More that than anything else But
before the first twelve months are over they get acclimatised. They come out from home with big full
moon faces, amd after twelve months I have been ashamed to see them.
6591. Has your cane crop Buffered from vermin in any way ? No ; the scrub land suffered a little.
6592. What is the cost of the machinery in your mill? When I bought Meadowlands the machinery was
there, but additions costme about £18,00# in 188:3. I made 1, 1 30 tons with the machinery that was there
before. Then the farmers round about wanted me to crush cane for them, and I ordered this extra
machinery. The subject of abolishing kanaka labour after a ceriain time was talked about in Parliament
at that time. That was not agreed to, and we then ordered the machinery. I remember my partner
saying that the Government wouli never destroy the industry. We ordered the machinery, ani directly
it, was put up — well you know what has taken place.
6593. Was your machinery colonial made? Xo; it was made by Mirrlees, Tait, and Watson, of
Glasgow.
6591. What is the cost of your annual overhaul ? It depends upon the crop taken off. It depends
upon what breakages you have. We always have an engineer and assistant occupied all their time. I
have never gone into the items particularly.
6595. Can you state the causes which in your opinion have depressed the sugar industry ? Yes ; the
unnecessary legislation that we have had, which has made kanaka labour so dear.
6596. Has not the low price of sugar had something to do with it? Of course it has, but the expense of
getting kanakas is a terrible drag now. I was away in England in 1883, and when I came back I found
the cost of kanakas tremendous, and I simply stopped getting them.
6597. What suggestions do youoff erby which the industry can be relieved ? Settle the labour question
and let us know what we can rely upon, so that wtj may make improvements. 1 \\ant to go in for
irrigation. la 18*3 I nearly ordered six miles «f piping for my land, but then I saw the state we would
be in If the land is much worked, it wants renewing. The land becomes hard, and the crop fails. If
we could ouly have confidence, and get an irrigating plant-, I should not be afraid to grow sugar. I
cannot see my way to grow sugar now without it. If I had the irrigating plant when 1 wanted it, I should
have been independeut of this drought.
6598. By Mr. King : Does your land show any signs of exhaustion ? Tcs ; all land must show that
after a few crops. It is no use saying it docs not.
6599. Can you still get a good crop off your laud with a fair season? I should say so.
6600. Do you use any manure ? I have used it.
6601. Has your crop suffered from want of labour to cultivate it ? No; I have curtailed the crops to
prevent that.
6602. What were your expenses in 1S83 ? £32,140 19s. 2d. We were putting up the machinery that
year.
6003. If you could get the labour you require you would be prepared to increase your cultivation again ?
Of course, if I could get it at a reasonable price. I will not allow boys to cost me £30. That is too much.
I came to the conclusion that it would be better to hold on and see what will be done.
0004. By Mr. Cowley: Tou area thoroughly practical agriculturist? I have been at farming work for
a long time.
6605. Tou are a graduate of an agricultural college ? Yes.
6006. How many acres of sugar cane do you think a man can plough, plant, cultivate, cut, and load ? If
he has to do all of it, not many acres.
6607. How many men would it take to do fifty acres ? I should not think of doimr such a thing with
white men. Three white men wouli do it with seven or eight kanakas. White men always get in a fix
when they try it. It is utterly impossible for them to do it. Suppose there is a month's uet weather,
th e grass and weeds grow so fast that they lose 1 heir crop. Some of the people who grow for the central
mill work fairly well up to Christmas, and then the rain cornea on and they have to employ Chinamen.
Once the grass gets ahead the crop is mined. White men can do the work up to a certain sta^e and
then they fail .
6008. Do you think that one farmer without .my assistance can cultivate ten acres ? No.
6209. Could he cnltivate five acres ? H e mialit do live acres, but theu look at the way they do it.
"W hen they are driven into a corner they simply set fire to the cane and ask me to send all my 'boys to
cut it for them. I get thoroughly sick of that. They cannot bear to see their crop going oil so slowlv
but want to get it off quickly and let the ratoons come ou. I have told many men that they set fire to
t heir cane on purpose.
6610. Would you be prepared to grow cane with white labour? Of course not. I cannot get on with
blacks unless I get them cheaper than they are. There are a few Malays on the estate that I do not like
to sack. When I went home m 1SS3 the personal property on the estate was worth £20,000; when I
came back I saw how thmgs were going; everything was so dear and the competition so keen that it was
too much for me.
nuctt
THE GBmtBAI CONTHTIOK OP THE Sl'OAR IMM'SITtV IK Q li K E S ffi I, AND.
18Fek.,1889.
I [con McCeeedy examined:
G611. By the Chairman .- How many years experience have you had in the cultivation of sugar cane ? H. McCreedy.
Twenty-nine years, and twenty-iivC in the colony.
G612. What is the name «f your estate? Palmyra.
6613. What is its total area ? 626 acres about.
G614. How many acres have you under cultivation ? 470.
6615. With sugiir cane ? Yes.
6616. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? 320 of my owu/and seventy from adjoining
growers.
6617. And what was your total output of sugar ? 192 tons.
6618. How much molasses had you ? About. 8,000 gallons.
6610. AVhat was done with it? The bulk of it was Hold to distillers for rum making and some was used
for horse feed.
6620. What amount of capital is invested in your plantation ? £20,000.
6621. What rate of inferos!' did it return for 1838 ? A loss of £1,060.
0622. Did it ruturn interest any year previously? Yes.
602:). How many years has it been working at a, loss ? Two years at all events. The average return for
six years was 6i| per cent, without reckoning interest on capital.
6624. By Mr. King : How du you menu "without reckoning interest on capital"? Well of course we have
no right to expect interest on capital. That includes depreciation on the Imildings and machinery.
5G2."). You have made 6f- per cent., that is interest on the capital invested ? Yes, of course.
6626. By the Chairman : Although there was a loss in 1888, the profits for previous years have given a
clear return ? Tea, of about ij\ per cent.
6627. "What were the working expense* for 1888 ? £4,000.
6628. Is that your general average yearly expenditure? That is less than usual. The working expenses
were not so high last year, in consequence of the small quantity of sugar made. The working expenses *
vary from £4,000 to £6,052.
G629. What labour liavCyou employed iu working your plantation? The average number of hands are
kanakas sixty, and Europeans fifteen.
6680. AVhat were the averagerate of wages paid to the eoloured class of labour ? Au average of about
£6 10s. I have had no necessity for employing many time expired islanders, consequently my average is
• lower than that of most people.
6631. AVhat wages h3.ve you paid to Europeans ? The wages for last year were £800. Of course, I
consider that I have paid the whole of my expenditure, with the exception of money paid fur wages, to
Europeans, because the whole of the money goes directly or indirectly to Europeans. To illustrate wliat
1 menu, J may say that in 1883-4 the amount expended was£5,4S!J. Out of that sum only £402 was
paid for islanders' wages. The whole of the balance, I contend, has been paid as white men's wages, and
indirectly for white labour. Tn 1884-5, out of a total expenditure of £5,1 16, 1 paid £-450 for islanders'
wages; in 1885-6, out of a total of £5,236, I pciid £i44 for islanders' wages; in 1SS6-7 the total
expenditure was £6,057, and £-150 was paid lor islanders' wages; in 1887-8, out of a total expenditure of
£5,241, I spent £464 for islanders' want's. You see it does not vary much. The last year, 1888-9, out »f
atotal expenditure of £1,000, 1 spent £42# for islanders' wages.
6632. AVhat was the total amount of wages paid to Europeans ? The yearly average would be £1,200.
It varies from £800 to £1,820.
6633. What description of labour do you consider the most suit ble for field work ? Mixed ; Europeans
and kanakas. Europeans to do all work in e«nnection with the ploughs and implements, and islanders
to do weeding, trashing, hoe'ing, and cane cutting.
G634. In what proportion would you employ them ? The best proportion would be about five to one.
I have four to one, because I have a very compact little property. If a stranger came on the plantation
and asked how many islanders I had, I should probably say an average of sixty; but it must not be
forgotten that besides finding employment for those actually on the plantation, I find employment for
many men in the district, t^or instance, in 1883-4, the most prosperous year we had here, the white
population of the town and district was, according to the census, 7,400. Well, the greatest number of
islanders ever employed in this district — and it was about that time — wast.OOO. There has been no other
industry here to create employment for white labour but the sugar industry, excepting two or three
cattle stations which employ very few men. Take the district when in a depressed condition, in 1S8S-9.
The white population, t presume, has decreased to about. 4,000, and as a matter of fact we have not more
than about 2.000 kanakas employed. Then, again, you must remember that we find employment for white
population outside the district.
it>6;55. Have you ever employed. European labour for field work ? T have.
6636. "What has been the result? The result has been that 1 could not get them to continue it at all.
In order to put Idie thing to a thorough test — although I had no doubt about it — but to put the matter
thoroughly at rest and. to enable me to state that 1 had really tried the thing, I went to the trouble of
Pending home to Scotland for a dozen hands expressly for work that I had previously done with
islanders — that is, special islanders' work. These wer-w not the ordinary whites I had been in the habit of
employing. I sent home to a friend asking him to select about a dozen lads suitable for light
work, such as hoeing and cutting cane, and such work as we consider is islanders' work. They wereengaged
for two years at £L8 and £20 a year, and I paid their way out here. Well, I simply found it impossible
to get them to work. I tried them at cutting and weeding and every conceivable kind of work, and they
simply would not do it. They tried all sorts of dodges to get out or it. They shammed siekuess, and I
had to send for the doctor several times to find nut whether thvy were really sick. The doctor in every
case gave me a certificate to the effect that there was nothing the matter with them. The result was that
in four months I was very glad indeed to cancel their agreements and let them go.
6637. By Mr. King: Did they say that they objected to the work? Yes; if 1 put them at one thing
they said we do not like that sort of work, give us something else. I gave them something else, and the
sviuie thing occurred again. The only thing I could get them to do— and 1hey did thai very imperfectly —
was to cart cane, and then they knocked the horses about. Their ohject uo doubt was to get me to cancel
o their
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE UOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUTEE INTO
H. MeCreedy. their agreements, an object which they accomplished, That was my experience in attempting to get
~\ islauders' work done by whites. The work, so far as ploughing is concerned, I have no particular
18 Feb., 1889. difficulty in getting done.
6G38. By the Chairman : How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ?
I consider about ten acres. Of course I have sdxty boys, but there are not more than forty who are
employed in connection with the cultivation. A proportion of them arc: employed in clearing land, and a
few about the mill during the crushing season. Forty out of sixty are eogaged in cultivation all the year
rouud. and as I have 470 acres, thai represents about ten acres to a boy — that is with the assistance of
Europeans.
6G3!). Have the kanakas good health, as a rule, in the field ? As a rule. There is a little sickness when
they come fresh to the country ; but, as a rule, I have found them pretty healthy.
6640. Do Europeans suffer in health when working in the canefield ? They do, most decidedly ; that
is when they continue work for any length of time. They become fatigued and lose their natural
vigour, and frequently remove to a co«ler climate. They may stick to the work for a bit, but the invariable
tendency is to clear out.
GG41. Has your Cane suffered from the grub or any other disease ? Ruist, at one time, but that is a long
1iimc ago. Since then I cannot say that we have suffered to any extent at all from disease. There was a
little grub last year.
66 12. What was the cost of your machinery and where was it manufactured ? It was manufactured in
Glasgow, and the cost of the machinery, speaking roughly, was Xiy500, without the erection. Including
the erection, I suppose it w ould amount to £fl,0l)0 with buildings and everything else.
GG13. What is the approximate cost «f your annual overhaul for repairs? That is not very excessive
because the machinery is comparatively new — about £250 a year in tnv case.
0641. Can you state what, in youropiuion, are the causes which have depressed the sugar industry? Yes,
I have my own opinion. The first cause is the prospect of the labour supply being cut off in 1890.
creating want of confidence and preventing further capital being put into the industry, knowing what the
result must be if the labour is withdra wn. Some people do not agree with me in that. They say it is the
' low value of sugar, but speaking from my own experience, and the results I have obtained in spite of
difficulties, I would be perfectly satisfied to continue sugaz- growing were I assured that the labour was
not going to be withdrawn. That is, supposing sugar does not get any lower. It is low. no doubt,
but I ean make it pay perfectly well, as I have done hitherto, if I had labour. To show what my position
would have been if the labour had been withdrawn — referring now to that 6£ per cent, which I told you J have
made — I may mention that if I had to employ an equal number of whites to kanakas, taking them at an
average of £1 a week and with rations, say 27s. — and that is not an excessive rate. — Whites would certainly
not remain in this district at -a lower rate of wages ; they can be obtained at a lower rate at present ;
but we are in a very depressed condition, and wages here for labouring men must be at least 20 or 25
per cent, more than down South — well, had I been forced to employ an equal number of whites to the
number of kanakas, the wages being what I have stated, as against 13s. for islanders, a loss would hava
been made in (he six years of £7,322 sterling. People whn have not had auy experirnce in working
Europeans in a climate like this may dispute the statement about having to employ an equal number of
whites to kanakas, and may say that .a white man can do more than an islander; but my expeneuce is lhat
a white man will not do as much of such w»rkasis performed by blunders. Suppose hedoes not do more
weeding, or trashing, or cutting of cane than a kanaka — that is the work that I contend the islanders sire
required [or — that would bave been my position if 1 had been forced to employ white men instead ot
islanders. I, therefore, have no right to say that a white man in a tropical climate will do more than a
kanaka at this particular work. It is not a question so much of what a white man can do as what he
will do.
G64;3. Can you off er the Commission any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved from its
present depression ? To extend the operations of the Pacific Islanders -Vet for another live years. I do
not say altogether, because perhaps if it was extended for another five years it would give the country a
further opportunity of finding out whether we are wrong in our contention about coloured labour being
necessary. I would suggest this on the following grounds: That T consider it is ahsolutelv necessary to
have the labour for sugar growing or any other tropical agriculture in existence. Without it I consider
the industry must collapse; it mnst disappear. The same thing applies to any ordinary tropical
agriculture. We are justified in asking for the labour, because it is an absolute necessity. Secondly,
consequent on the failure of the Government to provide the promised substitute (I am referring to cheap
European labour) for inlanders when the Act abolishing the present labour was passed through the House;
also that the experiment of producing sugar by white labour only, by means of Government central
mills, has not been proved a success, and, according to Mr. McLean's report, the result cannot be known
for another five years. Iam not speaking against the central mill system. On the contrary, I believe in
it. 1 consider it is the proper system for this country, but notwithnut cheap and reliable labour. That is
the basis of the whole business. If the farmers are allowed kanaka labour thev will have the element of
success at all events. Even then they will require good manageiuciil . If suitable labour is not forthctmvjig
this and all other tropical industries must disappear, dosl rovin^l hereby one of the most valuable reso uruos* of,
the North. The destruction of agriculture iu the northern coasl lauds, will throw out of employment a
vast army ot whiten equal at least to two for each coloured labourer employed. The only other suggestion
I would make is in reference to reciprocity, or protect ion iu some form, so lhat the present value of
sugar may be increased by about £3 a ton. Though 1 have made (>£ per cent, on my invested capita], 1
can state that 1 believe it to be a fact that I have done bet tcr,probal)ly, than anybody eWso far. Although I
have made that interest, 1 know positively that the greater miinbtr of my neighbours have been losing
money. I attribute my success to the fact that 1 started with no borrowed capital. 1 had no interest to
pay. I have a very good little property, easily and cheaply managed, and I have bad a good many
advantages that I know many of us have not had. To that 1 attribute the fact that I have made <>i per
eent.
G01-G. Do you think the factof your only havingG20 acres, and not thousands of acres as others have, is not
also an element of success ? Of course ; I know that my mill is perhaps on the whole rather too small,
but I do not a^ree with people who imagine that large mills are the most prolitable ; I think there is such a
thing
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
195
tiling as having the mill too large. I think a comparatively small mill making from 1,000 to 1,200 tons H. McCreedy.
with the land all about it, is more likely to be worked profitably than a large estate with the cultivation
miles a^vay from the ii.ill. 18 Feb., 1889.
66 17. Do you nnt think the fact of having largeareas of unproductive laud heavily mortgaged, and bearing
interest chargeable to the produce of the cultivated laud, has had something to do with the present
depression ? It might have in some eases, but in this district there are lots of properties that are not
in that position ami that keep all the land, under cultivation, yet they are losing money heavily -
66 18. You are aware that the importation of kanakas ceases at the end of 1&90. 'What will be the effect of
that on your own operations ? 1 would not think of carrying on — not for a moment. Of course I would
not stop just at the end of 189#. I would work the thing out ; take all the cane I could get and utilise
the labour until the time had expired, but I would uot attempt to continue the cultivation of sugar or
anything else.
6619. By Mr. Kiny Does your land show any signs of exhaustion from continued cultivation ? Not
yet,
6650. By Mr. Cowley .- Did this 6| per cent, that you made cover your salary or did you allow for a salary?
No ; it did not cover my salary.
(3(>5l. Ik it per cent, profit after allowing you salary and living? It allows mc equal to a salary. The
expenses of myself and i';imily are, roughly, about £300. That is equivalent to a manager's salary. It
would not be ri'jht to charge a salary besides.
6652. I understand from that that you have uot paid yourself a salary independent of this 6£- per cent.?
No.
6653. Do you buy as much cane as you would like ? I buy as much as I can possibly get, and have always
been open to do so.
6651. Could you take more ? Yes ; a little more, but I have always been prepared to increase my
capacity had the outlook been sufllcieutly encouraging to do so. 1 would also have goue in for irrigation
three years ago, but for the f acttliat I considered I hadquite enough money invested in an industry ffcuat
might come to an end if the labour uas withdrawn. My intention when 1 started was to extend very
considerably as time went ou. To put the thing in a clear light, if I was offered the best sugar property
in Queensland at the present moment on condition that I did the work with white labour alone, and it
was offered to me for nothing, I would not take it as a gift.
665.5. By the Chairmun : Then if a Melbourne gentleman the other day offered a resident here his free-
hold of eight hundred acres foe nothing, he did a very good thing ? He did.
66,ot>. By Mr. King : What priee do you pay for the cane you purchase? 8b. and Ss. 6d. standing in the
field, and 1 1 ». and Us 6<1. delivered : but I pay for caue on a pi iueiple of my own, and perhaps it is the
best way. I luavo an arrangement with the growers round about to this effect. I takesugar to net £14
a ton. If it goes at less than that they have to take 6d. a ton less for their cane. If I get £20 a ton
for my sugar ihey would get 13s. 6d. a ton for their cane. That is, if there is an improvement in the
market the fanners benefit with me, and also share in the loss. Tliey have never yet had to share in
a loss.
61157. By Mr. Cowley : Is that the usual agreement in the district? No, I do not know of any one else
who has that agreement. I believe in the system because it docs away with any idea that the farmer may
have that you arc making too big a profit out of his cane.
6658, Would you consider it wise to give lis. a ton for cane delivered, at the present time? Certainly
not. The man who gives that price is working at a decided loss. I consider that when I give lis. 6i. a
ton there is no directprotit, butthereis au indirect profit ; it helps to keep your staff and machinery con-
stantly going. I believe also that if this industry was iu a more prosperous condition — if there was any
future before it — if the new system of extraction was perfected and we were able to make a ton of sugar
from 7 tons of cane — the mill-owners would be as well able to afford to give 15s. or 16s. a tou for cane
delivered at the mill :i« they are now able to gi ve 10s. But these things would not come into operation unless
capitalists feel confident that the industry isg»ingto exist.
6659. Ave you aware that there is considerable competition for the farmers' cane in this district? I have
heard so.
66(K). Have you heard that as much as 15s. Gi. a ton das beeu offered for cane delivered? No; but I
should think that any person who offered that did not know what he was about. I am cjuite prepared to
give such a price for cane as will enable me to make the sugar without a loss, depending upon the indirect
profit, but I would cousider the Ihuitin that case would, be about 12s. a ton.
Daxjkl Sheitehd examined:
6661. By the Chairman : You are iu business in Mackay ? Yes.
6662. As a storekeeper ? An ironmonger. D. Shcpperd.
WJ6;i You are a member of the Chamber of Commerce ? Yes. f A - — s
66(*k What has he-cm the etTeet of tJie present depression in the sugar industry ou the trade of Mackay ? 18 Feb., 1889.
Jt has been to reduce it very much.
()(>(),"). Cii.ii you give usi any statistics to show the effect of the depression from 1883 up to the present
time? Yes; J prepared a list of mv own wages that I have paid. The amount of wages paid in 1832
by me was £1,925 9s. 6d. ; 188:}, £-2,038 19a. 69.; 1881, £2.879 15s.; 1885, £2,765 lis. 9d. ; 18«G,
£:!/371. la. <jd,; 1887. £2,W)2 12s. 6d. ; and 1S88, £1,777 15s. <5d Just now I am paying £'26 l»s,
a week, which gives £l ,1,50 a year, and I anticipate it being less still.
6666. Speaking ns a. business man and one identified with the commercial progress of Maekay, what sug-
gestions can you offer by which tlic sugar industry can be relieved from its present depression ? Well, I
am not sure that I know of anything. I ;un not skilled in things that do not concern me. I believe the
depression has been worse ou aceount of the uncertainty of the labour question.
6667. Has not the Chamber of Commerce as a public body discussed this matter among themselves ?
They have discussed the appointment of this Commission. That is all.
(!06S. Have you not discussed the depressed conditiuu of trade in Mackay in consequeuce of the
dnpriwatsd i-oiijilion ol the sugar industry? Not specially, 1 do not rcniember it. It is a thing that is
so generidly understood that it would uot be discussed by the Chamber of Commerce.
6669. Would
196
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO ENQUIRE INTO
D. Sheppcwl. 666; ) -Would y u uot suppose that a body representing the commercial interests of a district such as this
/~*-^ — n would have met ami discussed the probable causes of the depression, and what remedies: could be applied
18 Feb., 1889. f or its relief, with a view of assisting the Legislature in arriving at a conclusion. We have come here to
ascertain what your views and opinions are? The Chamber of Commerce yon see is composed of all
shades of politics, and all the different shades of politics have some special cure of their own. You will
find plc-ntv of people who will all have different cures. They all agree that the evil exists, and that the
labour question ha3 a great deal to do with it, but ihey will uot agree about the remedy, as far as I
understand. . .
6670. Then, practically, the Chamber of Commerce has no suggestions at all to offer to the Commission?
No ; nothing special.
6671. Bij Mr. King Tu the event of the plantations of this district being closed, what would be the
effect on the town of Maekay ? The effect would be n further reduction of the trade of the town— ft
considerable further reduction.
6672. Bif the Chairman : And depreciation of property also ? And depreciation of value also. My trade
with the' plantations would be from one-fourth to one-third. That is to say, the plantations will hive
taken from one-third to one-fourth of all the stuff I have sold, and other people tlie rest. At present I
should say the plantations are taking one-eight h, or perhaps even lens. As far us the depression is
concerned, it would appeal asif the public arc going to outlive the plantations. The plantation trade-
has fallen off very much.
6673. Do you mean to say that as the plantation trade falls off the general trade of t\e district increases ?
No; but it docs not decrease in the same proportion.
6674. By Mr. King: If the plantations shut up, what article could bs produced in this district for
export ? Nothing, that I know of.
William Houertson examined :
W.Robertson. 6675. By the. Chairman .- You are in business in Maekay ? I have been since December, 1S73.
6676. What business have you? The Victoria Foundry.
IS Feb., 1889 6677. You are a member of the Chamber of Commeive ? Yes-; since it started.
6678. How long has the foundry been established? T started the shop in 18*73, and I was about two
years here before I started.
6670. What is the largest number of hands you have employed at the foundry ? Fifty.
6680. What number do you employ now ? Thirty were paid on the last pa y day.
6681. Are you now able to find work for them ? I am at present through the bridge work that I have
on hand.
06S2. The uew bridge across the Pioneer ? Yes ; I have been on bridge work since 1SS6.
668!}. What were your ^ages payments per week two or three years ago? J have made out a rough list of
the wages. In 1881 the wages were £2^490; 1882, .£3,363; lS?3, £.4,627; 1881, £3,230; 1S85, £2.266:
1886, £2,338; 1887, £2,627; and 1888. £3,315. A total of £25,260, and an average of £3,030 per annum.
My receipts in ]88l were £6.336; 18s£, £11,50.5; 1883, £12,070; 1884, £10.505; and 188:3, £8,500.
That was all from general plantation work and work in the district. In 1880, £7,231; in 1887, £6,830;
and in 1888, £8,475 — making a total of £22,537 for the three years. Of this amount £10.000 has been
for bridge work Lu the Maekay district and the North.
0684. If it were not for the bridge work, what condition would your foundry be in ? It would have beeu
closed up. I could not have carried on.
668-3. My Mr. King .- Is the bridge work likely to continue ? I am afraid not. I have sufficient for two
or three months yet, but I do not see much ahead of that.
66S6. By Ihe Chairman : If anything should occur by which the plantations at present in the district
would be likely to close, what effect would that have on your foundry ? I do not see that there would be
any use for it here, not unless I could go outside the district and secure work.
6687. By Mr. Kivjf : The condition of your port is very much against you getting work outside the
distinct? If the district were to develop into a manufacturing district, or if the sugar industry were to
go ahead, the difficulties of the port could be overcome. 1 have sent pretty heavy castings to Townsvillc
— 2-3 tous weight— so that, as far as I tjii concerned, there is not very much difficulty in shipping castings
or anything else. The difficulty is that skilled labour is dear and not always to be had when you want it.
6688. By Air. Cowley : Is this bridge work directly or indirectly connected with the sugar plantations?
It is not connected with the su<*ar plantations.
668^. Is it outside the district? One bridge I fiuished on the 24th May last is on Sandy Creek below
Jlomebush, on the Br«ads«und r«ad. Of course it is a great benefit to the district.
6(590. Would that still be erected if there were no sugar plantations ? 1 think it might be.
6691. Are any of the bridges outside of the Maekay district V 1 have done work for Townsvillc and for
the .Endeavour. I have had a little over £3,000 worth of bridge work outside of the district.
605)2. With the exception of that £3,0U0 worth, nil of it has been in the district ? Yes.
00!>:{. By the Uianman : Have you apprentices in the foundry learning the trade? Ye^ ; 1 have about
seven apprentices.
0601. You do not think the agricultural population outside of Maekay would give sullicient employment
to keep the foundry going? Not at present.
669.5. Do you manufacture ploughs and harrows ? No ; I do not go in for that.
(>0!)6. Do you think there is scope for that industry hero? I do not think we could compete- Even now
most of the plough* used are American Sulkies. A II tho ploughs that McLean of Brisbane used to send
up here are lying idle.
6697. Do you get much work from the plantations now ? There has beeu very little doing duriug th»
last two ^cars. There is another!" oundry in Maekay besides mine. They used to emplov from fifteen to
twenty hands, and they have only six employed now; so that I do not think there is anything doing on
the plantations. The falliug off since 1883 has been about one-half.
6698. That was when the mills were being erected ? Yes.
6699. The revival of the imgar industry would uot have much effect in the way of erection of uew mills ?
No ; the mills are all erected.
Thomas
tStt (HE5BEAI CONDITION OF TITF- SI'GAIt TNDUBTKT IN QUEENSLAND.
197
Thomas Ryax examined:
0700. By Hie Chidrman : Are you a member of the Pioneer River Farmers' Association? No ; I beloBg T. Ryan,
to no association. ^— ^
G701. Are you a selector in the district ? Yes; I am living on land I bought here about twenty years 18 Feb., 1889.
ago.
G702. What is the extent of your freehold ? Eighty acres now.
0703. Arc you growing sugar cane now? Yes.
6704. How many acres did you grow last year ? I have a crop now of fifty acres.
0705. How many acres did you grow "last season ? The same, but I did not crush it.
G70G. What did you do with it ? I planted it, and the white ants ate half the crop. Last June the
frost came and wiped the lot out.
G707. Did you take it off ihe ground, ? No ; it is standing there still.
0708. That In the same field that is growing now? Yes.
U7iW. Jty Mr. Cowley : Katoons ? No ; plant caae. A lot of it did. not die, and the suckers came up
acjain. It paid better to let it stand.
0710. By the Oludnmn : \V!uit labour do yon employ in growing cane ? "Black labour.
0711. How many do ymi employ? Five or sis.
0712. And no white labour? Yes; one or two occasionally.
071 Ji. When you have had cane taken off yrur selection and crushed, what have you got per ton for it ?
I have nevL-r had less than 13s. a ton for my cane.
G711. By Mr. King : Delivered at the mill? The planter generally takes the cane himself and gives me
11s. a ton and he carta it. I put it down at 13s. a ton.
0715. You cut it and load it ? Yes ; for lis. I have had lis., 12s., and 14s. during the. last sixteen years.
(»710. Have you made a living out your cane growing ? No. I am living now on as good a piece of land
as there is in Mackay, and if I employed white labour I could make nothing out of it for my family. I
have a big family, seven of them, and the oldest is only eleven yean?, and if I were to pay white labour
I should have nothing for myself. Duringthe last eighteen months, owing to the central mill being
established, 1 bought sixty acres of land. I gave £5 an acrp for it, on the strength of gett ing a fair price
for the cane. The central mill people offered me a pi-ice for the caae on the sixty acres that I bought
two years ago, but the white ants and frost destroyed the crop. I am £1,300 out of pocket
througb employing white labour, and at present I am grubbing aloug with my own labour, and have no
return out of it.
G717. By Mr. King : Are you a shareholder in either of the central mills? No.
671S. Have you signed any agreement to grow cane this year? No.
G71J). What mill do you usually sell your cane to ? lb Meadowlands, the River Estate, and Foulden.
0720. By Mr. Cowley .- In good seasons could you inake cane growing pay by using your own labour and
a few kanakas, at the price you have been getting? Not under 13s. a ton delivered at the mills.
G72L Could you make it pay at that ? T could. I could make a living at that. I wunt to mention about
this central mill. There areacouple of hundred farmera who have asked me to speak about it, and find out
whether the shareholders of tho central mill should be allowed kanakas. They have pulled down the
price of cane. As high as 15s. a ton has been given for cane for the last lifteen years, and they have
pulled ihe price of cane down to lis. a ton. They giimply want black labour, 1 want to point out that
it is very wrong of the Government to allow black labour to them. They were given the money for the
central mill, and they have preveuted me and other people from making a living. The plauters say " How
can we give you Wa. and 14s. a ton for the cane when the central mill will not give it." If the central
mill is not a success, I should say that the Government should turn it into a real central mill and charge so
much a ton to eacli farmer for crushing his cane. That would mean £40,00* to £50,000 a year being
speut iu the district, as the mill is capable of turning out 2,000 or 3,000 tons of siigar. Farmers
have selected land in the district and want to have the line extended to them, and let the Government
make the best of the mills. If labour is allowed to the district and limited to four kanakas to one white
man the industry would be a success.
6722. By 3lr. King ; A statement has been made to us respecting an award made by you in a case which E. V. Reitt.
was submitted to you of a dispute between Jlr. Long of Habana and a manager who was leaving him. It /^^^-—"^N
has been said that the manager was entitled to certain commission on the profits of the estate, and that 18 Feb., 1889.
you £i warded him £500 as his share of the profits during one year. Wi 11 you state what the real facts of the
case were? 1 was appointed arbitrator by the District Court, with the consent of the parties, as between
Mesars. Long and Robertson and Mr. T. D. "Brown, Former manager of Habana. Under the agreement
Mr. Brown was entitled t« 1 per cent commission on the net profits for the year ended 31st March, 1S88.
I examined the books carefully and audited all the accounts, as far as X could within the limited time at
my disposal. I did not go through every item, but I found that ihe net profit, for that year, exclusive of
interest and depreciation of machinery, amounted to £1,503 odd. I therefore awarded Mr. Brown
£15 0s. 9d., being 1 per cent, on that amount.
6723. By ihe Chairman .- You are secretary of the Pioneer River Farmers' Association ? Yes.
G724. How many members are there in the association ? About seventy members.
6725. Are they all sugar growers ? Principally.
G72G. Have you any suggestion that you can make to us for the improvement of the condition of the
farmers of the association ? The conclusion that we have to eome to is that we want cheap labour, for
one thing, and reliable labour. The farmers also suggest that the Government should supply this reliable
labour, and that the Government Immigration Agent should receive orders and supply them, thus doing
awav with the'uncertain way in which the farmers get the hibour now. That ia the unanimous opinion of
the farmers, who are men who have worked in the district themselves as labourers on the sugar planta-
tions, ;ii)d they have all found from their experience that they are Onable to live themselves or supply
their families without the assistance of chimp labour, 0727. Have
Edward Vlncest Reid examined :
Donated MacDonaxd examined :
198
MINUTES 03- EVIDENCE TAXEN BEFORE THE EOT AL COillTISSTON TO INQUIBE INTO
D. McDonald. 6727. Have they not tried cane growing by the aid of their own countrymen ? They have. Even the
✓"""^^—""N families of the selectors who are here clear out ; — when they leave school they clear out and look for some
18 Feb., 1889. other work — they will not remain to do sugar cultivation.
6728. By Mr. King: Do the farmers consider that white men can do the workthat the kanaka usually does
such as weeding, trashing, hoeing, and cutting cane ? No ; they find that they cannot do it, ("Several of
them have tried it and cannot do it.
6729. Are the farmers who are in the Eacecourse Mill members of your association ? Very few of them.
One of the directors of the Eacecourse Mill is in our association.
6730. Are any of the shareholders of the North Eton Central Mill in your association ? No; ncne of
them.
6731. Are those farmers who belong to the Eacecourse Central Mill of the same opinion as you arc with
respect to this question? Tes. Most of them are. Some of them have been growing cane for the last
fourteen years. I have crushed cane for them when I was manager, of the Eiver Estate. They are now
growing cane for the Central Mill with white labour, but they know it will not bo a success. More than
one says that they are trying an experiment which will not be a success. Of course all believed in the
central mills when they started.
6732. Do you think it would be of any use to the farmers of this district if an experimental farm were
established to show what other tropical products can be grown in the district ? Of very great use. It is
the very thing that is wanted, because there are so few people who have any knowledge of the cultivatiou
of any tropical produce. An experimental farm which would grow a number of different products would
be of very great use.
6/33. Do you think the farmers would visit the farm and learn what could be grown ? Tes ; I believe
they would. I have been for nearly twenty years in a tropical climate, and I know there are a great many
productions that can be grown here provided we had cheap labour. Coffee, cocoa, rice, and fibres could
be grown. The fibre industry requires some experience. The ramee plant is very difficult to raise from
seed, but once it is grown it is easily cultivated.
William Bisset examined :
"W. BWet. 6734. By the Chairman : Tou are a member of the Pioneer Eiver Farmers' Association ? 5Tes.
^— ^v_^-^ 6735. The secretary and yourself have been deputed to appear before the Commission and give evidence?
18 FeV.,1889. Tes.
6736. Will you kindly state to the Commission what suggestions you are authorised to offer on behalf of
the Farmers' Association ? As far as the association was concerned, I don't think we came to any con-
clusion as to what suggestions should be offered. There are several suggestions 1 could make.
6737. Tour setTetary lias just told us that there are suggestions that you were authorised to make on
behalf of the association ? To grow sugar we must have some sort of assistance in the way of cheap
labour. Next year black labour is to be done away with, and the Government were going to give us a
substitute, which they have not provided yet. Without cheap labour sugar growing must go to the wall,
simply because the price we are getting now for the sugar cane is not sufficient to cover expenses. If
labour could be had from 10s. a week, including all expenses, sugar cane might at a fair price of 12s. or
138. a ton pay expenses, but without that it must succumb altogether. 1 have tried white labour myself,
but to take the place of blacks it must not exceed fls. a week. The price obtaiued for produce is not
sufficient to enable me to pay white labour.
6738. Is there any other produce you can grow besides sugar ? Tes; there are several other things, but
the growing of any other produce is an experiment ; if you grow cane you get a little produce ; if you
grow potatoes you may get a crop. I grew one crop last year, and put in another two, but the other two
were complete failures. I grew maize and out of fifty acres received £35. Well that was not worth
cultivating. There are fibres that might be a success. The ramee fibre I am trying now, but I have lost
half of my plants through insufficient rain. Whether that is to be a success or not remains to be seen.
One wauts a few pounds to cultivate that, and put it on the market, and very few have the money to
expend in experiments. No doukt rice would grow very well, but that has to be experimented with, and
experiments cost a great deal of money. Then if you are to grow rice, you want to be in a position to
irrigate. I have tried some tobacco also. I got the length of getting the plants ready for planting out,
but the storm last year'swept them all away, and all that I have tried since lnive been a complete failure
on account of the drought.
6739. Then practically you think that sugar cane is really the only article that can be grown with certainty
in the Mackay district ? Yes.
6740. What will be the result if the im-port;ition of kanakas ceases at the end of 1890 ? Then the sugar
industry ceases in my opinion. I am speaking now for the small farmers and selectors, who are entirely
in the hands of the mill owners, and must take the price they put on the ca.ne. I have cultivated on my
own account for two years. I have tried my best, but fijid I am losing fully 30s. per acre whether I have
white or black labour. At the present price of cane farmers cannot afford to pay more than 10s. a week,
for labour, including rations and everything else. Sometimes you pay as much as 12s. or 15s, a week for
kanakas, and the rations bring the price up to £1. Tou pay a white man £1 a week and his ratious,
bringing the cost up to £1 9s. per week. It is quite out of the question that the farmers can pay
those wages, considering the price they get for their produce.
Coknwallis Wa.be Bb«wn examined :
C. W. Br»wn. 6741. By the Chairman : Tou are a member of the Pioneer Eiver Farmers' Association? Tes.
t ^ 6742. And one of the deputation appointed to wait on the Commission? Tes.
18 Feb., 1889. 6743. Will you kindly state as briefly as you can the suggestions that you are authorised to offer to us?
One of the principal things they desire is that the coloured labour question should be settled. We must
be allowed to employ coloured labour. I do not think it is possible to do without it. I have worked
here for the last three years, and have had men under me for a great many years before, and I find wc
cannot cultivate cane and particularly do the weeding and trashing without the assistance of black labour.
The white men art: willing enough to plough and harrow, but they will do nothing else. In fact they
object to tho other work. (J744. That
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF IHE SUGA.E INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
199
6744. That is the suggestion which your association offers as a means of remedying the depressed condition C. W. Brown,
of the sugar industry? That is one of the tilings that would help very much. r^-^^s
674.5. Iu what proportion would they like the kanaka labour ? I should think in the proportion of three lSFeb., 1889.
to one or four to one. That would be quite sufficient.
6746. Bo you think that if the Polynesian Act was extended it might be extended upon that ba.<us ? I
think that would be <[uite sufficient. I should not like to see thewhitoman altogether out of it. I think
the blat'k men are unfitted for ploughing or harrowing, or anything connected with horses, because they
spoil them, and cannot plough properly ; but I certainly think we should have the aid of cheap kanaka
labour. At the present time the labour is very dear, and a great many farmers cannot afford to pay for
it. 1 would add that the work of trashing and weediug is ^uite unfitted for white men, because the
heat is too excessive.
6747, By Mr. Oowle.j) : Is that all that the farmers association desired you to say ? Yes ; that is all.
Joseph Antoney examined :
67-48. By ike Chairnmn : Yon are one of the shareholders »f the North Eton Central Mill Company ? Yes. J. ^ntoney.
u"74f). You signed the deed of encumbrance mortgaging the deeds of your land to the Government in / — — — ^
conneetiou with that mill ? Yes. 18 Feb., 1889.
0750. How many sh.ares have you in the company ? 500.
67.51. What is die value of a share ? £12 Its.
67-52. Were you a freeholder at the time that the company was formed ? No.
6753. You had not obtained your deeds from the Government? No; since the company was formed I
have obtained them.
675i. Was the encumbrance or your liability to the Government endorsed on the deed ? No.
6755. Was that the land that you mortgaged and gave the Government as security for your 500 shares ?
Yea
67.56. Have you operated financially with that deed? Yes.
6757. For other advances ? Yes.
6758. Then, virtually, the Government have no security whatever so far as your shares are concerned ?
No.
6759. By Hfr. King: I uotice that iu your answers to the printed questions you say that PolynesL-m
labour is the most suitable for sugar growing? Yes.
6760. 3o you consider that sugar growing cau be profitably carried on without coloured labour? No ; I
do not.
6761. You have lot part, of your land to settlers to grow cane ? Yes.
6762. What rent were you to receive ? I let some fifty-acre and some sixty-acre farms at £1 a year for
the whole lot.
6763. Are those selectors growing cane now ? Yes.
6764 A 1 1 of them ? A 1.1, excepting four.
676.5. How much land have they got under eane? Over 100 acres.
6766. Are any of the shareholders in the North Eton Central Mill employing coloured labour to grow
their cauo ? No ; I do not know of it.
6767. Are they employing Chinese ? No ; I never saw any being employed.
6768. By the Chairman : You have undertaken to grow cane for the central mill entirely without kanaka
labour ? Yes.
6769. Were you of the opinion at that time that cane could not be grown without kanaka labour, or have
you since changed your opinion ? I think it could be done provided we could get settlers. Every married
mau with his family, I think, should be able to do it. That was my opinion. I know that no man could
cultivate a large area.
6770. By Mr. King .- Are you satisfied with your agreement with the central mill ? I am not satisfied
with it at all.
6771. Bo you think you will be able to make any money out of it ? Not with white labour. I made
agreements with my settlers, and tried to look for men with some mone v. I had to buy ploughs, horses,
harness, harrows, grubbers, and everything to start them ; and four have left mo entirely, chucking
everything up and clearing out.
6772. Did you advance to those four settlers £468? I bought horses and kept them in food to that
amount.
6773. You advanced that money in fact ? Not money in cash, but I found them in food and horses and
ploughs, and monev to keep the ploughs repaired.
6774. They owe you that amount ? That is what money I spent on them. They left me the horses and
ploughs, but they owe ine for the food. #ne man got sick and was obliged to go to the hospital, so of
course 1 could not keep him.
6775. You have los t a great deal of money by trying to settle these men on the land? Yes.
6776. How much did you nay for legal expenses in drawing out the leases ? I have not paid anything
yet. I have a bill for thirty guineas far drawing out the leases, and in addition Surveyor Cramptou
charged me £H 3s. for surveying each selection.
6777. By the Qltairrnmi: Was it in connection with these parties to whom you leased the land that you
had to make arrangements with the baak f»r a loan to carry you on ? When 1 put these settlers on I
got the bank to advance me money on another selection I have. Afterwards I ran short of money to
carry on these people, and I drew money upon the selection where I was growing cane. I have, in
addition, a tliree-sqitarc-mile run on Cattle Creek, on the Nebo road. T even mortgaged that to get
money to settle these people on the land. I am already indebted £1,800 to the bank on account of
these people. ,
6778. By Mr. Cowley - Bo all your tenants confine themselves strictly to white labour ? The agree-
ment is to grow cane with white labour.
AiTCXAXDEK
200 MINUTES OE EVIDENCE TAKEN REFOEE TIIE KOIAT, COjranSSION TO INQUIRE INTO
Alexander RrcHAiiD MacKenzie examined :
A. E. 6079. By tlw Chairman : You have sent in answers to our printed questions ? Tes.
MacKenzie. 6780. 1 understand you want to make some statement to the Commission ? Tes ; the Marian mill was
f — — N erected as a central mill some six years ago to crush cane for fanners in the neighbourhood. Well, lust
18 Feb., 168f. year, shortly before crushing commenced, Mr. Ironsides, the chairman of directors of the Eton central
mill, came round and made an offer to the farmers round about of a higher price than we were paying for
cane. Last year we were paying 10s. delivered, and he offered 13s. delivered at the Eton mill. Well, I
think that is hardly fair that this mill, which is subsidised by the G-overnmeut, should be allowed to coin-
pete with a private mill. All the cane that he offered to purchase is grown by kanakas ; they are paying
10s. ii ton for cane grown by their own shareholders, and are offering 13s. for cane grown by kanaKus. 1
wrote to the Colonial Treasurer ah out it, and a correspondence- ensued. T would ask you to in struct
your secretary to get a copy of this correspondence for the information of the Commission.
Walter Trueman Paget examined :
W. T. Paget. G7gl Bi/ [he chairman ; Tou are a member of the firm of Paget Brothers. *f Nindaroo ? Tes.
( "-^ v - — \ tJ7H2. And you hive been deputed to appear before the Commission on behalf of the Planters' Association
18 Feb., 1889. f Mackuy f Tes; the Planters and Farmers' Association.
G783. Ton are also chairman of the Pioneer Divisional Bo:ird ? Tes ; I have been so for four years.
6784. What experienc e have you had in the cultivation of sugar ? Sixteen years in this district, of sugar
and other productions.
(5785. What is the total area of Nindaroo ? 1, A 10 acres freehold.
6786. How many acres of that is under sugar cane and other productions ? There are 7-00 acres of cane,
45 acres of maize, 23 acres of sweet potatoes, and 2 acres of sorghum.
6787. How many acres of cane were crushed from the plantation last season? 549.
6788. How much sugar was made ? 310 tons.
6789. How much molasses ? 7,50# gallons.
6790. What was done with it ? We feed it to the stock.
6791. What amount of capital have you invested in the plantation? £65,000.
6792. "What rate of interest did it return during 188S? Not any.
6793. Has it returned interest for previous years ? Tes; in 18S7 it returned us on the capital, about
4 per cent. In 1886 there was a loss ; the sea.son was wet, and we were not able to get tkrough the
crop.
6794. What were your working expenses for 1888 ? £10.221 2s. 3d., and our loss, including depreciation
on machinery and buildings, at six per cent, per amum, was £7,^21.
6795. What labour was employed in .working your plantation '( The average of Europeans was 50, and
the average of kanakas 130.
6796. What were the average wages paid to kanakas ? £7 10s. per annum.
6797. What were the wages paid to Europeans ? The total amount paid to Europeans in 1SS8 was
£2,11:3 12s. 8d., and kanakas £955 13s Sd., or an expenditure on Europeans, for wages and supplies, at
the rate of £9 for every £1 paid direct to kanakas. The kanakas wages arc all spent in purchasing
goods in Mackay.
6798. What description of labour do you consider the most suitable for field work ? Coloured labour,
and 1 prefer kanakas.
6799. Have you employed European labour in field work ? Tes.
6800. With what result ? The result has been very unsatisfactory. They were able to do certain portions
of field work, but not willing even for fair wages.
6801. You have tried the experiment of working with European labour? I have.
6802. When your land gets cleared from stumps, and you are able to employ horses and machinery in
the cultivation of the cane, will the quantity of black lubour be diminished in fav our of more whites ? I
think not. The whole of the work that can be done by Europeans is done by Europeans cow — suchwork
as ploughing and harrowing.
0s03. Haw many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black labourer employed ? About six.
6804. How many acres do you suppose oue European could work if able to use horses and hoes on the
land ? That is a very difficult question to answer. I think a hard working man might be able to plough
and plant ten acres, but he could neither weed nor trash it in the wet season, more labour being required
then.
6805. Do the kanakas employed in field labour suffer iu any way in their health. No ; not more than
any ordinary labourers.
G806. i lave you seen the health of Europeans affected by held work ? Yes ; I find that they suffer from
fever and dysentery during the summer months.
6807. What is the cost per acre of felling and burning off the surub hind in your locality ? With
European labour, £7 ; with kanaka labor, £4 10s. That is, oE course, by striking an averse.
6808. Whai wauid he the east of stumping it and innUiiijr it fit for the plough ? My answer must he,
that it would be impossible to stump freshly falfcu scrub to make it lit for the plough. The land is
simply too full of roots.
6809. But after ugiven number of years you often make the experiment. ? Tes. I stumped eightv acres
of scrnh which had been under cane for six years, last year, at a cost of 20s per acre. There were Very-
Jew stumps left.
6810. Has jour cane suffered in any way from disease or vermin? Not from any disease but slhrhtlv
from rats. J h J
6811. To what extent was the crop of 1888 affected hy disease, vermin, or frost? Not at all. It was
almost a total failure owing to the long drought.
6812. What was the cost of your machinery, and where was it manufactured ? Machinery, freight,
erection, and buildings, cost £24,000. The machinery was manufactured in Glasgow and Derby ; the
coolers and tanks in Mackay
G813. What is the cost of your annual overhaul for repairs ? From £i00 to £500,
0814. What
TIIE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR ETDUSTRT EN QUEENSLAND. 201
6S14. "What wages are paid to European labourers outside of agriculture ? There are very few men W. T. Paget,
employed in this district outside of agriculture, but the Divisional Board meu get is. a day and their keep. *— \
The Municipal Council men 7s. a day without keep. Ordiuary men on cattle stations get from 20s. to 18 Feb, 1889.
2.5s. a week.
6815. What tropical productions other than sugar do you think can he grown in this district? Tobacco,
cofEee, maize, sweet potatoes, rice, and fruits, aud I think all tropical productions, except vanilla, cinchona,
and cocoa.
6816. What labour would be required to reuder their growth proMtable? Without a doubt, very cheap
and reliable coloured labour.
6817. Have you grown any tropical produce besides sugar caue at Nindaroo ? Yes ; tobacco and
maize f w some years.
6818. What has beeu the average yield of maize? •ur average Weld has been 21 bushels per acre.
6619. Have you grown more tlvui one crop in the year ? Tea ; uhen the seasons permitted we used to
grow two crops.
6820. Would the .average return be the same in both instances? Tes ; 21 bushels per acre is
averaging our crops. Tobacco we grew for four years aud we averaged about 12 cwi. per acre.
6821. What did you got per pound for it ? Iu those days the price ranged from Gd. to Is. per lb.
6822. Did you sell it locally ? Yes.
6823. Do you thiuk it is a crop that could be profi tably grown in this district ? I do, with cheap labour.
6S24. Can you, from your persomd observation aud knowledge, state the causes which, in your opinion,
have brought about the present depressiou in the sugar industry ? Yes ; I have put dowu four causes.
The 1st, I cousider, is the uucertaiuty as to the future supply of cheap reliable labour; 2nd, the high cost of
the introduction, &c, of kanakas — this labour uow costs 2s. 6d. a day as against Is. 6d. per day formerly ;
3rd, having to compete with bounty-fed beetroot sugar grown by cheap European labour and eane sugars
grown by cheap coloured labour ; and 4th, the depression, in my opiuion, has been intensified by unfavour-
able seasous for the past three years, a wet season in 1886 and two very dry seasons.
6i>25. Cau you offer any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved from its depressiou ? The
markets and seasons being beyond control, except where irrigation can be used in dry seasons, I can only
suggest thatthe continuance of kauaha labour be assured, and that steps be taken by the Government to
reduce the cost of introduction. I have tried cheap European indented labour to a large extent for the
past two years for field aud mill work aud have found it an utter failure, except with a few picked men
who wt-re paid extra wages. I can also suggest reciprocity with the other colonies, which would mean a
better net price for the product.
6S26. Can yon offer any suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing ?
I caunot offer any suggestions, the labour question being s o uncertain i u this colony. Could a constant
supply of labour be secured, I should ccrtaiuly advise my firm to put part of the scrub ridges ou the
estate under coffee.
6827. Have you seen coffee growing in this district? I have.
6828. And you think from what you have seen of it that the plant can be successfully grown here ? I
do, ou the scrub ridges.
(5829. Ah chairman of the Pioneer Divisional Board, you have beeu connected with the labour employed ?
Yes.
6830. Is it a stipulation that none but white labour is to be employed on Divisional Board works ?
There is no particular stipulation, but none but Europeans have beeu employed.
6S31. Do you do the work by contract or day labour? Both. All suitable works are done by contract.
Bepairs and works that require a heavy plant are done by the Board.
6832. None but Europeaus are employed ? Most decidedly not.
6833. By Mr. King: It has been in evidence before the Commissiou that the farmers have suffered very
much from planters repudiating agreements made to purchase caue. Have you known of any such
iustauces ? I have uot.
6834. Have you known of any case in which an agreement has been set on one side owing to a manager
having exceeded his authority or anything of that kiud ? I luive heard of such a ease. #ne case
only.
6835. What case was that? It was the Parleigh plantation.
6836. How did it come to pass ? I can only say that I heard that the manager of the plantation had
exceeded his powers, and had made agreements for longer terms than he was empowered to do.
G837. Did the proprietors then refuse to take the caue which bad beeu grown as a result of the agree-
ment ? No ; i.hey did uot. I understand that they took it at tho market price.
6838. You do not know veiy much about it ? No ; personally \ cannot say I know very much about it
6839. By Mr. Cowley: Is your machinery of the best description ? Yes.
681U. Do you work it as economically as you can and avoid \\\\ waste ? Most decidedly.
6841. You have all the appliances for extracting the greatest amount of juice ? Yes ; I have not a
triple effet, but I bnvo steam evaporators.
6812. You work with a minimum of waste ? Yey ; most decidedly.
6843. What price do you pay the farmers for their cane ? We pay 10s. a ton delivered.
6844. What have you paid previously ? Fourteen shillings a ton.
6845. Do you get as much as you want at the present pri ce ? No.
6846. Would you take more ? Yes ; in 1883 to 1885 we paid away £9,000 for cane. In the year
1888 we paid away £78 15s. The reason 1 he farmers give me for not growing caue is that coloured
labour is scarce and dear and cane low m price.
6S17. By the Chairman : Have you any idea of what revenue the plantations contribute to the Pioneer
divisional Board ? Yes. In 1883 the total valuations were £48,728, of which the piantatious were
valued at £24.79 I ; in 1884 the total valuations were £69,767, of which the plautations were valued at
£34,408 ; in 18S5, £6*3, 140 was the total valuation andthe plantations £28,909 ; iu 1886 the total valuations
were £62,631 aud the plantations £27,547; in 1887, £63,171 were the total valuations andthe plantations
£26,630; and in 1888 the total valuations were £52,700 and the plantations £15,187. The lowness of the
valuation of the plantations in 1888 is due t« the fact that on appeal on the valuation of the land only
the valuations were reduced from 2t to 75 per cent., and the actual reductions, on appeal, all round
amounted to 40 per cent, J 0HN
202
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES BEFORE TEE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
John Marcus Costelio examined :
J.il.Costello. 6SiS. By the Chairman: You are a selector living in this district ? I am. I hare been hexe for many
z - — — years.
18 Seb,, 1889. 68^9. What is the extent of your holding ? 6 fc2| acres.
6850. Bow many acres have yon under cultivation ? About ten acres under etff ea
6851. Have y«u had any pxpcrience in the cultivation of sugar cane ? 1 have been for seven years
managing in this district, at Branscombe, Jl eadowlands, and Alexandra.
6S52. Are you growing cane now ? No ; I am not. The price offered was so low that last season I cut
down the cane, and gave it to the cattle and horses.
GS53. What do you mean when you say the price was so low ? 5s. a ton on the ground.
6854 Was that 'all that you were offered foi 1 it ? That was all. Last year the cane did not look so fresh,
but 1 did not expect to be paid for any that was not good sound cane. The cane becaaie ratlier dry owing
to the climate and the grubs. All the caie in the district was more or less bad owing to the drought.
6855. How long have you been growing coffee in this district? For eight years.
6856. What has been your average return per acre? That is a difficult question to answer accurately;
— 3 cwt. an acre would be rather a high average. Coffee grows well if heavy rain does not set in before
the blossom sets. I have had small pieces that would average far and away more, but the average would
be about 3 cwt.
6S57. What would be the value of 1 cwt- of coffee when dried ? I was offered for it from three to four
guineas. When I started this industry I had to gain my experience. I had the coffee for a long time
on hand. I tried some of the large storekeepers iu town, and they were rather surprised that the industry
was started. They said that the quantity of beans was so small that they could not give me an order, and
I was at a loss to know what to do with it. I tried down South, and then 1 thought I would commence
manufacturing it. I asked the storekeepers whether, if I turned out a first-class article they would take
it, and they agreed to do so. I cannot find a market outside of Mackay. Some was sent to Townsville,
and I saw a copy of a letter from Aplin, Brown, and Co. speaking highly of the coffee. I tried to find a
market iu Kockham pton, but. there seems to be a prejudice against it.
GS5S. You have never gone about the large towns yourself stating that y»u had gone into the industry
and soliciting orders ? No; but Mr. Eeid forwarded some samples.
6859. Have you a coffee mil! and all the appliances for grinding coffee ? Yes.
6860. And for making a really good and marketable article ? Yes ; first-class.
6861. Have you never tried the city of Brisbane ? Some few people know of it in Brisbane, and it has
been highly approved of. They say there is nothing iu the market to equal it.
6S62. Do you use chicory in the manufactured a.rtiele? Yes; I have done so on the advice of Ceylon
men. A good many interviewed me and were favourably impressed. The last Ceylou planter who was
here told me that he would be sorry to go into the cultivation of coffee here. He thought from the
appearance of the trees that the district was not quite suitable. The flavour of my coffee is very much
superior to the imported article.
6863. What capital have you invested altogether in your selection ? Over £2,000.
6S64. Have you made interest on the money invested ? No. At the end of 1887 between eight and
nine acres of young coffee had died out for want of labour. Some of the old coffee trees now in cultiva-
tion are looking rather sickly, and a good many lave died out.
6865. Do yon find the growing of coffee profitable ? I grew it on a very small scale to supply the local
market, but if I attempted to grow it ou a large scale it might remain on my hands. The people seem to
be prejudiced against it. They admit it is a good article, but do not feel inclined to patronise it. I have
heard there are such things as " rings," and if they make up their minds to exclude an article they will
do so.
G8G6. Then none of your laud is at present under sugar ? The ratoons are coming on. but I do not
intend to do anything with them.
68G7. By Mr. Cowley : Was the crop of cane you were off ereel 5s. a ton for a poor crop, or was it well
cleaned and cultivated ? It was like the generality of the cane iu the district. It was not cleaned or
looked after at all. A planter asked me if I would sell it for plants, and then he allowed it to run on for
such a length of time that it was then too late, and when it came to the crushing season I was asked if I
would dispose of it.
6So8. How far would the purchaser have had to cart it ? Prom where I live to Habana Mill, not more
than about a mile.
G569. What were you offered for it delivered ? I told him I could not deliver it. I think be said at
fi.rsttlmt he would give 10s. delivered.
6870. Have y«u always sold all the coffee you ever made ? No ; I have coffee now not sold.
6871. By the Chairman: How much have you really manufactured at a time? I never manufacture
unless I get an order. If Marsh and Webster tell me that they want 2 cwt. of coffee this week I
manufacture it.
6872. What price do you charge for it wholesale ? £9 16s. per cwt,, with 2\ per cent:, discount for cash.
I can make a cheaper coffee if I adulterate it iu the way others do, but I want to make a first-class
article. I could put a lot of chicory in it. and sell it cheaper.
G873. In your opinion the cultivation of coffee cannot be carried ou successfully without coloured labour?
I am certain of it.
G874. The price you receive would not warrant you in employing white labour? No; I would sooner
abandon the industry. I and my two sons have worked at it. and if 1 had to pay white labour it would
not pay. Oue great difficulty we have to contend with s getting suitable labour if we want to
experimentalise.
John Temple examined :
J. Temple. 6875. By the Chairman : You are a farmer ? Yes. I reside at Eton. I have been a shareholder iu the
/ — — ^ central null, but owing to internal squabbles I was obliged to secede from it. I have 400 acres of
18 Feb., 1889. beautiful rich arable land, and I wished to put some undersugar cane. I took up shares, but owiug to
' the squabbles 6876, We
Tllf: OENERAL CONDITION OP THE STJGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
203
6876. We cannot enter into complaints against the company ? Tes ; but if I had a tramroad I could J. TempLe.
grow cane. /— «^v_-^
6877. We are hereto inquire into the causes of the depression in the sugar industry, and obtain suggestions 18 Feb., 1889.
for its improvement. We cannot enter into personal quarrels ? I kive no quarrels. I want to grow
cane for the company and become a shareholder, and if I have a tramway I can get along.
687S. By Mr. King : Have you grown any sugar cane ? I have been on the plantations but have not
grown sugar, because I had no mill near my land.
6s79. If you have been a .shareholder in the company you must have undertaken to grow cane ? I went
out of the company.
6M80. Tou did not mortgage your property to the company ? No.
6881. By Mr. Cowley : The reason you seceded was on account of tho distance you were away from the
mill ? Yes ; it would not pay me to cart my cane seven miles.
EiMUND Stansfield Eawson examined :
6882. By the Chairman : Tou are at present the representative of the North Queensland Sugar Estate E.9. KaTrsou.
Company, Limited ? 1 am. /— -wV--— ^
6883. AVill you kindly slate; why th# company is in its present condition? Inability to start work in is Feb., 1880.
consequence of want of labour. The applicants that we had for the land desired us to guarantee labour
for the term of tho leases, which we could not do.
6884. How many acres ha.* the company altogether ? 11,500.
6885. Tou produce a pamphlet which contains the proposals on which the company were prepared to
lease land ? Tes. [Pamphlet handed in.]
6886. In answer to that proposal did you get any applications ? Tes, we did, but we were asked to
guarantee the labour, which we could not do.
6887. r*racticahV up to the present time the company has taken no steps at all in the direction of cultiva-
tion ? H»ne whatever.
6583. By Mr. Cowley : I see one of your conditions, No. 40, is that you aro prepared to give a fixed rate
of 12s. 6d. a ton for cane delivered at the company's mill — are you still prepared to give that ? That I
could not say without reference to our London board. The company is in liquidation, and the estate is
to be sold, if possible. The people at home are tired of waiting. I have no doubt that if there was any
permanency »f the labour, or any prospect of men making a living by cultivating sugar cane, we might go
on. It tor>k me twelve months to work up this company and then f failed over it.
6889. Does the railway run through the estate? Tes, through the major portiou of it. It runs through
about 3,500 acres of the estate.
Prank Chatii.es Hounbhook examined :
6Sf)#. By the Chairman : Tou are Polynesian Inspector for this district ? Tes. F. C.
6801. What is the total number of Polynesians in the district of Mackay at tho present time? 2,155 ; Ho '* r >ti'*oo]{.
that is as neat' as I can get to the number. A good many go away an their own account. There were r — \
2,213, and 105 of those have gone away. A good many others have gone away to Bowes and Cairns. 18 l^b., 1889.
681)2. What is the general condition of the health of the men in this district ? It is not bad ; I brought
with me a hospital book that I keep here. [Book produced.] It has only been started this year ; I have
now t» go to the hospital every week. At tbeend of the year there were forty-six in the hospital remai ning
over from the previous year, and the average is ten a week. Up to the present time this year there have
been 11# in the hospital, and out of that number six have died. The teu a week would represent about
500 a year, and of the2,000boys in the district about one-fourth of them go to the hospital. A_s far as I
see, of those admitted to the hospital about 5 or 6 per cent. die.
6893. What have these six deaths occurred from ? Ordinary sickness, such as fever. There have been
since I have been here t\To murders and a death from snake bite.
6894. By Mr. King: Do not some patients come into the hospital overand overagain? A^cryofteu. One
has been in the hospital since the 1st Januaiy, 1888, and on the 2nd January, 1889, she was still there.
That is a case of syphilis, and she will have to remain there until she dies. There aro several others
nearly as bad who have been there a very long time.
6895. By the Chairman : You say you have received instructions to go to the plantations once a week ?
Not to the plantations* — to the hospital. I received instructions to visit the hospital every week and
keep this book. It has been done in the other districts, but Mackay for some reason has been omitted.
6896. You keep a return of all the patients admitted to the hospital ? Tes ; 1 go every Wednesday. I
have to scud a copy of this record to Brisbane, and my last visit was on the thirteenth of the mouth.
6897. Do you pay regular visits to the plantations ? Whenever I have nothing in the office to keep me
I go out there. Lately I have been paying regular visits, because I have had to witness the six-monthly
payments.
6898. Do you inquire into the condition of the islanders generally ? Tes ; certainly. Of course, I have
to go whenever I have nothing in the office to detain me. It is part of my duty to visit the plantations.
Sometimes I have had to go out on special occasions when boys come in and complain.
6S99. By Mr. Cowley : I lave you an assistant-inspector ? Tes.
6900. Does he visit the plantations ? Tes ; occasionally. If I am unable to go, and there is anything
pressing, then he goes. I commenced work here on the 1st December, aud I have been to them all once
and several of them three or four times as occasion requires.
6901. By Mr. King : Do you have any complaints made of ill-treatment ? I have had one complaint of
assault since 1 have been here, and two complaints of bad food. One was at Farleigh. I went out there,
and in that case it was a complaint of insufficiency of food. I got there at the time they were serving
out the food, and saw what the complaint was. The man in charge said they always had what the law
allowed them, but I discovered the cause. The man who was serving ont the food was a kanaka himself,
and he had his fancy men or favourites. Some bad to go hungry, while others got more than their share.
Since then I recommended the removal of that man. Another case was fro<D the Eiver Estate. A boy
brought in a bottle of tea, three small sweet potatoes, and a piece of bread. Curtainly it was not up to
much,
204
MISTTTES OP EVIDENCE TJETEX BEFORE TITE EOXAI COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
F. C. much, and I wrote out to Mr. Archer telling him of the complaint. I had been out there once, and the
H-ombrotk toys seemed to be pretty well treated, but it appeared that the white cook lad been on the drunk at
/— — \ Christmas, and the kanakas had to eook for themselves. I asked the boys if the food was like that all the
18 Peb., 1889. time and they said "No." The other complaint was one of assault. The boy told me that be and his
companion had been struck by the overseer. I wrote out and told the mauager to send the overseer in to
joe. I had ihe two boys in also, and it appeared that one had been very cheeky, but I told the overseer
that that was no reason why he should strike him. The overseer had been there some time, and the
manager spoke very well of him. I told the overseer that if I heard any more eomplaints I should have
to summon him. There have also been two murders sinee I have been here.
6902. By Ihe Chairman : Are all the hospitals on the plantations in charge of thoroughly qualified
dispensers? I do not think so. They have some rather rough doctors on the plantations.
6903. Is it not a condition that they shall have thoroughly qualified persons there ? No ; there is nothing
in the Act to that effect. The Act says that the boys are to be sent to the hospital. Of course, there
are many cases in which a dose of oil only is needed, but there are some dispensers that I would not care
to trust very much . The planters are vei-y good in sending the boys to the hospital. I have seen boys
in the plantation sick wards, bat I hare never seen one that I thought it necessary to tell the planter to
send to the hospital. The boys come into the hospital themselves from the plantations that are at all
handy to it.
6904. Have you prepared a return of the Polynesians on tbe different plantations? Yes. [See
Appendix jft]
Chajiles Claudius Inkes, examined :
0. C. Tunes. 6905. By the Chairman; You are land agent for this district? Yes; and at present act'mg eommis-
/ — ^ sioner for the district of Mackay.
18 Feb., 1889. 6906. Are you able to state the area of land selected, forfeited, and made freehold in the 31ackay laud
agent's district? Yes. The selections under the Act of 186$ made freehold amounted to 84,071 acres;
conditional selections taken up under the Act of IS 76, 280,000 acres; homestead selections taken up,
33,600 acres ; volunteer land orders, 400 acres ; conditional selections under the Act of 1876 not yet
made freehold, 12,170 acres ; conditional selections forfeited, 26,773 acres ; homestead selections not yet
made freehold, 12,160 acres; agricultural farms selected under the Act of 1SS4-, 22.499 acres; forfeited
under the same Act, 1,280 acres ; approximate area under cultivation, Act of 1876, 200,000 acres. Then
there is a statement here tha t the great proportion of that area is uiider cultivation other than by sugar cane.
I may explain that that information was given at the last moment, because I had no official facts to- give
it upon. I gave it from my knowledge of the selections, and I am pretty well certain that the bulk of it
is not under cane. The area under cane is a matter of guess. I could not pledge myself to the
accuracy of it, though I should scarcely think the are.i could be more than 8,000 acres under cane in this
district. The approximate area of selections cultivated under the Act of 1884 is 450 acres ; the
approximate area of selections under the Acts of 1876 and 1868, made freehold and not now occupied, is
140,000 acres*
6907. Is there much land available for selection in the district now? Yes ; there is a very large amount
of land available.
6908. "Where is it situated ? There is nothing within a radius of twenty-five miles — not a single block.
The land is closely selected within twenty-five miles of the town, with the exception of a few reserves that
are not open to selection.
6909. Then if they were selected the selectors would have had the difficulty to contend with of having
no means of transit ? Yes ; that is practically the means of stopping selection now.
6910. You are not doing much in the laud office now? Very little just now. There have been 22.000
acres selected since 18S5. Of course, we have been over- selected for some time. For instance, men of
means have taken up large blocks of laud in far-out places, and the moment they have done so a uumber
of selectors have congregated round them in the hopes of something being done. You can see by the
large number of forfeitures that one by one they have given up the selections. At present there is no
demand unless now and again a stranger comes here, and a piece of choice land is thrown open, which is
taken up.
WEDNESDAY, 20 FEBRUARY, 1889.
ROCKHAMPTON DISTRICT.
(At tne Criterion Hotel.)
Peesest :
W. H. •ROOM, Esq., M.L A . | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A..
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chaik.
Joh>" Alexander GLi.viN examined :
J. A. Gavin. 6911. li y ihe Chairman : You are the secretary of the Yeppoon Sugar Company? The late secretary,
>^ but now the liquidator of the Yeppoon Sugar Company, Limited.
20 Feb 1889 ^912. How long were you secretary to the conipauy ? Siuce 1886.
" 6913. What is the total area of the landheld by the company ? 2,000 acres.
6914. How much is under cultivation by sugar ? Somewhere about 70# acres now.
6915. When
• Note.— Attention was drawn by The Chairman to the statement uf tin- Witn.^ that 200,000 acres were under
eultiwilimi and the great ]>ortion of it other than by sugar cane, and also that 8,000 ai res onh/ were under sugar earn' ; hut
he adhered to the correctness of his figures,
THE GEXERA-L CONDITION OP THE SUGAR INDUSTRY I>* QUEENSLAND.
G<r»15. When did you have a crushing last ? We finished about the month of November of last year. J
6916. What quantity of cane did youcrush then ? We did not weigh the cane. f
6917. How manv acres did Vou crush ? 475 acres. 2<
6918. What was the yield of sugar? About 330 tons.
6919. What is the total capital invested in the company ? The total capital of the company is £40,000,
of which £2i,000 was subscribed. The balance was overdraft advanced by the Bank of* New South
Wales. There has been £ 1-0,000 expended on the plantation.
6920. What was your average yearly expenditure? I can give you up to the 31st December, 1887 —
£5,394 13s. Beyond that, there was £2,633 for Polynesian labour account.
6921. By Mr. King: That is for the introduction? Tea; the introduction of the boys. The total
expenditure for the year 1S87 was £10,137 10s.
6922. By { he Chairman : What interest did the plantation return on the capital invested ? Well, we
paid at the rate of about £1,500 a year to the Bank of New South Wales as overdraft. No interest, but
£1.500 a vear paid to the bank.
6923. What labour was employed at the plantation|? There were eighty black boys and the usual
engineer , overseer', manager, and ploughmen.
6924. By Mr. King .- How many ploughmen ? I could ntt say exactly. Buring the crushing season of
course there were a great many white men employed. There were the manager, engineer, sug'ar boiler,
kanaka overseer, and about live or six ploughmen.
6925. By Mr, Cowley : About ten white men were employed ? Yes.
6926. Bu the Chairman .- I tow long have the Polynesians been employed on the plantation ? Since the
formation of the company in 1S85.
6927. Was the company formed upon the understanding that Polynesians would be employed, or upon the
idea that white labour could be used ? It was formed at the time that black labour was being employed
elsewhere, and the company were able to get kanaka;*.
6928. Have the shareholders resolved to continue the operations of the plantation? No, they have
resolved to wind up owing to the overdraft. The bank cannot carry them on. The overdraft is over
£16,000, and the bank has foreclosed. The guarantors decided not to carry on any further liability,
so the shareholders were forced to wind up.
6929. By Mr. King : What u as the cost of the machinery, erected ? £6,840.
6930. What quality of sugar did you make? Very good quality, first, second, third and fourth
sugars.
6931. Brown or white? White sugar. It realised about top price. This year we hare sold it as high as
£25.
6932. Was any attempt made to work this company with white labour ? One year we were sh«rt of boys,
and had to work with white labour. We had only twenty or thirty boyg, whereas the full coinplerneut
ought to be at least lOO. We have always been short.
6933. Can you say what was the result of the attempt to work with white labour? It was not at all
satisfactory. I was changing men every week. Men went down and came back the same week.
6931. What wage's were you giving ? £1 and 25s. with rations.
69'35. Could you get as many men as you wanted at that rate ? We had a difficulty in getting them and
those that were sent down were always coming back.
(S9H6. Why did they come back? I suppose they did not like the work.
6937. Did they say why they came back — were they dismissed or did they leave of their own accord ? A
great many left of their own accord and a great many were dismissed for incompetency.
6938. Hid these men giv e any reason for leaving? In all probability. I never saw them. I have no
authentic information why they left, but I believe they did not like the work.
6939. Is the land suited for growing sugar cane ? Yes, very suitable. It has always tur»ed off a very
' good average. In fact, this year, with the draught, we have had a higher average than Mackay.
6940. To what cause do you attribute the failure of the company ? One of the causes is, of course, the
shortness of capital. If the full £40,000 had been subscribed there would h.ave been a saviug of interest,
and besifles the directors guaranteeing as bondsmen they h.ave had to become guarantees for the working
of the place to the extent of £4,000 or £5,000. The directors themselves have no security whatever, but
simply depend upon the crop to pay the working expenses.
6941. "What interest was the company paying to the bauk ? Sometimes 9 per cent, and sometimes 8 per
cent.
6942. If the seasons had been more favourable, do you think you might have carried on ? This year, most
decidedly. We would have been able to carry on if we had had anything like a fair season.
6943. Then the cause of the failure of the company, in your opinion, has been partly bad seasons and
partly having to pay interest ou borrowed money? Yes, partly that.
6944 By Mr. Cowley .- What is the capacity of the mill ? It is said to be able to turn out from 1,000
to 1,500 tons per annum.
691-5. Are you positive as to the cost being £6,000 erected ? Yes, quite positive. That is all it cost.
0916. What does it consist of? It is only a vacuum pan. It was bought from A. and W. Smith and
Co., and erected by Braby. I could show you his report on it as compared with some of the mills on
the Burdekiu.
6947. What is the size of. the rollers ? I could not say.
6948. What is the largest amount of sugar you ever made ? 500 tons, the year before last.
6949. How many months did it tako to make that? "We started in June [and we finished before
December.
6950. Did you work continuously ? No, we had t o stop several times for want of water and labour.
6951. Bo vou think that one cause of the failure is the excessive amount you have had to pay for white
men's \\ ages ? Well, that certainly has been a draw back.
6952. Do you think that is the gr eat factor in the failure. — I am referring now more especially to the
seasons when you had no kanakas ? If we had had to find white labour altogether, we could not have
carried on af all.
6953. One
206
JinrUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKES JEFOEE THE EOTAL COMMISSION 10 IITQUIEE IJTTO
J. A. Gavin. G953. One season you had to employ a great many white men ? Exaetly, and if we had had kanakas that
z'""*"-^— """~\ year, the 500 tons of sugar would have covered our working expenses and left, a balauee. As it was we
20 Feb., 1889. were no better off with the 500 tons than with 30t. Siuee we have started we have increased our erops
greatly.
0954. "Have you had any experience in the working of a plantation ? None.
6953. You cannot say whether white men have cut and trashed ? I know they did do it. I have seen
them workiug with the horses and loading up cane, <tc.
6936. By the Chairman .- How long has the manager been in his present positiou? For two years. He
used to manage The Cedars at Mackay.
6957. Hare you always had a good price for your sugars ? We have never been lower than £16 or £18.
We have always averaged that. Last year we averaged about £18. This year we will average £20.
693S. Then the low price of sugar in other countries has not affected you? We have always been
getting a fair price since the company started. Allien we first shirtcd the price was £30, and it has
gradually eome down to £17.
6959. Has that not had something to do with your non-sueeess ? If we had got £30 a ton for our sugar
we probably would have been very well off.
0960. So that the failure is not attributable to one cause only? No; to a variety of causes.
Getting £18 a ton and with suitable labour, I am perfectly satisfied to carry on the plantation. An
average of £18 a ton would pay.
6961. Then why do not the present directors continue it ? They are not at all disposed to do^so. Half-
a-dozen of them have now guaranteed £16,000, and they will drop it now. One gentleman says : " I am
prepared to pay in my £500 or £1,500 and drop it."
6962. Bjj Mr. King; Ju order to carry on you would have to inerease your debt? Yes.
C!)G:i And the directors who guaranteed the £16,000 are n«t willing to go any further? No. Tho
directors ire not the guarantors for the £16.000. We had another guarantee account for £5,000 which
tlic crop was to cover. The guarantors had a lieu over tlie whole thing, and they gin-e the directors a
lien over the crops to cover the £5,000.
096k That is the reason why the company ia being wound-up — that the guarantors object to increase
their guarantee ? Exactly.
6f)05. By the Chairman .- The property is to be sold by auetiou to-morrow ? Yes.
6966. In tho event of a purchaser not being found for it, what action is to betaken ? It is the property
of the guarantors and they will hare to buy my equity, and thev will have to do the best they can
They have to find £16,000.
6967. Then you are at present absolutely representing the bank ? No ; I am representing the company.
1 am trying to realise on the property to get it into suf e hands. I have carried it onmy^'self for a
month.
6968. In tho event of the property not being sold, is the bank likely to carry it on? No; not at all
likely.
(i960. What is to beeome of the eighty islanders? They will be transferred somewhere else or sent liome.
Their time ban to rim up to #etober, 1S90. I can show in figures tli at at the price those people are
prepared to take for the property it would be a really good thing, but there is a doubt about the labour.
Without the labour it is worth nothing. I am responsible for the boys, and the bondsmen are responsible
for them. I was going to try and remove them, but of course it would damage the company's interests
if they were removed, and I therefore allowed them to stop on iu the hope of making a sale ; but if I
removed die boys to-morrow the property is not worth £1, and we have put improvements on it to the
extent of £20,000.
6970. Hoes the cane ever suffer from frost here ? No ; it has never been attacked. We have the
mountains right on the west, and we ai-e open to the sea.
6971. Has the cane ev er been attaeked by grub or rust ? No ; nothing of the kind has ever attacked
the caue. It had a very severe test last February. We had 30 inches of rain in twenty-four hours.
6972. B// Mr. Couley: When you made 500 tons of sugar how many acres did yon erush ? About -173
acres. In connection with the islanders we have one difficulty. We are compelled to send the boys
home, but they are not compelled to go. We have to pay the £5 return passage money to the Govern-
ment, and if the boys go elsewhere and do not re-engage vie have a difficulty in getting the money back
again. Thero are 200 boys now in the scrub who are working for themselves, and they arc uot free
boys. We are compelled to send them home, and they do not go. There they are in the scrub, cutting
timber and doiug other work, and yet we are not allowed to use them when other people are.
6973. Ho you suggest that the £5 return passage money should be collected by the Government?
Yes; and uot leave it to the previous employer to find out where the boy is. 1 got a boy up from
imudnberg — from Mr. Palmer's plantation. 1 sent to him for some boys, and he sent me three, and I
paid him £5 for each for the return passage money. They would ouly engage for six mouths, and I gave
as high as 12s. a week. One of these boys has gone back after six months. lie is dow u at Buudaberg
now. I made inquiries through the inspector, who says the boy ban gone home, but it is within my know-
ledge that he has kept up a correspondence with one of the plantations, andhe is still at Palmer's planta-
tion, and my £5 has gone.
6971. By Mr. King : With regard to the Polynesians working in the scrub does not the inspector look
after them and summon any person who employs them without agreement? If there is no complaint
made it is dillicult to do so ; besides, it is so difficult to find the boys; most of them are working for
themselves. They have horses and drays of their own. That is where the unfairness of the Act comes in.
If the boys were actually compelled to go home it would be fair on both sides, but now they are allowed
to stop, and the very men to cry out about black labour are the men who are using them on the sly.
6975. Then some of the whites are employing them ? There is no doubt of it.
6976. Do you not know that they are liable to a penalty ? Yes ; I know that if I reported them they :
liable to a penalty, hut that is an unpleasant thing to do.
6977. Have there been any prosecutioas in ltockhampton ? Yes.
G978. With what result ? That the men were lined, and the 1 hing is done with.
6979. llow many farmers are growing cane near Wppoou ? I tliiuk there arc four, but there may ho
more.
69S0. Have
MIS GENERA!, CONDITION OF THK SUGAR INDUSTET IN QUEET^SLAND.
207
0980. Have you bought any cane from tlicin ? Yes ; we always bought ami paid so in ucli per hundred A " Gimn '
gallons for the juice. / m ^ J ^^
*)81. Did you buy any last year ? Yes. 20 FeV ' lS89
69S2. How much ? I could not aaY from ineinorj.
6i)S:i. By Mr. Chiclet; : What do y ou pay per hundred gallons ? I cannot say just now.
0984. By Mr. lung : Wore the farmers satisfied with the price? They were not satisfied last year, and
we gave them Is. more than they were getting , at Bu ndab erg. We got the information from "Mr. Cr.an
what he was paying, and we gave them Is. a hundred gallons more. They served us with a notice that
unless they g»t Is. more than that, they would not grow cane.
0985. Could you hare afforded to give tliem any more ? No ; I do uot think we could.
G9S6. By the Chairman : Did the farmers grow cane with their own labour? They have only small
farms, but some of them have got kanaka boys.
Thomas KkUjY examined :
6987. By the Chairman : You are chairman cf the Rockhanrpton Chamber of Commerce 3 Yes. T - Kell 7-
G988. Yon hnve been chairman of the Yeppoon Sugar Company ? Ye* ; for twelve months. ^~ ^
G9S9. Can you inform us why the company is at present in liquidation ? The principal c:m*e was the bad 20 Feb., 1889.
season lust year. J .[ad it not been for that we should have carried on this year. We had a yield of
about 300 tons of suinir when we should have had 600 tons.
6990. Had all the seasons in previous years been satisfactory to the company? Tbe previous season
was a very good one. We had some 500 tons of sugar.
6991. By M: King : !l ow many crushings have you had at Yeppoon ? Three or four.
G992. Did tho proceeds of tbe crop in any year exceed the working expenses ? Yes ; the year before
last-in 1887.
6993. What amount of profit did you make over and above expenses? I could not say exactly from
memory what the profits were.
G9'J4, Do you recollect what it amounted to on the capital invested — was it , r > per cent.? I do not
recollect. The secretary could give the information.
0995. Did you ever pay a dividend ? No.
6996. What was the amount of your liabilities at the time you got the company into working order? I
think about £[">,000. t have only been connected with the company for two years.
6997. Did you reduce that amount, or did you increase it by working ? It is increased by tbe interest,
owing now, but the principal sum was not increased-
G99S. Then if the whole of the capital of the companyhad been subscribed you would have been able to
carry on ? Yes ; carry on welt.
G999. In your opinion the causes of failure were bad seasons, and the company having liabilities on
account of borrowed capital ? Yes ; they had not sullicient capital to work upon/ In fact we have only
been linaueing for the last two years. The directors have had to carry on the work by giving their bond
for the working expenses. The firstyenr we had no security whatever, but this year we have been secured
by the crop.
7000. By the Chairman : You are one of the guarantors ? I am on« of die guarantors of the working
expenses of the Company, but not one of the guarantors of Urn £15,001). 'There are two classes of
guarantor, s Several genllcmen are guarantors for the capital, and lust year the directors refused to carry
on unless they were protected by lien over the; crop, and we weregiven a lien over die crop. The previous
year the directors found the money to work the place, and during last year we had a lien over the crop
which became our property, and might meet all liabilities. I hope we will not be called upon t« pay very
much.
7001. By Mr. Cowley : Will the amount that the crop will realise this year pay you ? We hope it will.
We have not said all the sugar yet.
7002. Why did you not call up tbe uncalled, capital ? We tried to do so but could not. The shareholders
would not subscribe.
7003. Cau you tell us anything about the general working of tbe place ? Not much.
7001. Do you know anything about the capacity of tbe mil! ? No ; I do not.
7005. Do you know whether the labour has been satisfactory? The labour has been satisfactory, but I
do not know the capacity of the mill
700G. By the Chairman : The advertisement says that the mill is capable of turning out 1,500 tons of
sugar? If is fully equal to that, thero is no doubt. It is a very Sue plant. In fact when I first saw it
I thought they had spent a great deal more money than necessary.
7007. By Mr. King : Do you know what the machinery cost erected? I do not know.'
7#08. By the Chairman : llave the members of the Chamber of Commerce discussed the question of the
sutfav industry ? No.
7009. fmi aro aware that it was at the request of the Chamber of Commerce that we received a telegram
from the Chief .Secretary asking us to visit Koekhampton ? Yes, Iho members expressed the wish that I
should telegraph to Mr. I'atlison, asking that you might be requested 10 call inhere.
7010. What was your object ? We wanted to harethe Yeppoon Sugar Plantation included in the inquiry
7011. Then the Chamber of Commerce as a body are not prepared to offer any suggestions by which the
sugar industry of Rockliamptou can be improved ? No. I do not think so. ,
7012. By Mr. Cowley : Do you know anytbiug of the Pandora Estate ? No, except that it was wou»d,
up two or three vears back "
7013. By Mr. King : What was the cause of the failure of that estate ? I believe insufficient capital and
bad seasons.
7014. They were working on borrowed capital the same as you were ? I think so.
TRUWSDAY,
)S MttTTTES OF EVTDEN'CE TAKEN BEFORE THE BOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
THURSDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 1889.
ROCKHAMPTON DISTRICT.
(At the Criterion Hotel.)
Present :
W. n. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Yrruir Toss examined :
T. Vobs. 7015. By ihe Chairman .- You are a duly qualified medical practitioner? Yes.
— \ 7016. You are medical officer at Rockhampton and medical officer to the Polynesians? Yes; andPoly-
Feb., 1889. nesian inspector.
7017. How hare you hchl the latter •ffice ? Por nearly two years n«w.
7018. How many Polynesians arc there iu this district under -your inspection ? About 200.
7019. Can you state where they are principally employed? They are employed by the Yeppoon
Company.
7020. The number employed there we discover to be eighty ; can you state where the others are? I may
have given t«o great a number. I thought there were a larger number.
7021. Do you know of any others in this district besides the company who are employing Polynesians ?
Mr. Atherton has two.
7022. What is he ? He is a selector, and employs them in the cultivation of fruits.
702%. Is he the only employer ? He is the only other registered employer.
7024. You have only accounted for eighty-two ? I may have overstated the number, but I am sure
there are quite fifty besides that in the district.
7025. Can you tell us what they are doing ? Some of them are employed cutting wood on the other side
of the river on their own behalf and for their countrymen. 1 have known of two instances where they
Mere employed by white men for that purpose, and of two others who were employed as general
labourers. As soon as it came to my knowledge notice was served that their employment was illegal,
and the men were at once dismissed.
7*26. By Mr. Cowley : In all instances ? In all four instances.
7027. By the Chairman: Has it come to your knowledge, as Polynesian inspector, that there are time-
expired boys now in the district with horses and drays of their own, who compete with the European
population in cutting timber and firew ood ? I know that it is so ; hut it has not been reported to me
oilicially. 1 know of it privately.
7025. Can you state what number of them are doing this ? No ; I cannot.
7U29. Would the number he under or over fifty ? Under fifty, I think.
7080. Where do they principally reside ? In the scrub, and about North RocUhampton.
7031. II as it come to your knowledgealso that some of tho boys have married European women ? Yes.
7032. Where are they residing ? In .N orth Rockhampton. Some are married to tieir own mativc women
who came with them from the islands.
7033 These Polynesians who are working in the way you have described are entirely out of your eontrol
and jurisdiction ? They are not supposed to be ; but I do not see how we can get hold of them. I am
advised by the police magistrate that it is not possible to interfere with them if they cut wood on their
own account.
7034. Do you know whether licenses are issued to them by the land office for cutting firewood under tbe
timber regulations ? I do not know.
7l>35. But you do know of your own knowledge that they have cut firewood and sold it ? Yes ; I have
been tohi so by the men themselves.
7036. Off Crown lands? I cannot say.
7037. By Mr. King .- Have these boys who are working on their own accouut got exemption tickets ?
Some have, but not all.
7035. By Mr. Cowley .- Do you keep a Polynesian register, showing how and where the islanders arc
employed? Yes ; of the boys under registered agreement.
7039. What is the total number registered ? There are seventy-eight registered as being employed by
the Yeppooti Sugar Company, and two by Mr. Atherton. I find that there are no other Pacific Islanders
employed under registered agreement in this district.
7040. Do you make it your duty to find out h«w the fifty islanders you h;ive spoken of are employed ?
I do not see what means I have of finding out e xcept by going rouud and speaking to them.
70 H. TJiive you ever inspected them and reported on the mat lei' to your chief? We report every year
how many there are walking about the district. 1 have also asked what steps I should take to try and
prevent such employment, and was told that in any case where 1 ciould. obtain evidence I was to prosecute;
but it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain the necessary evidence to secure a conviction.
7042. Then the head of the department in Brisbane is thoroughly aware of the slate of tilings— that
there are fifty men cutting firewood ? I did not say that fifty men were employed in cutting firewood ;
but I reported that there were men cutting firewood.
7043. Did you not prosecute in the four cases you quoted — for employing labour contrary to the Act?
No. One case I reported was that of Mr. P. P. MaeDonald of Yaainba. 1 was instructed to inform him
that such employment was illegal, and he dismissed the boy.
7044. Then you have prosecuted in no instance ? No. In two out of the four cases I should not have
been able to obtain evidence, and I only knew of the fourth case by accidentally visiting the house. I
do not think I should carry my duties of inspection into a private house.
701-5. How many islanders do you know of who are married to white women ? I think I can remember
three or four at the present time. 7046. By
THE GENEB4X CONDITIO OF THE INDUSTRY IS QUEENSLAND.
7046. By (he Chairman .- When you say that you reported this matter to the head of your department,
do you mean the Colonial Secretary, or the oficer in charge of the Polynesian Department? The officer
in charge. There is an annual return made of the islanders iu our district. We can only give the 21 Feb
average.
7047. You do not communicate direct with the Colonial Secretary? No
7048. By Mr. Cowley: If you actually know of men who are employed on their own account, you io
not put -those men down as walking about ? It is a form that the return is made in. I cannot say that
I know particular individuals. I know by coming across them that they aro so employed, but I could
not go straight from here and find any particular man.
7049. You have never h;ul instructions from the head of the departmeut to try and find out how many
of these men are employed ? I state, as near as I am able, the number walking about.
7050. You have never had instructions to find out for a fact the exact number? I do not suppose I
should require more definite instructions— I do not know that 1 quite follow you.
7051. Tou say they are aware down below in Brisbane that these men are cutting firewood ? I do not
know that.
7052. Don't you think it would be your duty to bring it under notice ? You sec it is a large per
centage, fifty out of 150 to be employ eit in other work than tropica, I agriculture. Don't you think it your
duty, as inspector, to bring that fact directly under the nobice of your chief? I say there are fifty men
about the district who are not under registered agreements. I do not say there are fifty engaged in
cutting wood.
7053. How mauy men have actually come under your notice as being engaged in cutting firewood — you
say some have tolrl you — how many hive told you ? There were four men before the police court
concerning a dispute about cutting wood and they admitted it. I think I could say a dozen.
7054. You are certain of a dozen? I think I can say that number.
"W clliam Broome examined :
7055. By the Chairman : You were the original founder of the Yeppoou Sugar Plantation? Yes. W.Bi
7050. You selected the land under the Land Act of 1S76 ? The Acts of 1S68 and 1876.
7057. For the purpose of sugar cultivation? No. It was taken up originallv as cattle country. 21 Peb
705S. When did you commence sugar cultivation there ? In 187S, on a small scale.
7059. How many acres did you fi rst commence with ? A small garden of about an acre as an
experiment.
700#. Did that prove a success ? Yes.
7061. Did you work it witli white or coloured labour ? Kanakas.
7#f>2. Then you extended your operations ? Yes.
7063. How many iieres d id you eventually bring under cultivation? I had six acres of cane when the
company was formed.
7064. W ere you satisfied from your experiment that sugar cultivation would prove a success
there ? Yes.
7065. W ere you a shareholder of the company as established then ? Yes ; I took the whole of the value
of tke land in shares.
7066. Are you still a shareholder ? Yes; the company is in liquidation uow, but I have held the shares
all through.
7067. You have still a large interest in the plantation ? Yes.
7068. What iuyour opiuion are the causes of its failure? The immediate cause is want of capital. We
have not capital enough to carry us through any reverse.
7069. Then the labour question has nothing to do with the failure? Yes, everything, because the
expenses have been incurred through the dificulty of getting labour.
7070. The limited capital that y ml had (• work the plantation with would not admit of the employment
rf European labour? Certainly not, altogether. f*«t for all the work of the plantation.
7071. Did you make any experiment yourself with white labour only ? .Not when I started myself.
After the company was formed, and when the first manager, 3Ielish, came, we tn'ed clearing with white
labour, but it was too costly.
7072. When you were growing an acre of cane you had kanakas ? I had three kanakas.
7073. Did you have them for other purposes than the cultivation of sugar cane ? No; not at that time.
7071- Do you think the fall in price of sugar has had anything to do witli the failure of the company ?
Of course, it has made matters worse.
7075. Then want of capital, the low price of sugar, and the price you have had to pay for labour are the
causes which have led the company into liquidation? Yes.
7t76. Can you give an opinion as to whether yon think sugar plantations can be carried on successfully
in this district with white labour only? I believe in time sugar cultivation could be carried on with
white labour only, on the central mill system, bat not until there is a large population. There are several
settlers round the plantation growing cane who do very well out of it, but there is not enough popula-
tion. In a few years time it may be better.
7077. How many acres have the selectors you speak of under cane at the preseut time ? I think about
sixty acres altogether.
7078. Do they grow that with white labour? They grow it with their owu labour. They are men with
sons who can do the work iu their own time.
7079. Do you think it would be a public advantage that Yeppoon Plantation should be continued? Cer-
tainly. It has given a tremendous lot of work in the district, and where I employed three black men and a
boy before there have been twenty white men employed ever since.
7080. You think if the mill is continued, in course of time a sufficient number of farmers will grow cane
round it to justify it being worked on the central mill system ? I feel quite eure of it.
7081. By Mr. Cowley : You say you took up the value of your land in shares ? Yes.
7082. Did you ever sell any ? No.
7US3. Then you have been a great loser ? Yes, I have been a great loser.
7084. What is the area of the place ? 2,006 acres.
p 7085. What
210
MINUTES 0? EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOHE THE EOT AX COMMISSION TO INQT5THE INTO
W. .Broome. 7085. What j s the largest number of white men you have employed there ? One year when there was a
difficulty in obtaining kanakas we employed fifty white men and boys on the place.
21 Feb.., 1889. 7056. Did they work satisfactorily ? No, not at all. There were constant complaints from the manager,
and incessant changes. Men would not do the work, and said they could not do it.
7087. VTas not the employment of those fifty white men a factor in the want of success ? Yes.
7088. "What was the rate of wages paid to the whites ? They varied from 10± to 30s. a week.
7089. Prom what you know of the place, and how it has been carried on, do you think you could have
made it a success if you had had a plentiful supply of kanakas during that time ? I am sure we could
have done very much better.
7090. What price do you pay the selectors for their cane ? Last year the price was 8s. a hundred gallons
of juice ; this year it was reduced to 7s.
7091. They delivered the cane at the mill ? No, we cut the cane and carted it, and gave them that price.
7092. Tou do not weigh the cane ? No, we had no weighbridge.
7093. Tou have no means of telling how many gallons you get per ton ? No.
7094. Do you lease land to settlers or do they cultivate their own land ? It is land they have bought,
surrounding the mill.
7095. Have you ever tried to lease land to settlers? I have tried, but not with success.
7096. Have you had as much cane grown by the settlers as you could take? "We could take a great deal
more.
7097. Tou are open to take more ? Yes.
7098. At the same price you paid last year ? I hope it would be a better price. They grumble a great
deal at 7s. 1 should like to see 8s. given regularly.
7099. You are sure you are not making a mistake about the 8s., and you cutting and carting the cane ? No ;
they give us assistance in cutting it, but they have not drays enough to take it to the mill.
7100. Do you pay them for the assistance ? No ; they put what men they had on to cut and load
cane.
710L. Do you do the whole of the carting ? Practically, with just the small assistance they give us.
7102. AVhat would the assistance amount to ? Well, Kerr, for instance, has about 40 acres to crush,
and lie put on two or three men for a few days. The others would supply one man.
7103. By the Chairman -. Do you think that the locality of the Yeppoon plantation is suitable for sugar
cultivation ? I think so after ten or twelve years' experience.
7104. Is there any considerable area of land equal in quality to Yeppoon plantation ? Yes.
7105. Did you consult any authority when fixing the price of the juice at 8s. per hundred gallons ? The
manager did,
7106. He fixed the piice at 8s., and subsequently at 7s.? Yes ; subsequently it was reduced.
7107. The farmers were not satisfied with the 7s.? No ; they were satisfied with the 8s., but grumbled
at the 7s.
7108. Has that dissatisfaction led to the abandonment of sugar cultivation ? They have not planted any
more. They put in corn instead of cane this year.
7109. Have they all do*e that ? Yes. One man has planted an acre or two more cane, but all the rest
have abandoned it.
7110. By Mr. Cowley : What is the average distance you have to cart the cane to the mill ? The furthest
is a little over a mile.
7111. By the Chairman : Have you any idea, of the cost of the machinery erected on the plantation ?
Between £6,000 and £7,000. £6,000 was the original cost, and there have been some additions.
7112. Do you mean the cost in Glasgow or erected on the ground ? It cost a great deal more erected on
the ground.
7113. By Mr. King : Can you not give the cost of the mill and machinery as thpy stand with the
buildings ? I think about £20,000. About £2,000 would be for buildings, and £18,000 for machinery
and erection. I may state that I went home in 18S4 and tried to get the balance of the capital unsub-
scribed taken up in London, but without success. It was rather a bad time in London just then.
7114. By the Chairman: Supposing the plantation is not sold to-day as advertised, what is likely to follow ?
Well, we unfortunates, about eight of us, who have guaranteed £16,000, will have to carry it on in the
best way we can. Possibly, we may be called upon to pay the bank off at once, which is anything but
pleasant.
Henky Ross examined :
E. Boss. 7115. By the Chairman .- ifou are manager of the Yeppoon sugar plantation ? Yes.
7116. How long have you held that position ? Two years.
21 Feb., 1889. 7117. "What experience have you had in the cultivation of sugar cane? I commenced first of all about
seventeen or eighteen years ago on a small scale on the Mary River. I went down there to grow cane
and took up frosty country and had to give it up. I then had charge of the Antigua mill for a couple
of seasons. Afterwards for several years I was farming on the Mary liiver. For the last five years I
have been in the sugar industry : three years in Mackay and two down here.
7118. What is the total area of the Yeppoon suj»ar plantation ? Something like 2,000 acres.
7119. How many acres have you under cultivation with sugar cane? This year there will be 454 acres
under cultivation with sugar cane and a few acres of potatoes.
7120. How many acres were under cane last year ? 429 acres.
7121. What quantity of cane did you take off the land ? i cannot say. We had no scales.
7122. How many tons of sugar did you realise from your crushing last year? 337 tons.
712;}. How much molasses ? About 10,500 gallons, or an average of about 35 gallons to the ton of
sugar.
7124. What did you do with it? It is there yet, except what we used for the horses?. It is boiled for
sixth sugar.
7125. What labour do you employ in working the plantation ? At the present moment we have
seventy-eight kanaka boyn.
7126. How many Europeans ? #ne European cook at the preseut moment.
7127. AVhat
THE GENKRAL COSDITIOK OF THE SUGAR DJDU8TET IS QUEENSLAND.
211
7127. What wages do you pay the kanakas? They get £Gper annum. The kanakascost us 15s. 3|d.per H.Ito».
week. ^v^-^
7128. You are including everything ? Yen, everything; the return passage of the kanaka, clothing, 21 Feb., 18S9.
capitation fee, importation, hospital fee, and allowing so much for death rate — that is, allowing interest
on passage money. <fcc. We allow oue dt>ath per annum for eighty boys.
7129. In the crushing season how many Europeans have you? Last year we had forty all told. We had
a few extrainen on account of the poor crop. We had to do a great deal more cutting and carting, and I
had to get a f e w extra white men.
7130. Was the crop last year an average one, or a short one in consequence of the drought ? A short
one.
7131. From your experience of working the plantation generally, what description of labour do you
consider most suitable for the tield work ? Kanakas.
7132. Have you everemployed European labour iu field work ? I have, and had to replace them with
kanaka boys,
7133. Why did you knock thein off ? Tliey could not do the work. The steady slogging work was too
much for She in. They cou ld not stand it.
7131. Did you try white labour on more than one occasion ? Tn 1887 we started crushing with thirty
boys, and I had to supplement the labour with white nun until we providentially got boys. I say
providentially with all my heart.
7135. By Mr. King : What description of work was it that you found the white men deficient in? All-
round work. Plantation work is not laborious, heavy work, but coustant work — cutting and carting and
firing up, and attending to the centrifugals, and feeding the carrier.
7l3t>. Then it was not only in connection with trashing and weeding in the field that the whites were
deficient, but in all-round plantation work ? The general work of the plantation. There is no cessation.
It is like a horse in a mill — they must go round. It is not too overpowering, but I have fouud that white
men will not keep it up in a steady manner.
7137. T)o you include your engineers and fitters ? No ; theirs is different kind of work altogether.
7138. Js your land ploughed ? Yes; all ploughed.
7139. What kind or implements do you generally use? Ploughs, horae-hoes, and scarifiers.
7110. Is your ploughing done by white men or coloured labour? At the present moment it is done by
coloured labour, and they do it remarkably well. They handle three horses. Formerly it was done by
white m^n, but since I had to discharge the white men it has been done by coloured labour. We are
working now under |)f culiar circumstances.
7141. If the estate had not been in liquidation, you would have had some Europeans ou the plantation ?
I would have had ploughmen.
7142. How many acres do you cultivate for each black labourer employed? At present there are 454
gone acres under cultivation.
7113. Have you never calculated how many acres of cane a black labourer can cultivate ? Ihavenever
gone into that.
7144;. At present you are cultivating a little more than six acres for each black labourer — have you got
all the labour you require to keep the land under cultivation ? I have at present.
7145. Then you have the right proportion? Yes; but in a season like last year I would haye to
supplement it with white labour.
714(5. By lite Chairman : Does the health of the kauak^as suffer in any way ? No ; they are remarkably
healthy. It is the healthiest plantation I have ever been ou.
7117. lias the health of Europeans ever suffered from the work ou the plautations ? No.
714S. What is the cost of the machinery erected on the plautation? I do not know.
7149. What is the capacity of the mill ? We can run off comfortably 800 tons with a good. crop. I
know that is far below what the mill is supposed to do. AV r e manufactured 500 tons the year beforelast.
7150. You have t-rushed other caue besides your own ? About twenty-five acres.
7151. Groun by the selectors in the neighbourhood ? Yes ; it was a very poor crop. In fact, some was
not worth taking off. If we were in a better state I should simply have refused to take it, but we were
taking it to oblige the people. There was only one man who had five or six aeres of g^od cane.
7152. What is the cause of the plantation being in its present financial posit ion ? My firm conviction
is that it is owing to the low state of the sugar market. If the price of our sugar went above a certain
figure we would be handicapped by the beetr oot sugar at once. We are almost iu a state of siege at
present. If our sugar went ahove a certain figure the continental merchants would flood us with beetroot
sugar. Consequently the price is kept down through the fear of continental sugar coming into the
market. That is one of the priucipal cansos, although then; are many other causes.
7153. '1 he Yeppoon Sugar Plantation is in 1 inuidation? Yes.
7154. Can yon teil us why, and why the directors decline to proceed any further ? Ever since I went
there tlioy have been in a tM;ate of hai-d-upness or insolvency. They could not work the plantation as it
should he workeil. It was always a rush to get cane off and replant; it. That might do in some seasons,
hut it has not succeeded as yet with us. The climate is too dry. Our ground wants thorough cultivation
before you can hope to get a fair crop uuder- ordinary circumstances. To crush and plant you want an
enormous number of men. I am only just planting now, and could uot plant before ou account of the
seasons.
715.1 What are the prospects of a crop this season ? Nil.
7151'j. By Mr. King : We have been told that iu buying cane from the farmers it has been the custom of
this company to pay at per 100 gallons of juice? Yes.
7157. Can you tell us how many gallons of juice you get from a ton of caue on an average? I thiuk
about 140 gallons would be a fair thing. #urs is a single crushing plant. I will not speak authorita-
tively ou that point, but I think that is about the quautity. If we had double crushing we would get a
little more. It takes from 14 to 16 tons of ordinary cane to make a ton of sugar. With double crushing
ifcmifjht, I think, tako about 10 tons.
7158. The price you have been paying for the juice, and also cutting and carting yourselves, must be equal
to about 15s. a ton for the caue, delivered at the mill ? I made tbe calculation, but do not remember
what it was. I know the selectors had the best of it. We ju6t about cleared our expenses. We got
very little out of it. ^7L59. You
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE llOYAI; COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
H. Ross. 7159 You think you did not lose at that rate ? We Hid not lose, but if we charged ourselvea for
/ — — \ expenses and wear and tear of machinery, I think we might possibly have lost a f ew shiUrags.
21 Feb., 1889. 7160. To you think it will be possible to carry on that sugiir plantation at a profit, employing only while
labour? No; by heavens, no. I would not manage it for five minutes. It w«uld be right enough if it
were all scrub land, and small selectors all round, but in forest country it is quite a different thing alto-
gethcr.
71(31. Dol understand you to say that you think if the land was scrub land you would be able to carry
it on profitably, employing white labour only ? That is, if there was any amount of labour all round us
— men with large families that I could (smploy ; but white labour, so far as my experience goes, is so very
unstable. You have no command over it. The men will strike at any time for higher wages. In 1887,
when I had no boys, I had a lot of white men — eighty or ninety, and the beggars rolled up and said,
" We want 5s, a week extra." I said, " What for, my lads ; you have engaged for 15s. a week, and now
you want £1." They told me they were not going to" work for less, and that only a kan aka worked for
15s. a week. I simply said, " Come in here, take your money, and be ofE ; 1 am rid of so many
blackguards." 1 could not waste my time in dealing with them. I paid them, and thanked God they were
gone.
71(32. Do you think that if white labour was reliable you couid carry on profitably, paying £1 a
week ? No, I do not think so. No, I would not put my money into it. I would not put a fig of tobacco
into it.
71(33. D»the settlers employ coloured labour, «r do they grow sugar with their own labour? Out inaa
has got twenty-five acres, another six acres, another two acres, and another half an acre. There you havo
all the can* that is grown.
7164. Do they do that entirely with their own labour ? The biggest grower has a large family, and he
employs two or three kauakas for some time. The other fellows do it themselves.
7165. You say they had a very poor crop. Was that caused by bad cultivation ? The bad season.
7166. They thoroughly cultivated the land ? #ne did, and two did not cultivate it properly. Whenever
I went there I told them they ought to cultivate it. I said, " It is a bad season, ana you have bad culti-
vation, and how the deuce do you expect anything out of it."
71(57. Can you give us the average rainfall for the last five years ? Tterainfall inl887was 4156 inches.
In 1 888 it was 35 - 1 ; but deducting L0 inches which fell in one night that leaves 251 inches for the year.
7168. Had you plenty of field labour in 1887 ? No ; that was the time I had to employ the white labour
for something like six weeks before I got the boys. f
7169. Could you thoroughly cultivate your land while yon were crushing? No ; it took me all my time
to cut away and plough out. I had the white men cutting and ploughing.
7170. Do you think the want of cultivati on materially affected the crop of 1888 ? No ; it did not do
that. I got the plouglunen to plough as hard as ever they could lick. It did not affect the crop of 1883
in any way whatever. I may just add that the average sugar crop was 32 cwt. of manufactured sugar to
the acre, and in 1888 18 cwt. to the acre. When I started on the Mary River seventeen or eighteen yearsago
the cost of boys was £H a head ; now >i e are paying £30. Then we get a great number of boys too young.
They are under age, and not capable of standing the ordinary fatigue of a day's work. They are too
delicate. The boys have had excellent health down here, bul, it has been an exceptional plantation.
7171. Is that the character of the boys you have now ? #ne fourth of them are too young, but I iiave
about twenty overtime boys who are splendid fellows,
7172. These boys were passed by the medical officer ? Yes ; they were passed, but some are too young
to do an ordinary fair day's work. There is another matter. You asked me about continuing the
plantation. Now, in 1890 the importation of kanakas ceases. Who on God's earth is going into the
sugar industry with that Act hanging over their heads. The sugar industry will collapse. It is morally
certain that no man will put his money into the sugar industry with that Act hanging over his head.
Then there are the improvements in machinery. There are a great number of the present holders who
would like to improve the machinery, but they cannot do it. The bauks will not advance the money for
mauy reasons, and one reason in particular is this Act, by which the importation of kanakas ceases in 1S90.
AV'hat are you going to do with the country ?
7173. By Mr Cowley : Bo you think there is any possibility of the company being worked on the central
faetory priuciple ? Not the slightest ghost of a chance. The whole thing will go smash. Have ceutral
factories where you like — I do not care where they are— you will not succeed with white labour unless you
have a scrub like they have on the Johnstone and have a lot of farmers with big families, growing cane
and making slaves of their boys and girls ; but put them in forest country and no mortal thing will make
them support a central factory.
7171. What I meant was this — If the mill was carried on and the farmers were allowed to employ kanaka
labour, do you think there is any possibility of the settlers growing cane in preference to other crops ?
No ; first of all you hive to get a particular class of men — men without money cannot go on to the forest
country ; it requires capital. Where are yon going to get men with capital to go into sugar At its present
price and the other disadvantages. If the land was scrub land you might get men to try cane growing,
but so lung as " Yeppoon " is a plantation it will never lie worked as a central mill. I know there arc
many opposed 1o me, but I cannot see it.
THE GENERAL CONDITfON OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
TUESDAY, 2G FEBRUARY, 1889.
BUNDABERG DISTRICT.
(At Bundaberg.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM. Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Michael Duffy examined :
7175. By the Chairman : What are you, Mr. Duffy ? Well, I have been a merchant in Bundaberg, but I M. Du
am not now. T retired from business some six or eight months ago.
7177. In what condition was the sugar industry in this district, about five or six years ago? Well, in
Maj, 1S78, when I commenced business, there were just two mills working in the district ; in fact the
average turn-out was only about 500 tons of sugar per annum in good seasoas. That was the gross turn-
out. The output for the last year I was in business was a, trifle over 20,000 tons. If you wish to get an
idea of how the trade of the port has increased from the early days when the principal product was maize,
up to last year — that is during the ten years I was in business — I will give you, to-day, the exact tonnage
of the imports in the year I commenced business, and in the last year, and you will see the differeuce.
This is correctly taken from my own books, and shows the actual tonnage of imports and exports on
which dues were paid.
7178. By Air. King: 'Were you agent for one of the steamship companies ? Yes ; for the Australasian
United Steam Navigation Compauy.
7179. So you have a knowledge of all the produce exported and imported ? Yes ; and I was lessee of the
Government wharf for a period of twelve years, and have got a written record of the whole of the tTadc
of the port. The total imports and exports at the port of Bundaberg for the twelve months from 30th
April, 1878, to 30th April, LS79, was 6.311 tons. That is the exact tonnage on which dues were paid-
The total tonnage of imports and experts at the port of Buudaberg from 30th April, 1887, t;o 30th April,
188.S— the last twelve months I was iu business — was 38,152 tons, or a little over six times the quantity
of the first year ; and I may tell you that in the latter total there is not included the imports of coal,
which is about 11,000 tons per aimnm. Millaquiu alone uses about. 13,000 tons. Those 3S.000 tons
represent the actual export of products and import of goods. There is some other information which I
would have liked to have tendered to you, but I will not trouble you with it, and the other information
can be obtained from the Collector of Customs. That return shows the value of last year's exports of
sugar, which is about: six times as great as the whole of the other exports put together.
7180. B;j the Chairman : Are yon personally acquainted with the sugar growing districts of Buudaberg
and with those who are engaged in the industry ? Oh, yes ; I have been a resident in this district for
the last sixteen years.
7LS1. In what condition do you consider the industry at the present time? Well, it is in rather a
languishing condition at the present time from many causes. I would call it a precarious condition.
The first cause that I would assign for the present depression in the sugar industry is this : There is not
a market within the colony for all the sugar we produce, and it has to be sent to Sydney. Melbourne,
Tasmania, and other places, wheie it has to compete with sugar from other countries; such as
China-made sugar, and sugar manufactured in countries where they have the benefit of
cheap labour in its manufacture. Take the Millaquin sugar — we could get £23 to £24. a ton
for it last year in Queensland, but we could not sell the whole of the sugar iu the Queenslaud
market. If we had sent the whole of the sugar to the Brisbane market it would have flooded the
market to such au extent that it could not all have been sold there. So about three-fourths of the sugar
produced in this district h,id to be sent to Sydney and Melbourne, where it had to compete with China
and other sugars, and it was sold iu Melbourne at an average of not more than £23 a ton, from which
have to he deducted duly and freight and auctiou aud other charges, so that not more than £17 a ton was
realised for the best whites. So that although we have the benefit of producing sugar in Queensland,
we do not seem to liave the full beuelit, because the Queensland market is not sufficiently large to
take the whole of our output. That is one of the causes. The next cause to my mind is the uncertainty
of the labour question. The banks and money-lending instil utious have got it into their heads that
black labour is going to be clone away with at the end of 1890, and they refuse now to advance more
money to the planters — they refuse to assist auy plantations that happen to be in difficulties. So that
preveuts the planters launching out in a great many cases. Such is the uncertainty about the labour
questiou that the banks and other money-lending institutions that have been iu the habit of assisting the
planters refuse now to do so. The dry seasoas have something to do with it; but up to the present this
is the most severe season we have had for the sixteeu years I have been here. We have always bad a
fair crop of sugar, take one season with another. Last year the return was fairly good, but the prospect
for next season is very poor ; indeed, I question if there will be auy crushing at all,
7lt>2. Then what in your opiniou will be the effect upon the sugar industry of the carrying out of the
present law which provides for the; stoppage of the importation of Polynesian labour at the end of 1890 ?
Well, uuless a rapid advance takes place in the price of sugar, it will to ory mind cause a complete
collapse of the sugar industry, because at the present price of sugar it would uot pay the planter to use
white labour only. I do not see what margin would be left. 1 have had a good deal to do with planta-
tions, and know what several of them have cost to work, and I know what the uet proeeeds of the sugar
that has passed through my bands has been, aud even with the beuefit of cheap labour a great mauy of
them have barely cleared expenses, and when they have — as ie the ease with many plantations — to pay
interest on the capital invested, they l<ave shown a balance ou the wrong side of the ledger. I kuow
that from my own kuowledge. 7183. Are
2fi Feb,,
214
MI5TTI!8 OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE HOYAI COMMISSION TO INQUIRE LSTO
M. Duffy. 7183. Are you'acquainted with the farming population of this district ? Yes ; when I commenced business
^^-A--«^>v at first nearly the whole of the present area was occupied by small farmers who were clearing scrub,
2G Feb., 18&9. and the majority of them have given way to the sugar plantations now. With the exception of the two
mills I meutioned, the whole of the agricultural production in the district was in the hands of small
farmers who were growing maize only.
7184. Have they now directed their attention to the growth of sugar cane? Some have.- Some have sold
a portion of their land to the occupants of the plantations and grow maize and cane on the other portions ;
but the majority of the farmers in the Woongarra scrub have sold their land to the planters, and gone
elsewhere to other parts of the district, and selected other Uud on which they are now living.
7185. Then there are not so many farmers in the district growing cane for the plantations ? No ; except
iu the neighbourhood of Bingera, there are not so many small men about. The majority of them have
small crushing mills of their own and thej send the juice to Millaquin.
» 7186. And how many farmers do you thiuk there are in the Woongarra scrub who are now growing cane,
on which they depend for a livelihood ? Well, I should say uot more than twenty.
71S7. But tbeu there are others, you say, who have small crushing plants of their own and who send the
juice to Millaquln ? Yes.
7188. How many are there «f those? I dare say there are half-a-dozen small farmers who have from 101)
to 150 acres who own small mills.
71S9. Then, in point of fact, the sugar industry in this district is coufined to large plantations ? Yes.
7190. And it is to the large plantations that your remarks specially apply in regard to labour ? Well
they would apply to the whole of them.
7191. Can you say from your own knowledge, extending over ten year;:, that a European farmer cultivating,
say, fifty acres or one hundred acres of cane, could do so with Europeau labour at the present rate of,
wages aud the present price of sugar so as to make it pay? Quite impossible.
7102. Do you think that cane could be grown in a clima.te such as this on the family principle ? In my
opinion the only way in which cane will ever be grown here by white labour is when the plantations are
all cleared and stumped, and agricultural machinery can be obtained to take the place of labour. To my
mind, that is the only way. If kanaka labour is withdrawn before the planters are able to use agricultural
machinery I am certain that they wili be unable to earry on. I may tell you that, as far as I am concerned
myself, 1 have never been interested in a plantation; I have never engaged black labour in my life, and I
am not in favour of it; but I may tell you that, from my experience, I know that it is quite impossible
under existiug circumstauces for sugar to be profitably grown without the aid of cheap labour.
7193. By Mr. King : To what do you attribute the very great increase iu the trade of the port of
Bundabcrg during the teu years you were in business ? To the sugar industry only. 5"o other industry
has increased with such rapidity. For instance, take the timber industry. There were oDly two saw-
mills ou the Burnett "River when I commenced business, and 1here are ouly two now— there is a third
one in course of erection. So that the timber trade was exactly in the same position ten years ago that it
is at the present time; so that the increase iu the trade of the port could not be set down to that cause.
Then, again, the total export of maize thefinstyear I was in business was a trifle nnder 60,000 bags ; while
the last year I was in business we exported some 50,000 bags of maize. Of course I allow that the
difference between the 50,000 bags of maize uow aud the 60,OUU bags then will now be consumed in the
district on account of the large number of horses that are now at work on the various plantations. I
hold that there was no more maize grown in the district the last year I was in busiuess than there was on
the day I commenced.
7194. [Tow did the extension of the sugar industry affect the value of property in the to^n and district of
Bundaberg ? Before Millaquin was established, say about eight years ago, the very best land in the
Woongarra scrub, the Grange, .Tamieson's land, was offered to myself at £3 per acre. You could not buy
the same land now for £:<0 an acre.
7195. How has the extension of the sugar industry affected the population of Bundaberg? The popu-
lation has increased. When I came here first there were not more than 300 people in Buudaberg, and I
should say that at the present time there are 4,000 people, or over. That is 4,000 Europeans, and not
including kanakas.
7196. I sup pose the property in the town has increased quite as much as the property in the scrub ? More
bo. The increase in the value »f town property has been very rapid, especially since the estab'ishment of
Millaquin. I will give you a case in point. I purchased an alloi tuent of land i n Bourbon street when
Millaquin started for £350. Well, the actual value of that allotment to-day, without the buildings, is from
£4,000 to £5,000. That will give you au idea of the increase.
7197. Before cane growing was started the farmers in the district principally grew maize — was that the
standard crop of the district ? Yes; that was the principal product.
7198. What was the fi.nnncial position of the farmers when growing maize ? It was very poor iudeed.
They were always in difficulties, and in many cases had to depend ou the storekeepers to carry them on
from year to year. But immediately the sngar industry was fairly established, tlie price of their land
increased so rapidly that a great many of them were able to sell a small portion of their land and clear
off their indebtedness, and that put them in a sound position.
719D. What price did the farmers get for their maize in the old times. What w;ls the average net price
per bushel ? In the year I commenced business 1 would uot be sure what the price was, but iu the
year 1878-9 I bought thousands of bags of maize at Is. 3d. per bushel. The net return to the farmer
would be very small indeed.
7200. Was that delivered in town? It was delivered to me ou the Government wharf for Is. JM. per
bushel.
7201. Do you think that if the sugar industry of Bundaberg failed it would have any effect on the
prosperity of the town and district ? Well, if the sugar industry failed it would simply mean the collapse
•f the town, for there is nothing else to support it ; not in its present dimensions, or its presput popula-
tion. There is nothing that we know of that would take the place of sugar. The value of last year's
exports of sugar was £300,000, and it wou'd be impossible to immediately turn the land to any other
crop that would produce a result like that.
7202. Of late years what price bave the farmers netted for their maize ? I did make up a return some
time ago, and the average price all the year round for the past three or four years has been about 3s :3d.
delivered in town. 7203. What
THE GENERAL CONDITIO?? OF THE SUOAB INDPSTBY IN QUEENSLAND.
7203. "What is the reustil for fh«f ta;lize rising in price ? Simply, because there is more demand for it M.
locally. One fourth of tlie cr»p ia consumed locally, and we also have ft large demand for it in other /— *--A-
Queensland market*. F«r instance, Bockharnpton, Towuaville, ;md Mackay always draw hrge quantities 26 Feb.,
from the Bundaberg market.
7204. Are those the ports to which you export principally? Yea, and sometimes to Cooktown. We
have two crops per annum here. The principal wop comes in February and March.
7205. Who ioyou suppose arc the consumers of the maize th.it you ship t« Mackay? We ehip the
principal part of the cargoes to W. H. Paxton and Co., Marsh and Webster, and to J. Eliis. I under-
stand from Ellis that the principal consumers of the maize sent to Mackay are the sugar planters. He
gave me to uuderstand that that waa the principal industry there, and that the bulk of the maize went tQ
the plantations.
720b'. Then if the Mackay market was lost to you it would affect the maize growers here ? If we aie
shut out of the northern markets we will have to ship to the south, and that means a reduction of la. per
bushel .
7207. By Mr. Cowley : You say that £300,000 worth of sugar was exported last year ? Yea.
7208. What proportiou does this bear to the other exports ? It is six times the value of the whole of the
other exports put together.
7209. You said that there were about 4,000 white people in the municipality of Bundaberg ? Yes.
7210. Can you form any estimate of those actually engaged in agricultural pursuits, over and above the
population of Bundaberg? I may tell you that the population «f Bundaberg and district — that is not
the district immediately around us, but the police district — at last census was 10,500 ; that included some
2,000 Polynesians— s:vv, H.500 white petple.
7211. That is 8,51)0 white people and 2,01)0 black ? Yes ; we have considerably over 2,000 Polynesians
now.
7212. Then from your statement we are to understand that those 2,000 Polynesians who are engaged in
the sugar industry conduce to the welfare and support of the whole of the white population of H,5%0?
Yes, certainly, because there are so many married men with wives and families depending directly or
indirectly on the industry. Apart from the number of white people indirectly deriving a livelihood from
the btigar industry, I will give you an instauce of the case of a sugar plantation in full working order,
just to show the number of whites that they employ on a plantation. At Bingera plantation when
the mill is in full swing there are 200 white souls there. That includes the white people engaged on the
plantation, their wives and families, who are all dependent upon those who are at work on the
plantation.
7213. Besides these farmers on the Woongarra scrub and at Bingera, are tliere not some white farmers at
Fairymead Y Yes, on the north side there are several farmers. That ia on what we call the Gooburrum
scrub. They are now putting in cane, because the Messrs. Young have promised to extend their tramway
into that part of the scrub. They have not grown cane hitherto.
7214. By the Chairman : Am 1 to understand you to say that yon are rather opposed to black labour?
As far as I am concerned I do not believe in black labour, but 1 look on it as a necessity where the sugar
industry is concerned. I have never engaged black labour, and I believe that the time will come when
the colony will have to make up its mind to io without it; but, not just now. 1 would not like to see
bla'^k labour withdrawn at present, because, taking the interests of the districts ;md my own interests into
consideration, I know the disastrous effect it would have. 1 may tell you, and I am not speaking with
any degree of egotism when 1 disclose my own affairs to you, that the money I made when in business in
Bundaberg is all invested in property to "the extent, at the present valuation, of £10,000. If the kanaka
labour is withdrawn, without waiting for the effect winch that would have on the sugar industry, I would
take one half of that amount for my property, or if the industry collapsed I would take one-fifth, and be
glad to leave the district. That is my opinion of the effect a collapse of the sugar industry would have
on the value of property in this district.
7215. Are you a member of the Chamber of Commerce? Yes.
7216. Speaking both as a resident of Bundaberg and a member of the Chamber of Commerce, can you
offer any suggestions by which, in your opinion, the sugar industry can be assisted, or the present
depression removed ? Well, to my mind, the only way to encourage the sugar industry is to continue to
give it the assistance of cheap labonr, or by giving it a lift in the shape of a bounty. I do not know of
a Dy other way of getting over the difficidty. I do not know exactly how the bounty system could be
carried out.
7217. Theu, in your opiniou, the entire prosperity uot only of the municipality of Bundaberg but also of
the district depends upon the continuance of the sugar industry ? Yes,
7218. By J\Ii\ King : I think you have been mayor of Buudaberg ? Yes ; I was mayor of Bundaberg in
1SSG, and last year as well.
7219. In your opinion do the kanakas make themselves objectionable in towu ? No.
7220. Have there not been a good many cases in town in which they have been brought before the police
court on serious charges ? No, the cases have been mostly very trifling ones. There were one or two cases
of attempted murder during the last few years ; but those happened on plantations and did not happen
in town. I nuiy tell you that, to my mind, they are the quietest race of men I ever met in my life. An
objectiou was r;iised some two years ago to their coming into town at night on account of drunken rows,
and they wi re kept out of town for a few months, but the business people were glad to get them back
again.
7±H. Are there not frequently street rows between them, or between them and the whites ? Well, the
only rows that I have seen have been more fuss tban anything else, and the white people ,the larrikins,
have always been in every case the agressors.
7222. An-, the kanakas given to immoral practices in any way affecting the whites ? Are they au annoy-
auce to white women aud girls, or are they dangerous when in town? Not that I am aware of.
7:22:3. Have they been charged with offences agtiinst women? I think there have been such caaea. I
Can't remember any particular cases, but I thiuk that in proportion to the population the cases in which
kaiakii-s were involved have not been more frequent than they have been amongst our «wn countrymen.
UISTTES OF ETIDENCE TAKEN BETOHTS THE ROTAIi COMMISSION TO INQUIHE IXTO
216
M. D«iTj. 7224. By ihe Clmirman : It has been stated that in one or two parts af Bundaberg no respectable
/ *~ — \ female can walk out after nightfall in consequence of their liability to being insulted by kanakas. Can
26 Feb., 1889. you in vour capacity of late mayor state whether that is correct ? I never heard of it dnnng the two
Vears f occupied the office of mayor. No such complaint was ever made to me. During the two years
I occupied the mayoral chair no report ever reached me of anything being wrong with the kanakas.
7225. Do you think that if such a statement was correct it must have come under your own notice ? It
would certaiuly have done so.
722G. Do you know whether the time-e s pired kanakas come into actual competition with the whites m
this district ? I am not aware. That is a question I could not answer. I have heard no complaints.
The Polynesian Inspector would be able to give you more information on that subject than I can.
Hesht St. George Caulttel}} examined:
V LT Id' 7227 ' S # ihe Chairmnn '■ You are Polynesian Inspector in this district? I a
7228. How long have you held the appointment ? Two years.
2QV^C^Rm ^29. What is the number of Polynesians employed hi this district ? 2,600.
e " " 7230. Have you a register of all the boys under your inspection ? I have.
~ "mber of kanakas and
here they are employed?
They are.
I do.
hich you found
7231. Can you supply us with a return showing the 111
I can.
7232. Are all the kanakas in the district directly under your cognisance ?
7233. The indented boys as well as the time-expired boys ? Tes.
723i. Do you pay periodical visits to the places where tbey are employed '
7235. Do yon visit the plantations ? Tes.
7236. In furnishing reports to the head office at Brisbane, do you mention the state in
the kanakas? "Fes.
7237. Have you heari of many complaints as toill-treatment? Very few.
723S. Have you ever investigated them ? I have had cause to take a case into court. The charge was
neglect in not supplying the medical atteudanee which the Government demanded. That was the only
case I had, and the result was that the black labour was withdrawn from the employer.
7239. In what condition do yau find the general lealth of the Polynesians? Very fair; there is one
disease they arc rather subject to, and that is pneumonia and tuberculosis. They do not seem to suffer
from any other complaint.
7240. AvTiat is the rate of mortality amongst them ? From fifty to seventy per thousand per annum.
7241. Have all the plantations the necessary hospital accommodation? They have not what I call
hospital accommodation, not what I ha ve been accustomed to ; but if a case is a serious one the boys are
generally isolated. The islanders as a rule object to isolation.
7242. Is there a hospital for kanakas in connection with the general hospital of Bundaberg ? There is a
kanaka ward.
7213. Arc serious cases sent in from the plantations to that ward ? Tes ; I always insist on their being
sent in.
7241'. Are there dispensers to administer medicine to the Polynesians on the various plantations ? On
all the large ones there are, and on the small plantations the employer generally attends to it himself.
7245. Have you ever inspected the dispensers' books and seen that the entries are all properly made ?
I have never done so. I have confined my duties to going round the lines and seeing what state of health
the boys are in, and asking them if they have any complaints to make.
7246. Can you say from your own personal knowledge whether duly qualified men are employed as
dispensers ? I would not call them duly qualified men ; they are practical men.
7247. Do you know if they have passed tbe necessary examinations? No : I do not think so.
7248. Are they approved of by the Pharmaceutical Board in Brisbaue? No. They generally carry out
the doctor's instructions as written, and as the result of his visits. The dispenser at Fairymead has had
five years' experience with the islanders.
7249 Are you able from memory to state the number of indented boys and the number of time-expired
boys in the district ? Tes ; iodeuted boys, J, 543, up to the 31st December. 1888. There are about l,0t0
time-expired boys, who generally re-engage.
7250. Do you know what most of those time-expired boys do ? I can tell you where everyone of them is.
7251. Do you know of any of these time-expired men who are eoming into actual competition with the
white men in this district ? I cannot say that I do.
7252. Do you know of any of these boys who are waiting about the district looking for employmen t ?
Lately thera have been more thau I like to see.
7253. Do you know if any of those time-expired boys have left the district and gone to other districts ?
No ; they come to my district rather than go elsewhere.
7254. Have not some left here and gone to Rockham pto n ? Very, very few.
7255. Are the kanakas who are under your, jurisdictiou in this district well behnved ? They are. on the
whole.
725U. Have many cases of miscaruluct been brought before tho police court ? Not so very many.
7257. Have you ever known them behaving improperly to ladies on the streets, or have you ever had
complaints of such being the case ? I never heard of a case.
7258. Do you think that if such a thing occurred in Bundaberg you would have heard of it ? I would
certainly have heard of it. Kanakas as a rule are very respectful.
725!). Then if statements have been made that there a™ one or two places iu Bundaberg where females
cannot pass after nightfall because they are in danger of beiug insulted by kanakas, you would not
consider them correct? I would doubt such a statement very strougly.
7200. Then as far as your knowledge goes, as regards the kanakas of this district, everything in
connection with them is going on in a satisfactory way ? Yes.
7201. And you have no complaints made to you of the kanakas interfering with the white population in
the labour that they can perform? The only complaints of that class that I receive are of the illegal
employment of islanders by small farmers.
72C2. Have you investigated those complaints? Tes, by personal inspection, and reported the matter to
the head office. 7263,fcHow
TUB OENEBAl. CONDITION OS THE SU*AR INBDSTTIT IN QUEENSLAND.
7263. How <lo you manage about the inpayment of the passage money to the first employer in the case of
time-expired boys who re-engage ? That is a very serious point. Section 5 of " The Pacific 1'sTond
Labourers Act of \MQ Amendment Act of 18S4 " permits the recovery from the new employer of the
return passage pair) b.y the late employer of any islander who re-engages. When 1 joined the office I
found a system in operation under which an islander on termination of his agreement paid
his late employer £5, receiving a receipt for the same. This payment was supposed to lead to
increased wages being paid to the kanaka by his new employer, of from £15 to £20 per
annum. Any islander, therefore, who does not so fully grasp the position as to do this —
thereby shifting the liability of the return passage fr«m the employers to his own shoulders — -loses
the sum of £5 on each subsequent yearly engagement lie enters upor. 1 find the system open to very
serious abuses, being most prejudicial in various ways to the ink-rests of the Pacific Islanders. Large
employers are in favour of amending section 5, by making the return passage liability as much a liability
as the providing of food and clothing, and failing this, I should propose that the return passage be
collected from the new employers by the inspectors, who would pay the last employer on production of
proof of title to the same. A fee of 5s. would be gladly paid by the recipient of return passage money,
as much injustice and annoyance would tliereby be prevented. Half of the foe coulil go towards making
up for extra clerical work. This idea, I may add, has the support here oi all those who are interested in
checking these abuses.
72u'4. Are there any kanaka haunts in Bundaberg such as have been recently described in the Mary-
borough Chronicle ? I have reason to believe so. They are encouraged to go there by the whites who
sell the in liquor. I have tried to get strong measures to stop it. They receive every encouragement. I
do my best to stop what nuisances I can, but I do not like interference in what I consider to be police
duty. I should like very much to put these things down.
7265. Do you see that the kanakas are paid their wages ? Yes.
7266. Are their wages paid to them direct? Yes ; paid to the islanders direct, before me. Any sums of
money that they care to give to me I place in the bank.
7267. Do many of them deposit money 'n the savings bank ? I have about £4,00t to the credit of about
878 kanakas.
72G8. By Mr. King ; Do the deaths whieh occur amongst the kanakas occur chiefly amongst new
arrivals ? Yes.
7269. What beeomes of the kanakas after they have fulfilled their three years' agreement — are tbey
re-employed or do they return home ? Fit* ty pc nent. return home, 25 per cent, go back to their
original employer, and 2.") per cent, go to other employers.
7270. What is their condition in regard to health ? Sound, us a rule.
7271. Has any attempt been made to give religious instruction to the kanakas ? In a good many instances.
There are three missions.
7271a. Do any large nuinbei-of kanakas profess to be Christians ? A very large proportion.
7272. Do they attend t he service of the churches in town, or have they churches of their own ? They
attend the Sunday schools and have services there.
7273. By whom are thos* services conducted ? By Mr. Eustace, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Angus Gibson, and
Miss Young, and services are given in town by Mr. Morris, at which he lias ladies to help him.
7274. Are any of them baptised ? Not very many of them, I believe.
7275. How long have these missions been in operation ? Ever since I have been here. They have taken a
deep hold since 1 have been here during the past two years. During the past two years this matter has
been goue into thoroughl y, and the credit of it is due to Miss Young.
7276. Do you think the kanakas are influenced by religious teaching ? I do certainly think no.
7277. Do you think that tht;y have improved ? Oh. yes.
7278. By Mr. Cowley: Do the medical officers attend at the plantations regularly? On some planta-
tions regularly, and on others when called on.
7279. Do they prescribe? They do.
7280. Do they mix the medicine for the men? I do not think they do. They examine the sick boys, and
state what has to be given to them and how they are to be treated
7281. You said that the death rate was fifty out of every 1.0U0. Do those deaths occur on plantations
or in the hospitals ? Principally on plantations.
7282. You say that you have ne:irly £i,000 in the savings bank on account of 800 islanders ? Yes.
7283. Do those men, as a rule, spend their money before they go away ? Yes ; as a rule they spend pretty
well the whole of it.
7284. Can you tell us whether the Government, from the Polynesian Fund or from any other fund,
assists the mission work in this district ? JN ot to my knowledge.
7285. Then is it done by private enterprise ? Yes.
728G. Are the gentlemen named by you paid annual salaries ? I have every reason to believe that they
are, and it is collected from the employers and planters and by voluntary contributions.
7287. Do they devote tho whole of their time to this work ? 1 hey do.
7288. By (lie Chairman : What is the maximum number of kanakas on any one plantation in Bundaberg ?
299.
7289. And the minimum number ? Two.
7290. What is the proportion of white to black labour ? One to four.
7291. Are you also acting itnmigKition agent for the distriet of Bundaberg? Tes ; I am.
7292. Can you state the rate of wages paid to white people ? Yes ; white farm labourers, £31 10s. a
yearand rations ; ordinary labourers, £33 a year and rations; ploughmen, £3; > 10s and rations ; married
couples, £48 10s. per aim um and rations ; domestic servants, from 10s. to Us. per week.
7293. AVhat is the average number of arrivals of islanders in ihe district during the course of a month ?
Sixtv-five is the average.
7294. And what is the average number of departures for the islands? Thirty-one.
7295. What do you think would be the gro^s amount of wages paid to kanakas in this district in the
course of a year ? £28,000 iu money only.
7296. AVhat would be the average per kanaka? £11 4s. for every Polynesian in the district.
7297. And
26 Feb., 1889.
18
MINUTES Or ETIDENCK TAKEy BEFOBE THE EOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
a very
729/. And are you of opinion that the whole of that money is spent in the district ? Nearly all ;
small portion goes out of it.
> 7208. By Mr. Cowley : Uow do you arrive at the number of whites employed? I take the employer's
- returns, hi which he has to state the number of whites he employs. I find the proportion is one to four.
7209. i»V ike Cluvinnm •• What psrcentage of islanders remain after their thre
cent, remain with the original employer } and '25 per cent with other employer
per cent, who remain with their original employers as a very happy outlook.
years are up
? 2;
o per
I look upon the 25
THURSDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 1889.
BUNDABERG DISTEICT.
(At Bundaberg.)
Present :
W. H. GROOM, Esq, M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.,
A. S. COWLEY., Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
THE«rniLtrs Pahsons Ppgh examined:
T. P.Pugk. 7300. By ilie Clmv-mnn : You are Police Magistrate, at Bundaberg? Yea.
7301. AVill you state to the Commission what ^ our experiencesare in relation to the Polynesians coming into
28 Feb., 1889. town ? I think that by a system which Mr. Caulfieli, the Iuspeetor, and lnyselthave talked over, and men-
tioned to several of the planters about here, and which suggestions meet with the approval of those I have
spoken to, the Polynesian* could be very easily managed when in town. The system is — taking care not to
touch tribal dissensions — there should be a class of constables (islander;*) on each plantation, to accompany
any large number of islanders — say, one for every twenty. Those special police constables would wear a
certain badge, and the y should be recognised by the police.
7302. Bi/ Mr. Kin*-: Do yon mean that those special constables should be kanakas? Yes. They could
lie picked from amongst the tetter class of long time boys.. They would understand the language, and by
being placed in charge of the boys I think it would have a very good effect. It is true that there have
not been many rows for a considerable time ; but those boys frequently get drunk on liquor supplied in
shops kept- by Chinamen, especially in some of those fruit shops. They get drunk there, and very fre-
quently meet other men of other tribes, and then there; frequently is a row. But by taking those boys
from the better class and from the more well-behaved hoys — and the planters are quite willing to give
them some slight remuneration for their services — I think it would have a very good effect, and the
prevalency of rows in the sheets and on the road on Saturdays would be very much lessened.
7303. By Hie Chairman : Then it is on Saturday nights only that the kanakas come into town in large
numbers? Yes; chiefly.
7304. 1 low many do yon suppose come into town on Saturday night ? Well, I have seen myself, I might
say, at least 2tU or 30i in town of a Saturday night. They generally congregate ahont the Chinamen's
houses at the lower end of Bourbon street. There is no doubt whatever tha.t they are encouraged in
gambling by the Chinamen, and that they do gamble. One thing I may mention, there appears to be
growing amongst them rooted objections to put their money into the Government Savings hank, and they
absolutely leave it \fith these "pimps" at those shops, and allow them to make use of it as they like.
One man was taken into custody not long since for robbing a kanaka, of something like £29. The case
broke down because the kanaka told him, " When you want the money, you take him, you pay me back by-
nm-bye." And these kanakas prefer the Chinimen because they suppose that they will give them a
better rate of interest, i knew one Chi»nman, naiaeri Loo fi, who told me himself that his wife had
stolen a box from him, containing £W belonging to these black boys. It is terrible the largo sums of
money these Chinamen have sometimes in their hands.
7305. Do you know if time-expired boys, or boys with tickets, are walking about the streets in any large
numbers, obbumn^ work on their own account? There have been large numbers o£ them. I could not
say how many, because they camp in different place*. The police not long since bad to root out a camp of
kanakas and' aboriginals from a reserve ju«t across the boundary of the South Bundaberg municipality.
They were a perfect nuisance there, and the residents in the locality complained to the polico ani to
myself repeatedly about it.
7306. A statement has been made that no respectable female can go out after dark iu one locality for
fear of being insulted by kanakas. Would that be in the neighbourhood of the reserve you have just
mentioned ? I expect it would be, sir.
7307. From your own personal knowledge can you say that respectable people live in the neighbourhood of
the particular spot you have just mentioned? Undoubtedly ; m fact it would not have been safe — in my
opinion — for fern ales <o heabnutaftertlark, not onlyon account of the kanakas, butbecauseof our ownblacks.
There is one thing I would like to say about the return passage money. The £5 is paid by the original
employer, the one who imported the labour. lie hat* to hand the £5 to the Government, and it remains
in their hands, and I do not think that thenext employer, or the employer after him should be required to
pay the £5 back to the original importer. Let the Government keep the £5 in their hands, and let that
he sufficient. Some of the planters about here do what I consider to be a very illegal thing, and a very
improper thing ; they deduct the £5 from the wages of the kanaka. ]t has been known to be done by
several, and Mr. Caulfiekl would have told you of it, hut I do not think he knows himself. I should not
allow anythiug of the kind if it came before me. There is one thing I would like to mention, and
that is, that there are a great many people here who are taking a great deal of trouhle with these
kanakas.
THE GENEBAT, COSDITIOX OF THE SCOAE IXUrSTBY IN QUEENSLAND.
219
kanakas. There is Mr. Johnstone, the missionary, on the norlh sidfi; and Mr. Eustace. Services are T- P. VmU.
hell in the Church of England Sunday School on -Sunday afternoon^, and it is a common thing to see r — n
about or 300 kanakas attending, and being taught by a young lady who is just about to be married, 23 Fc>b., 1889.
andafew assistants of her.s. I refer to Hiss Benstead A .Sunday or two ago a very handsome present
was made to her by thu boys who subscribed the money amongst themselves. I am told by those who were
present when the presentation was made tbat it was a very pleasing spectacle. The boys made the pre-
sentation themselves, and some of them tried to say something in doing so, but completely broke
down, and a lot of them were crying, so sorry were they to think they were going to losetheir teacher.
Mr. Angus Gibson has a school on his plantation, and his daughters teach the boys. The kanakas are
very apt scholars, and learn to read — s»ine of them very well indeed — in a very short time.
7308. Do you think that the admission of the kanakas into the town on Saturday nights should be
absolutely prohibited? No ; I hardly think that could be done, but the number coming in from each
plantation should be limited as far as possible. If the planter does not. give them leave to go they won't
go. I thiuk that if tlicy were made to understand that so many should go in ou the one Saturday »igkt,
and so many on the next Suturda.y night, they would soon fall in with it.
7309. Have you had any instances coming before you in your judicial capacity of these kanakas coming
iato actual competition with white men for employment? Well, I have known cases where kanakas have
taken contracts for clearing scrub and for cutting up firewood.
7310. Then is the kanaka, himself becoming a n employer of labour ? Yes.
7311. By Mr. Cotvhy : i lave there been any tribal fights m town between those men ? Those that have
taken place have almost invariably been tribal. The Tanna boys are particularly quarrelsome and
pugilistic.
7312. Have there been any serious results from these rows ? There have been one or two caaes of stabbiug,
in which one kanaka stabbed another. They are very fond of using their hoes.
7313. I mean in town ? The stabbing took place in town, just at the end of Arthur street.
7314. Have there ever been any serious quarrels between the whites and the blacks? No ; not since I
have been here. 1 believe there was a »ery serious row between them some time ago.
7315. 1 mean, from your own knowledge? No ; not hi my time.
7316. Can you give us the cause of the objections the kanakas have to depositing their money into the
Government Savings Itonk? Simply because they seem to fancy that they cannot get it out so readily.
They leave thei r boxes at the hnxters' shops, and they keep their money in those boxes.
7317. Do you know whether one reason why the kanakas do not put their money into the savings bank
is because they are not able to get the money of their deceased friends ? No ; I can not say that it is.
Very few cases of that kind have ever come under my notice. Mr. CauKielcI takes care that the money
due to a deceased Polynesian is handed over to him (Mr. Caulfield).
731S. But not to the surviving relatives ? Well, I believe that the Government instructs him how to
deal with that.
7319. Yon say that there have been several iistancee of employers taking the £5 return passage money
from the islanders. Is it not a fact that all the wages are paid in the presence of the Pulynestan
inspector ? Yes.
7320. And does he connive at this reduction? No; he is very angry because it is done; but the employers
get the moaey back from them. 1 have, in Mi". Oaulfield's absence, had thousands ol pouuds paid at
Fairymead and Windermere to the boys in my presence, and have never seen the men hand the £5 to
their employer.
7321. l)o you say that the planters take the £5 from the kanakas afterwards ? That seems to be the
case.
7322. Has ihere been an authentic case of this sort of thing, in which the inspector or yourself has had
to interfere ? Not that I could interfere with; Mr. Caulfield would have to interfere.
7323. But when you were acting for him ? If I had discovered anything of that sort I would have
written ami informed Mr. Caulfield, and he would have prosecuted.
7323a. By Mr. King .- I lowcould you prosecute them? Not prosecute; but he could sue them for money
owing to the kanakas.
7324. By Mr. Cowley : But has there ever been a case of this kind before the court? It would not be
likely to come before the court. I prefer not to mention names.
7325. You said that you thought the second or third employer ought not to pay the £5 passage money
to the previous employer ? 1 do not t*iink so ; it creates such an amount of confusion, and is being
carried to a ridiculous extent, in some cases where a man has omployed a kanaka just for a few weeksduring
the busy season. One party — Mrs. Greathead — was sued the other day for £5 by an employer who had
previously employed Ihe boy.
732G. But do you not think it is only just that the man who indents the boys, and who has paid the
£5 return passage money, should be recouped if the boy does not return home, but is engaged by another
employer? 1 do not look at it io that light. The employer knows he will have to pay the money when,
he indent s the boy.
7327. By Mr King : But he indents those boys for himself and not for others? Yes; and they are
supposed to be sent back at the end of their term.
7U2S. By Mr Chicle y ; If (he inspector was made to collect the amount due for the return passage money,
aud hand it over to the previous employer, would not that simplify matters ? That would be a better way
of doing it.
7329. We have heard that there are «ver 2.500 kanakas in the district. Do you think that they conduct
themselves fairly well ? Yes.
7330 Do they cnnil net themselves as well as 2,500 white men employed in labouring pursuits? I have
no doubt that they do. Take them man for man, and compare them as a class and put them on a level,
and I think they behuve themselves quite as well as the ordinary labouring classes of white men in the
colony. In fact T will gi> further, and say that they behave a great deal better very often.
7331. Bij the Chairman': Could you give us an approximate idea of the number of ticket boys who are
now out trying to get employment ? No ; I could not. Mr, Caulfield would be able, because he keeps a.
register.
Fbedlbics
220
1EDTITTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOT AX COMMISSION TO INQUIETC INTO
Ekedeeicx Lewis Nott examined:
F. L. Jfott. 7332. B y ihe Oliairnmn .- How many years' experience have you had in the cultivation of sugar ? About
f — ^A^— >y ten years.
28 Feb., 1880. 7333. What is the name of your estate ? Windermere.
7334. What is its total area ? About 1,500 acres.
7334a. How mauy are now under cultivation ? About 700 acres.
7335. How many are now under cane ? About 670 acres.
7336. A*d the other thirty acres ? Sweet potatoes, orchard, and garden, and one thing and another.
7337- How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? 400 acres.
733S. Ami hpw much sugar was made? I sent 650 tons of juice to Millacjuin, and made 350 tons of
sugar. But I would like to call your attention to the fact that this was a veryheavy yield ; it was all two
or three year old cane, every stick of it.
7339. How much molasses did you make ? Well, I could hardly tellyou ; we have a lot of it to dry yet.
We have a lot boiled up, and it is in large tanks, and I do not know what sugfir will be in it.
7340. What do you do with it? This is the lirst season that ever we have made sugar, and we have done
nothing with it. We expect a distillery to be erected to which we will be able to send it.
7341. What amount of capital is invested in this estate ? About .£50,000.
7342. What rate of interest did it return during 1888 ? We have just erected another mill, and if the
extra outlay this year is included, it has returned no interest.
7343. But supposing you had not gone in for the additions, what would have been the interest ? Then I
should not have got the 350 tons of sugar ; I should say 10 per cent.
7344. What were your working expenses for 1888 ? About £8,#0#.
7345. What labour was employed in working your plantation, specif ying Europeans and kanakas ? We
had about forty Europeans and ninety-lire kanakas; but we had. about twenty-five Europeans assisting in
erecting the new machinery.
7:346. What were the average wages paid to the coloured classes ? Fram £6 to £1S, with rations.
7347. What was the total amount of wages paid to Europeans during 18S8 ? £1,400.
7348. What description of labour do you consider most suitable for field work on plantations ? Only one
class will do, amd that is kanakas? without doubt.
7349. Have you ever employed European labour in field work ? Yes.
7350. With what result ? Very unsatisfactory.
73-31. Were they newly arrived euiig ants, or those acclimatised to the colony ? All sorts ; both. I "hail
some this season. I employed a gang of men to cut cane and gave them £4 10s. an acre. I put them
into a fi eld of cane alongside my own boys. There was no difference in the cane, but my boys could cut
a row and a half each a day, while the white men, who were on contract — and they were good, honest,
hard working fellows, not new chums at all — could never average a row each. Sometimes one of them
would cut a row in a day, but the lot of them never averaged a row, and they could not make it pay so
the v threw it up. They said they could not do the work.
7352. When your land is perfectly free and clear of stumps, and you arc able to work it with horses and
ploughs, would Europeans be able to do all the work now done by black labour ? A good deal of it.
7353. How many acres of cane do you cultivate to each black labourer employed ? I think about six
acres.
735 4. How many acres of cane would one European be able to work, if able to use horse and plough on
the land? A European alone could not du it. There is a certain amount of work in the cane field that
a white man is not able to do, or that they won't do ; and I do not believe they can. The kanakas would
still have to be employed planting, weediug, chippiug, trashiug, and cutting ; all other work a European
might be able to do.
7355. Do the black labourers employed in field work suffer in health ? No ; sometimes a little at
first.
7356. Are those who do suffer mostly newly arrived boys ? Yes.
7357. Then, as soon as they are acclimatised they become better in health ? Yes j you can see them
improving in health every day, and in six months' time they arc half as big again as when they arrived.
7358. Do you think that field work affects the health of Europeans ? I have never seen any of them stick
long enough at a job to become affected. I could not say. 1 never ;<aw a white man stick at it a week.
7359. What is the cost of cutting and burning off scrub in this district ? AYe can do it for about £5
an acre.
7360. What would be the cost of stumping it, and making it fit far the plough ? It is impossible to do
it, or a! most impossible. I do nat think £40 an acre would do it. Yau wauld have to trench italltliree
feet deep. I mean immediately it is burnt off.
7361. Then, in process of time, after the cane was planted and you had taken three or four crops off it,
would it not be much more easy to stump ? Yes.
7.362. What would it cost then per acre ? £5.
7363. Has your cane suffered from any disease ? The only thing our cane has suffered from is drought.
7364. Have you never had your c:ine affected by what is known as the grub ? Oh yes, here and there ;
nothing to speak of, we have had the grub but they do very little damage,
7365. What was the cost of your machinery and where was it made ? About £15,000. It was manu-
factured principally in Maryborough.
7366. What is the cost of your annual overhaul and repairs ? We have never had any overhaul or
repairs ; we frave just finished throe months' work. We generally reckon about 10 per cent.
7367. What is the rate of wages paid to European labourers outside of agriculture in this district?
What does the Bivisional Board pay ? I think Cs. a day is what the Divisional Board nays.
7368. What tropical products other than sugar can be grown here? The only product we have had
experieiee in is coffi? e , and that graws luxuriantly and hears lieavv crops.
7369. Could coffee be grown profitably with white labour ? No.
7370. What labour would you require ? It must be cheap and plentiful.
7371. Have you grown any tropical products besides sugar? Nothing except coffee and that only as an
experiment. I believe it grows here better than in Celvon.
7372. Can
THE OENEUAL CONDITION OF THE SUOA.B IN1JUSTBY TN QUEENSLAND.
221
73' 2. Cau you state the causes whicli in youropiuiou have brought about the present depression iu the F. L. Note,
sugar industry ? Yes. There area variety of causes. There is one tiling that we have suffered much /^^-^-^"~-\
from, aud that is having to compete with the bounty-fed sugars of the Coutiueut, aud with sugars growu 28 Feb., 1889.
in countries where ihi-y have cheap labour. Then we have had had seasons, and that has interfered
materially with us. We have only had one good season during the past six years. Theu there was the
attitude assumed by the late Govcriuncnt iu touehiug the kanaka labour question, aud iu raisiug the price
of recruiting from 10 guineas to £30. Afew vearsago we could get boys here for £10 10s. per head, aud
now their passa^rs cost us from £50 to £30. You cannot get them under £23 at present. The com-
petition with bounly-fed sugar and the increased cost of kauakas are the principal causes of the preseut
depression iu the sugar iudustry.
7373. Cau you offer any suggestion by which, in your opinion, tho industry cau be relieved of its preseut
depression ? There is no doubt that the industry has suffered from over-legislatiou, and what we want
is to be left aloue principally. If we had a few good seasons, and if the Government would assist us to
get reciprocity, it would do us a great deal of good. We want reciprocity with the Southern colonies — with
Victoria and South Australia. \Ve hare been admitting their Hour true for a good mauy years. We are
not likely to have a tax ou dour. The Govermment should place thomselves in communication with
Victoria and South Australia, and tell theia that as we are admitting their Hour iu free of duty, they
should admit our sugar to their ports free of duty. I think the Government should secure reciprocity
for us, aud assist us in irrigation.
7374. Cau you offer auy suggestions by which the growth of the tropical articles you have mentioned can
be promoted ? No, unless it is cheap labour. Tbat is the ouly thing I can recommend. I have had no
experience in the growth of any other crop but sugar.
7375. Is it your opiuiou that the prosperity of the towu of Buudaberg aud of its people very largely
depends upon the sugar industry? I think that the prosperity of the people and of the towi of Bunda-
berg depends, not very largely, but altogether on the sugar industry. There is no doubt about that.
7.-S7G. You are aware the Polynesian Labour Act, which empowers the importation of kanakas, will come
to au end on 1st January.. 18!U ? Yes.
7377. "What will be the effect supposiug that Act is enforced ? In this district I am certaiu it will ruiu
the sugar industry. 1 do not think there are three people here who would attempt to carry on with white
men, aud if they do attempt it they eau't get them.
7378. By Mr. King : You are acquainted with the whole of the sugar land in this district ? Yes.
7379. Do you think tluit exhaustion of the land has had auythiug to do with auy diminution in the yield
there may have been ? No ; not at all.
7380. There is a Planters' Associa tion here, is there not ? Yes.
7381. Are you a member of it? I am.
7382. Are you authorised to give the evidence you have given as a representative of tho Plauters'
Association ? I was asked by them to do so.
7383. And they hold the same views which you have enunciated ? They do, possibly most of them more
pronounced.
7384<. By Mr. Co why : The sugar you say you have in the mill is included, in the 1,000 tons you made?
Yes ; most of it — about 2.5 tons.
7385. Could you tetl us what wages were earned by the Europeans when they cut cane by eontract ?
About Is. a day each after payiug for rations. I supplied them with rations at town prices. Iu one case
there were four men working iu a gang auJ they worked five days each, that is twenty days work iu all,
aud when I squared up with them there was 19s. 8d. to divide amongst them.
73S6. Has the Planters' Association done anything to try and prevent the sale of intoxicating liquor to
kanakas ? Yes ; repeatedly we have obtained convictions. We have offered for a loug time £5 reward
for every couvictiou, and wo have paid fifteen or sixteen of these. Rewards have also been given by
plauters privately apart from the association.
Asgtjs Gibson examined :
7387. By the Chairman : Are you the president of the Planters' Associatiou of Bundaberg ? Yes. a. Gibson.
7388. Are you authorised to give evidence on their behalf before the Commission ? Yes.
7389. lias the association prepared certaiu statistical returns which they have authorised you to present 28 Feb., 1889.
to the Commission on their* behalf ? Yes.
7390. Do you now produce those returns? Yes. I produce Schedule A, a return of complete sugar mills,
with the names of tho proprietors [see Appendix^] ■ Schedule B, a return of crushing millsfor extracting juice
only, with the names of the proprietors [see Appendix] ; Schedule C, a return of cane growers ouly [see
Appendix] ; and a sheet bearing a recapitulation of the three schedules presented [see Appendix]. I
might mention that these schedules are made up from printed forms which were issued to the farmers and
planters, and which they tilled up and returned to the aBSoeiatiou. Messrs. Crau aud Co., of Millaquin,
did not seud in their return of Millaquin, owiug to Mr. Crau beiug absent. Last uight 1 saw Mr. Crau
and he stated tbat tho capital invested in Miliaquiu was roughly estimated at £100,000, but this morning
when I interviewed Mr. Crau he added £50,000 to that, so that the total capital invested iu the refinery
is £150,000. The returns do not give you the number of blacks and whites employed, or the wageB paid
to both iu connection with Cran's refinery, but they could be obtained aud added and that would give the
correct returns for the Bundaberg district. You will note that we pay £51,000 to white labourers and
£71,000 to black bovs; aud I wish just to make a statement in reference to that remark, so that it may
uot be misleading, because there is just a teudency to mislead in a matter of this kind. This is a letter I
have attached te my return* which places the matter before you as it ought to be put. It is as follows : —
THE
222
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKE^f BEFtRE THE B.CTAL COMMISSION TO IXQVIBE ESTO
Gib^n. THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED TO IXQTJIEE INTO THE CAUSE OF "DEPRESSION IS QUEENSLAND
t — - A - — \ SUGAR INDUSTRY."
28 Feb, 1889. Bingera Plantation.
Jiundaberg, 19th January, 1889.
Gestlesiev,— In reference to tbe schedule, which may be placed before you, respecting the wages paid
on our plantation to kanakas" (viz.. £"5.621 10s. id ), <ve would point out that the table uuder that heading is not
quite clear, and therefore here give the particulars of the item, which we have no doubt will apply to most
plantations in this district, as follows
1. Wages paid to islanders as per Pacific Island Labourers Act ... £2,271 2 6
2. General expenses on account, kanakas 298 1 7
3. Passage mo nev 1.211 5
4. Cost of coo khiuses (rations) 1.-729 4 4
5. M edical attendance ... 81 1 6
Total 10 4
Misrht we here point out that, with the exception of the first item, wages, and one-third of tbe passages
amount-. (£113 15s.), io all £2,684 17*. 6d. is all that can (airly be debited to black lab»ur, leaving £2,936 12s. 10d.
(the jinitunt of food, clothing, medical attendance, &c), which may he added to cash paid white labour, *r more
tbm half the above sum debited to black lalarur.
You will also note white labour on same schedule amounts to a total of £.3.655 2s. 5d.; but men have been
cnttins; firewood am«uDtin«r to £1.054 lis. Id., and fencins; by c«ntraeb>rs and others £269 5s. Id.; add to rhis
surplus black lab»ur cash, £2,936 12s. lOd. Total received bv whites, £9,915 14s. 5d.
AXGUS GUSIJf,
I produce a return showing the sugar exported from the port of Bundaberg for 18SS. [See Appendix.]
1 have now to produce a return of all sugars imported iuto Melbourne, Victoria, from February, 1S8S, to
January, 1S89. showing a total for the twelve mouths of 4t,370 tons. Those are taken from the return
sheets of Messrs. Fi-aser and Co.. Lmtd. [See Appendix] I also producea return showing sugar imported
iuto South Australia from 18S4 to 1SS7. In 1887 the sugar imported into South Australia amounted to
12,810 tons, of which2,435 cwt. was imported from Great Britaiu. Out of thetotal 12.800 tons exported
into South Australia in 1S87, Queensland only sent 231 tons.
7391. In one of those sheets there is a little explanation required. In schedule C the return gives the
number of cane growers as seventeen. Are these small cane growers? Yes; small cane growers who
have no wills of their own.
7392. Were you authorised to state auything specifically on the part of the Planters' Association to the
Commission in addition to the returns you have furnished? No. I was simply deputed to reply to auy
questions that might be asked. The schedules purport to give all the information that we beliered it was
necessary to give.
7393. Has the association considered the causes that have depressed the sugar industry, and have they
deputed you to come before us and offer on their behalf suggestions by which the industry could be
relieved of its present depression ? The reply given in Mr. Ytung's schedule has been discussed by the
association, and by a committee appointed by the association, and they consider that those are the
grounds for the depression, and the suggestions therein are the best by which prosperity might be brought
back aj;ain to the industry. My replies and Mr. Young's wore proposed as the answers of the associa-
tion, but there was a remark iu mine which did not go down very well and Mr. Young's were considered
best and 1 agreed.
7394. By Mr. King : Can you tell us what is the total cost of manufacturing and putting on the market
a ton of suga:% the cane being delivered free, that is, not taking into consideration the cost of the cane?
1 have tabulated at your desire from my bo«ks the information necessary to put before you. I put it
before Messrs. Young and Cran, and they looked over it, and 1 believe that both of those gentlemen
are now sitting down drawing up a similar return of their own. This return has been taken from my
books. During 1 858 the mill was running twenty-one weeks, and the average output of sugar was 78
tons per week ; the tohd output for the ye.ir being 1,63S tons. In my answers to questions 1 say 1,670
tons, but the balance is a low sugar, which is in the store to be made up.
[XOTE. — In answer to the Chairman, the witness put in a paper showing lite whole of the charges on a
ion of sugar f rom the time the cane was brought into the mill until the same was sold, includin g cost of
manufacturing, transit, commissi*/! to agents, interest, rates on machinery and buildings, S{e. This return
showid the cost (not including the priceqf cone) of manufacturing n ton of sugar front the time it urns delivered
at the mill until it was sold to be £10 3s. 8id. per ton, or, adding £5 15s. for the cost of cane, £15 18s. 8H-
altogether.]
Witnessc»nltnumg: I do not think that a central mill could work it so cheaply as 1 have put it down
thi-re. Mr. Young says that he could not, but his process is more costly than most of them.
730.j. Bjf Mr. King : JDirl you hand in a census of the whito population at Bingera plantation ? Yes ; a
census of the population on 1 0th February, 1889. It shows that there are 114 persons— eighl^-niuc males
and fifty-five females— residing »n the plantation proper, and twenty persons — ten males and" ten females
subsisting on the plantation but residing in the outskirts.
J. Cran. ' ;: *0G. %y the Chairman: What number of years' experience have you had in the growth and manufacture
of sugar ? About twenty years.
28 Feb. 1889. 739 ^ " ' Iat 18 the na,ne vour sugar refinery in Bundaberg ? Millaquin.
' 7398. How much sugar did you manufacture last year ? 6,933 tons. That was in 1S8S. That is as
nearas I know. It may be a little more or less.
7399. How much molasses ? About 250,000 gallons. That is an estimate, because we did not measure it.
7400. What amount of capital is invested in the i-egnery ? From £ 150.000 to£ 160,000 it cost us.
7101. Can you give us any idea of the working expenses for the year? This last year the expenses have
of course been much less. The expenses of the year before last were about £b'»,000. while this year thev
were only from £40,»00 to £45,000 ; I am not quite sure.
7402. That
THE »ENERAL CONDITION OP THE SUGAH INDOSTUI IN QUEENSLAND.
7402. Tli at does U ot include the money you pay for the juice ? No ; that is the working expenses only. J- Crau-
74t3 What labour do you employ in working the refinery? About 170 white men— Europeans— and / ^^_a_^— ^
about 32 Polynesians Those are time-expired boys who made an agreement with us f«r the season. 28 Feb., 1889.
7404. What is the average rate of wages that y*u pay those boys ? 10s. a week and rations.
7405. What was the total amount of wage* paid to Europeans and kanakas last year ? £10.584; a little
more than that. The year before we paid between £14,000 and £15,000. This has been a short year.
7406. AVhat is the total amount paid to kanakas f £483.
7407. What is the cost of your annual overhaul at the refinery ? I should think from £2,000 to £3,000
a year. The year before last \^e paid about £5,000 ; and the year before that, £2,000. From £2,000
to £3,000 is the average.
7408. Is the whole of that work done by Europeans? Yes.
7409. Has the refinery suffered from the depressed condition of the sugar industry ? Yes ; very much
indeed.
7410. Wha t, in your opinion, is the cause of the present depression in the sugar industry ? The first thing is
the fall in the price oi sugar, due to competition with the bounty-fed sugar from continental countries ;the
great cost of labour here as compared with other sugar-growing countries. I include in that statement
Polynesian labour, which is very much more expensive than it used to be. We have suffered very much
during the last five or six years from droughts. A year like this means almost absolute ruin.
7411. Can you offer any suggestion by which in your opiuion the industry can be relieved of its present
depresNion? If we could have introduced some kind of reciprocity which would protect Queensland
grown sugar against outside competition until we were in a better posiiion to compete with the outside
world. Then the Queensland Government should encourage ami assist the industry in every possible
way, by the inauguration of a schetne of irrigation, similar to that so successfully carried on in America.
I consider that the most important thing of all.
7412. h it your opinion that the establishment of irrigation works would materially assist in building up
the prosperity of Bundaberg ? Yes.
7413. What do you think w ould be the effect upon Bundaberg supposing anything were to happen to the
industry in consequence of which it would collapse ? 1 think the effect would be very serious. What it
would be, would be very hard to say. I believe it would be absolule ruin to a great many— hi fact, I am
sure of it.
7414. If any thing should occur by which the present plantations should discontinue the growtb of the
cane, in what position would your refinery be placed ? We would have to shut it up.
7415. Then it is your opinion thatthe continuance in operation of the refinery and the future prosperity
of Bundaberg rests entirely on the sugar industry ? As far as the sugar refinery is concerned, altogether ;
and as far as Bundaberg is concerned, to a very large extent indeed.
7416. Do you know of any other crop that has been gr«wn in Bundaberg that has yielded the same return
as the farmers get for their juice ? No.
7417. Thcu in point of fact it is the only profitable crop they have grown for years ? The only profitable
crop they have grown yet.
741^. Then if anything were to happen by which the growth of cane were to be discontinued, it means the
loss of livelihood to the small farmers of the district ? Yes.
7419. By Mr. King : Did not the maize pay the farmers before the sugar came in ? 1 do not think so ;
but I camiit speak from my own experience.
7420. Do you import any foreign sugar for your refinery ? No.
7421. You depend entirely on the sugar grown in the district of Bundaberg? Entirely.
7422. I believe that your firm arc about to erect a mill in the Isis scrub— is that the ease? We are
about to erect a juice-crushing mill there, and take the juice to the refinery at Yengarie.
7423. Have you made arrangements with the farmers to grow cane for you ? Yes.
7424. You are well satisfied then with the prospects of the sugar industry since you made that arrange-
ment ? No ; one of the things that made us go in for sugar growing in that locality is because the
amount of cane now grown in the Mary River district is not sufficient to keep the Yengarie refinery
employed fully during the season, and ^e cannot support the mill for want of a large amount of cane.
If we only turn out 2,000 tons of sugar during a year we would hare a great loss, whereas if we
turned out 3,000 tons a year we would have a gain, because the expenses of management and a lot of
the charges are just the same whether we do a large quantity of sugar or a small quantity, and it is only
to assist the establishment at Yengarie that we have gone in for the lsis scheme.
7425. What area, of land have the Isis farmers promised to grow cane on for you ? Already they have
promised from 300 to 400 acres in the locality of the site on which we have decided to put our mill.
Tliat is for a beginning, but we are quite sure that the area will increase very rapidly, and that we wdl
have the year after next as much as we can possibl y manage.
742G. W«uld the farmers be able to grow cane without black labour? No; I do not think so.
7427. Then what would be the result if tbey are unable to obtain that labour ? I do not know.
7428. By the Chairman .- What arrangement have you made with the fanners ,in the Isis scrub ? No
arrangement further than that we have promised to buy their cane from them if they will grow it.
We have undertaken to put a mill there. We have only given our word to that elfect.
7429. Then at present no cane is growing in the Isis scrub? No; this year we are del ivering cane plants
to the farmers in the Isis scrub, and they are g»iug on with the planting at once. We have undertaken
to supply all ihe plants they want. The Isis scrub is a very large evrub, and some of it is very rich.
7430. Wien you visited the farmers, were they contemplating growing cane with white labour or with the
assistance of black ? The people there are in hopes that they will get black labour.
7431. And it is solely on that ground that they are beginning to turn their attention to the growth of
cane in the way lhat you have pointed out to us? Yes.
7432. By j]/r. King .- What do the Isis farmers grow at present? Maize.
7433. Do they fancy that it will pay them better to grow sugar ? Yes ; they are not making anything
atthe maize growing.
7434. What priee do you pay for cane ? We have offered them 8s. Gd. per ton for cane delivered at the
mill, or 6s. in the field, and we have to cut and cart it ourselves. That is the offer we have now made, it
will be subject to alteration afterwards. That is tie lowest we intend to give them.
7435. You
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN IiFEORE THE EOT AL COMMISSION TO INQTJIEE INTO
J. Crat>. 7435. You buy the juice in Bundaberg? Yes.
— — y 7436. 1 suppose you can say what the price is equivalent to per tou of cane- How inueh do you pay tor
Feb., 1889. the juice estimated ;it per ton of cane ? The cane varies a very great deal ; because some cane will crush
70 per cent, of juice and another lot will only yield 50 per cent. I cannot say.
7437. By Mr. Cowley ■ I believe that yon have a complete system of piping for bringing the juice from
the various caue-crushing mills to the refinery ? Yes.
7438. Would you state the number of miles of piping ? We have about twenty miles, or very nearly, of
piping laid under ground. **
7439. Kindly slate in detail the process for conveying the juice from these crushing mills to the refinery.
— The cane is crushed at the various plantations and the juice thus extracted is mixed with lime so as to
preserve it. We mix the juice at the plantations aud take its density, and pay the planters for the juice
according to its density. It is ihen pumped through the pipes to the factory by force pumps.
7440. What is the farthest distauee from the refinery of any one crushing mill ? About seven miles.
74il. What is the capacity of your receiving tanks ? We have reservoir tanks capable of holding 100,000
gallons.
7442. During the crushing season how often are those tanks filled ? Continuously. We are working the
juice as fast as it comes through. We keep as little on hand as we possibly can.
7443. Do you use coal at the refinery? Yes.
7444. And churcoal ? Yes.
7445. A large number of bones ? Yes.
741G. And limestoue? Yes.
7 447. Then the factory gives employment to a large number of hands outside of the refinery Yes. ?
7448. And a very considerable number of farmers in the district entirely depend upon Miilaqnin to take
their juice from them ? Yes.
7440. By Mr. S'ing .- How much coal do you use a year ? This year we will have used about 9,000 tons ;
the year before we used 14,t00 tons.
7450. How do you get it, and where from ? From Maryborough by steamer. It goes from Howard to
Maryborough by train, a.nd from Maryborough to Bundaberg by steamer.
7451. Do you burn your own lime? Yes.
7452. How much limestone do you use m a year ? 5,000 tons.
7453. Where do you get it from and how ? From Uockhainpton. It is taken to Keppel Bay by tender,
and thence by sailing vessel-
7454. By Mr. Cowley : If you have a central crushing mill on the Isis scrub, do you intend to convey
the juice to Yeugarie by pipes? No ; we will send the juice by rail.
7455. Will that give increased traffic to the Government railway ? Yes.
Robert Wki»qt examined :
t. "Wright. 7456. By flit Chairman : What are you ? A bookseller in Bundaberg.
^__ A _ - ^ N 7457. Are you a resident in Bundaberg? Yes.
Fob 1889. 7458- And you are iu business here? Yes.
7459. How Ion*; have you been in town ? About seven years.
7460. You say that you are cognisant with the opinions of working people in town with regard to the
kanaka question ? Iam.
7461. Have you auy suggestions to offer in comection with the object of our inquiry ? I havo a
suggestion to offer, to the effect that when a kauaka's engagement expires he should be compelled to
re-engage for a further period of three years, either with his original or some other qualified employer, or
ehe go home with his £5. In view of this, and in view of his being worth more during liis second term of
servitude, he should be paid more, and this increased pay sh«uld be secured to him by law. His increased
wages should be, I say, at the rate of 50 per cent., but that is a matter for arrangement. He is worth
more and should be given '60 per ceut. more. The system of short engagements has caused great dis-
content amongst the working classes. I know this because I see so many of the working people, the
real working classes, and those short engagements are what cause all the discontent. I have no interest
in agriculture myself, but I know the subject well because I know the feeling of the people so intimately.
7462. Speaking as a business man and as a man conversant with the opinions of the people, is thepresence
of 200 or 300 kanakas in Bundaberg on Saturdays objectionable ? Yes it is, without some sort of super-
vision .
7463. Do you know if liquor is supplied to them when they come into town on Saturday nights ? Iknow
as a matter of fact tha,t it is, but not of my own knowledge. I know that it is supplied to them very
largely. The feeling and idea is that this is chiefly done by Chinamen.
7464. Wo you know if the Chinamen's shops are under the surveilhtnce of the police ? No ; unless they
are licensed boarding-houses.
7465. Do they come under the Health Act ? Yes.
7466. Then it is quite withiu the province of the municipal council, should those Chinese houses prove
objectionable, to withdraw their licenses? Yes; it is.
7467. Has any applicatiou beeu made to the authorities to do so, on the grounds you ha.ve stated ? I
think there has been. I forget any particular case. Some of the licenses have been withdrawn in
deference to public opinion.
7468. By Mr. King; Do you know if ony attempt has been made to give religious instruction to the
kanakas ? Yea ; by Miss Y»ung. Several people buy hymn books from me for the boys, and there arealso
classes in the Church of England for them every Sunday.
7469. Do the kanakas attend any of the churches in town? Not as a rule. An odd one or so attends,
but not many go there ; they go to the Sunday Schools.
747U. Do you think that the teaching they get effects auy improvement on them? I think it does. J
have noticed that those boys who come from the Missionary islands are much better conducted than the
others, and that the teachiug here has an ameliorating effect on them. They come largely to my shop,
and I sell them large quantities of tobacco and hymn books. I hare crowds of them in ou Saturday
nights. The most of them seem to be well behaved. 7471. Are
THE OENT.U.VL COXBIXION OP THE SUGAB INDUSTEY IN QUEENSLAND.
7471. Are they able to read? I never heard thein read anything. They buy hymn books, but I notice R.Wright,
when they buy thetn that they kuow very little oil their couteuts. They sectn to know a few tilings by ^— ^-A—
rote They cannot read or write. 28 Feb., 1889.
7472. B;i Mr. Cowley: "U r hy do you fix on three years as the term for which a kanaka should be
re-engaged ? J I is short enough. Jt makes a reasonable certainty to an employer who really needs them.
7473. But do you tiot know that many of the boys re-engage for periods of six or twelve months, so that
tli'-y may return to their native islands with friends who have come to this country later thati they did?
I did not know that that was a rua.son, but I ltn»w th.it the eifeet of those short engagements is at the
root of the discontentment.
7-174. But bow can it matter, so long as they are legally employed, and return liome when their re-en^age-
meuis are up, whether they engage for six mouths or three years? Well, that is the opinion of the
people.
7475. They should give some reason for their opinion. So long as kanakas are confined to agricultural
work, I do not ace how the term of re-engagement affects the people ? They are not always employed in
agriculture — a great many are not. They go outside of agriculture and take contracts for fencing and
other thinga That is what the working men complain of— that they come into direct competition with
themselves, outside of seuii-tropcal agriculture altogether.
7170. Then it is not tlio length of th« term of re-engagement that the working men object to, but because
they come into competition with the working men by being employed by men who have no right to have
them? Yes.
7477. Is this tht) only objection that the working men of Buudaberg havo against the kanakas ? No ; uot
the only one. There was a very bitter feeling against them once, hut it is falling away. The feeling has
decreased very considerably of late years, and if the working men could only bo maile certain that the
kanakas would be kept within the hues of semi-tropical agriculture, then it would not be very long before
all discontent would die out. The working men begin to see that it is absol utely accessary. In fact they see
and so do all reasonable meu see, that for the great bulk of the work on a sugar plantation it is absolutely
necessary. They object to the short engagement which time-expired boys enter itito.
"William Murray Cox Hick,so>~ examined:
7478. By the Clunrman .- Are you a member of the Planters' Association, ttundaberg ? Yes. W. M. C.
7479. Have vou been deputed to attend before the Commissioners to-day and give evidence on their Hickson.
behalf ? Yes. , * N
7480. Will you kindly state as briefly as you can what are the views of the Planters' Association generally 28 Feb., 1880.
as regards the present depression in the sugar iudustry ? The first I think is the depression caused by the
hotintysugaratthomo, where the exportation of beet sugar is so great hi consequence of being iY'itered by the
action of the different governments on the continent of Europe, which has driven almost the whole of the
cane nug.ir grown in the colonies into other channels for sale. Colonial sugar is also brought very heavily
into competition with sugars from China, Java, and Mauritius, where also it is manufactured by cheap
labour — eiieaperlaboutthan wy have iu the colonies. Again, we have the present " Pacific Islanders Act of
1885," winch does away (by clause 11) with the present labour at the end of 18S0, and that has hai the
effect of preventing our making a lot of improvements which otherwise we would, have gone on with, and
which, in fact, has shaken the confidence of owners ; and, as a matter of fact, iu this district, investors who
have advanced money to the proprietors of plantations are tiow making arrangements to call up. That, I
think, has had more to do with the bail state of the sugar industry just now t,han anything. If we had
that Act repealed I think — and I know the members of the association think so too— that we would go ou
very much better than we are at present.
7481. "What suggestions do ihe Association offer by which the present depression in the sugar industry
can be removed V That we should have clause 11 of the A ct r epealed. There is another thing : the
regulations uuder that Act, especially the shipping regulations, are very irks»me, and it would be a great
benefit if they were modified somewhat. The members of the association do not wish to hamper the
efficiency of the service — that is the recruiting service — in any way. But it is very hard, if an accident
happens on board a boat when they art' at the islands, that the boat should immediately have to return
home. There is no reason why if a Government agent does cut his throat the vessel should have to
ome back to port at once. We had a vessel on which the Government agent cut his throat, and
this very last trip the Government agent was killed. There is no reason why the captain or the mute
should not take up the Government agent's billet for the time being in cases *f accident— or some
arrangement be made for doing so. A vessel might be out only a very short time, and have only half-a-
dozen recruitson board when, became of some accident to the agent, she would have to come back, and all the
expenses would have to be pnid just the wine as if she returned with a shipload. The cost of those
kanakas is a very serious item. We are handicapped by having to compete against countries employing
cheap black labour, and they ;«re able to produce su^ar very much cheaper thau we are. The fact is that
sugar from Mauritius can be landed in Melbourne at £20 a ton and sold at a profit. We could uot do
that.
7482. When vou say that the Association desires the repeal of' clause 11 of. the Polynesian Labourers
Act. do we understand that it is to be a repeal indefinitely ? OE course what they desire is an absolute
repeal, but an extension of time would satisfy the members for a time. If sugar is to be gone on with
other labour must be found to supply the place of kanakas.
7483. Do you think that the Phmters* Association would be satisfied supposing an exteusion of time were
granted ? Yes That is, of course, failing an absolute repeal.
7484. What do vou think would be the effect on the sugar industry of Buudaberg supposing the Legis-
lature should refuse 1 either to repe.il or extend the Act? It would be extinguished.
> 4S.S. Do you give that as a thoughtfully prepared opiniou, or merely haphazard Y I hav e thought it over
a:id over again aud again. Failing cheap labour, it will be extinguished. My opiniou is that we caunot go
on grovviug sngar unless we have cheap and reiiahle labour.
7t8t>. Jii/ Mr. King : Is theiv not a distillery now be'm^ ewvtcd in P. in laberg ? Yes.
7187. Arc vou otic of dio directors of the company ? I am ehiirm.m «f the directors.
o " 7188. AVhat
226
MIXCTES »F EVIDENCE TAKERS' BEFORE TlfE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE IXTO
W. M. C 7438. What price will the distillery give for molasses ? That all depends on the price of spirits.
Uickson. 7 4g 9 j sU ppose you calculated on buying at a price? We have calculated, and started the company,
r — — \ intending to give about 3d. a g.iUonfor molasses delivered at the work*.
28 Feb., 1889. ,7490. "Will that make anv appreciable increase on the profit* of the plantations? Very small. They
will be able to make a profit out of the molasses, which have always been thrown away before.
7491. How much would the profit come to in your own ease ? It would ha e come to about £ 150 in my
ease last year.
7492. Well, that would be a help? Tes ; it has all been wasted hitherto.
-7493. It has been suggested that the kanakas should be kept out of town. Do you think it would be
easy to do so ? "Well, there would be some little dilliculty at first which could be afterwards got over.
The difficulty would be in making the boys understand it.
7494. It has been suggested that some bo vs be picked out of each plantation as special constables, to he
placed over the others, and have some authority over them, ami that when they come into town these men
should hare charge of a gang of them and be answerable for their behaviour, and bring them back all
right. What do you think of the idea ? We have hsul that suggestion before our Association already,
and we are not all of the same opinion on the subject. I myself think it would place the boys in a
very invidious position with the others. I think there is a better way by which the dilliculty could be got
over, and that is by allowing only a certain number of boys into town from one plantation at a time.
7495. But clo you think if it were made law that they could not enter into the boundary f the
municipality that you would be able to break them into it? No difficulty whatever. The difficulty
is that there is no law. "We bave consulted the police magistrate about it.
7496. I suppose the planters would be very glad to keep the boys out of town 1 "V ery glad indeed.
7497. Have you found that they get liquor on the plantations, or is it only when they come into town ? I
have nev er k'nowu them get liquor on the plantations.
7498. I suppose it is a great cause of trouble with the boys ? It is the entire cause of trouble. If they
are kept without liquor, there could not be a more peaceable lot of people than tbey are.
Edward Turner examined :
E. Turner. 7499. By the Cliairman: What are you, Mr. Turner ? I am a farmer, residing in the Bundaberg district.
f**^^—^ 7500. How inanv acres have you under cultivation ? Altogether 250 acres; not all under cultivation, but
28 Feb 1889. about 120 acres are cultivated.
7501. How many acres have you under sugar cane ? 110 acres.
7502. Tou have already supplied answers to the printed questions sent to you ? Tes.
7503. Can you state to the Commission the rate of interest that you received from your farm last year,
on the eapital invested? I am not well up in figures. I cleared £700 after paying all expenses.
7504. Ton state in answer to question 33, as to the cause of the present depressed stale of the sugar
industry " dry seaso us " »nly. Are there n«t other causes ? Certainly; no doubt about it. I have very
little to do with the price of sugar, which has, I daresay, had something to d» with it, because I sell
my juice.
7505. Then the only remedy you can suggest is irrigation? Tes. Irrigation will be no use until we
have it all stumped and cultivated.
750(>. Are you not in the Woongarra scrub ? Tes.
7507. Is not most of the land there at preseut stumped ? About half of it properly.
7508. What would the farmers be prepared to pay per acre, supposing they had a supply of water with
which to irrigate ? I consider £2 an acre would be reasouablc.
7509. Then if the Government uere to uudertake a comprehensive irrigation scheme y«u would he
prepared to pay £'2 an acre per annum for irrigating your farm ? Tes.
7510. l)o you know if any uumber of farmers iu the Woongarra scrub would be prepared to plant cane
if they could get their farms irrigated for £2 an acre per annum ? Some of them would, but 1 can't
answer for all. It means a certainty of getting a crop to a certain extcut.
7511. Then taking it as a whole you are quite satisfied with your prospects as a sugar grower? Tes ;
with moderate seasons.
7512. Are you of opinion that it will be necessary to employ certain labour to grow sugar profitably?
Any one who has a good piece of land has it all stumped and irrigated aud sells juice to the refinerv :
I thiuk that the kanaka lab»ur with him must die a natural death in course of time— that is, after the
land is fit for superior cultivation.
7513. At present are you employing kanakas ? Tes.
7514. Suppose the Polynesian Act was carried into eifect and kanaka labour put a stop to at the end of
1890, how would it affect you? It would affect me very much for, say, the nest two years.
7515. Suppose that the Act was extended for five years what effect would it hav« ou you? I would be
perfectly satisfied; it would have quite a satisfactory effect.
751G. Do you think you would be able to do without them by that lime? Tes; I am sure that they will
die a natural death by that time, as far as the farmers who work for the refinery are concerned.
7517. Do you say that in view of being able to ohtuin a supply of water for irrigation ? Yes.
7518. Is that the opinion of your neighbours as well as of yourself? It is the opinion of one of them ;
I eannot speak for them all.
7519. Have you ever talked the matter over with them ? Yes, with one.
7520. And his opinion coiucided with your own ? Yes.
7521. What kind of crop have you for this coming season ? I shall have no crop at all.
7522. And in view of the present disastrous season you are a thorough supporter of an irrigation scheme ?
I ha ve always been so, even previous to this.
7523. In your return you do not giv e us the number of tons of sugar you were paid for by the Millamuu
people ? J crushedeightyacresof cane for myself, and for that 1 obtained paymcut which averaged £'.'4 an
acre. That is- equivalent, to about two tons of juice to the aero. The remainder that I crushed for other*
averaged £23 odd per acre.
7524. By Mr. Cowley : Was that stand-over crop? Three-ports of it wa<.
7525. liow old was it ? Some of it \sas three yeara old and some two years.
7520. When
THE CENTRAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAE INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
7526. When you Bay that you cleared £700 last year, does that mean after paying interest on outlay ?
No ; £700 after paying all hands. . /
7527. Do yon allow yourself a salary ? No T nothing. 2
7528. Then the amount of your wages would have to be deducted from the £700 if you were working for
anyone else? Yes ; my sons assist me, and the missus, and one of the daughters help me. I have made
uo allowance for salary for any of us.
75:^9. Then really if you had to pay for the wort done by your wife, sods, daughters, and yourself, there
would be very little left to pay interest on outlay; that is if it were your own place, aud you had to pay
a manager ? I would lraveto pay a manager, say, £250 a year at least. It would all make a considerable
hole in the £7#0.
75:10. VV r hat would" the total assistance of your 6ons, and wife, and daughter amount to ? At least £350.
William Woollen examined :
7531. By the Chairmen : You are a member of the Buudaberg Chamber of Commerce? Yes. w
75;!2. Arc you deputed by the Chamber of Commerce to giro evidence beforothc Commission ? Yes. C
7533. Are you iu busiuess in Buudaberg? Yes. 28
7531 How long have you been here? Niue yea.rs.
7535. What business do you carry on ? Hardware, ironmongery, and plumbing business.
753i>. Are you acquainted with the sugar industryin this district? Yes.
7537. How docs it affect the trade of Buudaberg? It is our mainstay. "We do about two-thirds of our
business with the sugar people. We do about £40.000 with the sugar plantations.
7538. What number of hands do you employ ? About thirty-five.
75.39, All Europeans? Yes.
7510. Aud are there skilled meehauics amongst them ? Yes.
7511. Bo you find any decrease in your business in consequence of the depressed condition of the sugar
industry? Yes; considerable.
751-2 How long have you been suffering from this decrease? Not long; about six months.
751:3. Do you attribute it to the drought? Yes; as affecting the industry at present.
7511. Haa the Cham her of Commerce, as a representative body, discussed the present condition of the
sugar industry ? Yes ; they have.
7. j4~>. Have they formulated any series of causes which have led to the present depression, and if so could
you stafcdtliem 'i I can teil you what they have done. They have tried to bring about reciprocity with
Victoria, which wotfiitik would tend to increase trade.
751G. Have they not considered the causes of the depre.sion? Yes; we have considered the causes.
75-17. What do you consular ai'o the causes? The primary cause is the low price of sugar. That is one
of the causes which led us to try to bring about a reciprocity treaty with Victoria, who are large con-
sumers of sugar. The large bulk of our sugar goes to Victoria, aud there eomes iuto competition with
cheap sugar from Java and Mauritius. The sugar from those countries is manufactured by cheap labour.
Iu some instances our sugar has to compete iu Victoria with bounty-f ed sugar.
7518. What suggestions have the Chamber of Commerce to offer by which the industry could be improved?
That is a quest ion that lias not been properly thrashed out in the Chamber of Commerce. It consists of the
principal merchants and townspeople who have not got, any knowledge of the sugar industry. I do not
suppose that 10 per cent, of the townspeople have any actual knowledge of sugar growing.
7549. Is it not a fact that the prosperity of Buudaberg depends mainly on the sugar industry? Yes;
that is our mainstay. One of the great causes of the depression at the present time is the fact
that the banks and financial men will not help the planters and sugar growers orer their difficulties. A lot
of the planters are iu very serious straits just now and they cannot pay their accouuts. I cannot give
you their names. When I ask them to do so ihey say, " We cannot get any more money from the bauk
managers owing to the uncertainty of the labour question, and we do not know whether we will be
allowed to carry on. The managers say, 'You will have no crop next y«ar, and we cannot put our hands in
our pockets to assist you.' "
7550. Why do the banks refuse any further advauces on their estates? Owing to the fact that, by the
Act which has been passed, it is probable that the employment of kanakas will come to an end iu about a
year or two's time, and, considering that they do not espect .any crop next year, after which they cannot
get any more black labour, the banks cannot see where they are going to get their money from.
7551. Does tliis information come from the "Bundaberg Chamber of Commerce 'as representative of the
commercial interests of the town ? No.
7552. Then you only give your statement upon hearsay? Not only on hearsay ; but I can speak from
the experience of a large business, and as a business man doing business with almost every planter.
7553. What would be the effect on your business if the Act which sets forth that the importation of
kanakas must, cease at tiie end of 189u were put in force? I think I would wait, to sell out.
7554. What would be the effect upon the commercial prosperity of Buudaberg iu the event of the Act
being put in force? Bo yon mean in the event of the Polynesian Act being put in force?
7555. Yes ? I do not think that half-a-dozen plautatious could curry on ; and corn growing is a failure.
I am a fanner also. 1 am running a farm, unfortunately, and I grow corn. It would iiave the effect of
closing up most of the busiuess places. It would close up mine, aud we have iuvested £18,000 in our
business.
75#6. Then, in your opinion, the entire prosperity of Buudaherg depends on the continuance of the sugar
industry? Certainly.
7557. Speaking as a business man, do you think that if the present Polynesian Act were amended, and
clause 11, which does away with the employment of kanaka labour after 1890, extended, it would have
any effect up»u the future prosperity of Bunduberg ? It would bv a very important event in the welfare
of this place, bwrause the banks would, iu face of the drought, help the planters to tide over the bad
season.
7558. Do your employes ever object to the employment of kanakas on the plantations ? No ; on the
contrary
7559. Boes
MINUTES OP EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE HOYAT. COMMISSION TO LNQ17IBE INTO
vT. "Woolley. "o5fl. Does the very existence of your business depend upon their employment ? Yes ; two-thirds
of my business is done with the plantations. At present I am discharging men every week because we
2S Feb., 1889. have nothing to do. The planters have not been able to do iiiiythiug ; they cannot, becausethey hare no
money.
7560. Supposiug the Polynesian Act were amended, would that have the effect of restoring commercial
confidence in Bundaberg? Tes.
756L. If the Government were to introduce a comprehensive scheme for irrigation, would it have a good
effect on tbe district? Yes; it would have a splendid effect on all the plantations of Queensland, but
of Bundaberg in particular. That is what we suffer from. Ever since I have been in Queensland
there has always been a drought, more or less. W e have at times had abundance of rain, and then no
rain for a month or two.
7562. Would the fanners be prepared to pay a reasonable price per acre for watering their laud ? I
have heard them say so. Thev have already signified their willingness to contribute from £1 to £5 at}
aero for water. It is very questionable whether tbey could make it pay at £5 an acre. If the Govern-
ment were to bring in a Bill which would enable farmers to obtain small loans for irrigation purposes, it
would be of the greatest benefit. I can speak from experience on Ibis point, as we have supplied several
formers with irrigation plants ourselves; and at the present tim» we have irrigation plants coming out
from home ; but the great difficulty is that these men Live uo money, and we have to "become bankers f »r
them. It comes rather hard on an individual firm to advance those persons money. I have only within
the last six weeks had to take back an irrigation plant from a man, because he could not get sufficient
accommodation from the bank to pay his first instalment on it, and I could not help him.
7563. Is there really a desire on the part of the farmers to try irrigation if they could get monetary
assistance? Yes. I have several kinds of irrigation plants coining out from home, and I have alreadv
received four or five inquiries about them, which I have no doubt will lead to business. Many small
farmers cannot provide £350 f«r an irrigation plant, and if he ban to mortgage his farm to obtain money
to purchase one he has to pay a very heavy pei centnge, whereas were the Government to come to their
assistance and let them have small loans at 5 per cent, a great many farmers in the district would at once
go in for irrigation. 1 am working a farm myself of fifty acre.s thirty acres of which are under cultivation.
I have not gone in for irrigation yet, but I am going in for one of these irrigation plants which are coming
out to us. If I have any success this year I will save £200 — half the cost of the plant. These plants
cost from £250 to £400.
Thomas .Alfre* Silverwood examined:
T. A. 7564. By the Chairman: What are yon? I am a draughtsman and practical engineer residing in
SUvwwoocl. Bundaberg.
A~*^ A -^~N 7365. And yon place before the Commission the model of a [>racticn,l apparatus for cutting standing
28 Fub., 18SD. eacje? Yes.
[Nova.— The Chairman of the Commission then intrmlm-ed Mr. Silverwood to the maulers of the
Planters' Association, who were incited to he- present to see the working of the model. The modus operandi
of Mr. Silverwood's cane-cutter wcrejully explained. 'lite members of the Planters' Association subsequently
held a meeting, at winch- Mr. Silverwood was present, and so favourably impressed were they with tlie machine
that tlwy promised that gentleman monetary assistance to enable him to havsa full-sized working machine made.]
William Mewcombk Aitkenson examined :
W. M. 75C6. By the Chairman : What are you ? A farmer.
Aitkenson. 75^7. j) you reside in the Bundaberg district? Yes; at Gingin.
75G8. What is the extent of your selection ? From 2,000 to 2,100 acres.
28 Feb., 1889. 75C9. How many acres In we you under cultivation? About 100.
7570. What do you cultivate ? Lucerne and Maize, and a little bit of sugar cane; about three acres.
7571. Do you grow the sugar cane for any special purpose? Yes, for fodder.
7572. What returns do you get from your farm ; how many tons of lucerne do you get to the acre? In
good seasons about 4 tons.
7573. Have you made any at all this year? I have in a small way. I only got about 3 cut. to the
acre.
7574. What does your maize crop yield? It gives about 40 bushels to the acre.
7575 How many crops do you get in one year? Only one, with white labour.
7576. What labour do you employ on the farm ? Only white labour. We are not allowed to employ
black labour.
7577. A re your farming operations successful financially? Well, sometimes a profit, and sometimes a
loss. This year a loss.
7578. Do you combine grazing with your farming? I do.
7579. Then keeping cattle assists you to keep ynur farm? Yeti.
7580. Who do you dispose of your produce to ? Some of it gods to Mount. Terry, some to Messrs. Buss
and Co., and »ime to Mr. Duffy.
7081. Have you reason to suppose that it goes to the sugar plantations ? I could not. form auy idea as
t* what becomes «f it.
7582. Is the condition of the farming industry a prosperous one ? It is a question entirely of weather.
In a season like: this it is very bad.
7583. By Mr. King .- So far * 1 h. farming industry is concerned, vou hrvc nothing to complain of in this
distriet except the seasons ? The time the kanakas were taken 'away fi-om the farmers I complained a
great deal ; and I think very justly,
7584. But you do not want kanakas to make your industry a success? Since the kanakas were taken
away I luave not put any more land under cultivation.
7585. Do you consider that it docs not pay to work a fnrin with white, labour? Not entirely.
7586. What would it cost you 1o clear the scrub ? I can get it done for from £4 to £5 ah acre. But
that is merely preliminary expense.
75S7. Is
TFtE GEKERAL CONDITION OF TTTG ST7GAR XfTDUSTRY IN" QCEEN'SLASD.
75S7. Is the cultivation f»r the first tbrr
3 very heavy ? Yes.
758tf. And it does not pay to do it with white labour? > T o ; it does not.
75R9. Is tliore anything that the farmers in this district wish the Government to do for them to assist ^'~^- A ^""">
them ? I am not instructed by the farmers to lay anything- before you, but I can speak from my own 28 Feb " 1883 "
experience. I believe that the tobacco growing industry could he made to pay, if the Government would
help it by giving information to the grower such as is given in -America. It is grown by a neighbour of
mine. N T o one seems to understand the subject thoroughly.
759*. By the Chairman : Tobacco is grown successfully in Xew South Wales by white labour? It
could be grown here with white labour where a man has a family to help him.
7591. By Mr. King : Is there any tobacco grown in this district ? Yes; by a neighbour of mine who
is growing it successfully.
7-5.92. How many acres has he under tobacco? Somewhere about three acres.
7593. When was that? The season before last. He made some £30 or £40 out of his three acres, which
were worked by himself and family.
7594. By Mr. Cowley : Have you a dairy in connection with your farm ? #nly for my owu family.
1739,5. Do you find that white men are willing to work with the hoe in the field? They would be just
now, when there are plenty of men and a scarcity of work, and in such a case they are easy enough to
got ; but when there is a demaud for them, and plenty of work offers they will not do hoe work iu the
field .
7.596. "What wages did you pay them ? I ouly employed one man, who got lGs. a week at first, and then
18s, a week and I found him. These men require to be well fed.
7097. How long do those men, as a rule, stay with you? I had oue man for a year, and another for
about a year. They left because they were tired of the place and wanted a change.
7595. Have you had any experience iu sugar growing other than growing it for fodder ? I had a pro-
perty in Woongarra, and had forty acres of cane in. I sold it.
7599. What labour did you employ for it ? Kanakas.
7G00. Wonld white men do the work? White men could do some of the work. White men can't stand
trashing and eutting at certain times of the year ; they can't do the work so well as the kanakas. Even
if white men could stand hoeing and trashing they object to that kind of work.
7G01. By the Chairman : And you are of opinion that kanaka labour should be employed in the farming
industry of Bundaberg ? The farming industry may be entirely maintained by very small men, almost
a class of paupers. These pauper farmers will have the work done by themselves "and their wives and
children, or else have that portion done by coloured labour that cannot be done by white labour.
7G02. How is it that it is done in other parts of the colony ? I caunot tell you. I can only give yon
my own experience.
7603. Would you be in favour of giving the farmers of Bundaberg black labour, and withholding it
from the farmers in other parts of the colony ? I would not withdraw it from other parts of the colony.
7604. But you am advocating that? Do you allude to the Darting Downs?
700,5. I allude to the Jbrliug Downs and elsewhere? But there all the land is stumped and they have
nothing to do but to put the plough in.
7G0G. You might, but it is not all stumped and cleared even on the Downs? If it paid me to put the
laud under cultivation I would do so.
Charles Palknek examined :
C. Falkncr.
7G07. By the. Chairman .- What are you ? A planter and farmer.
7608. Have you sent in a paper ? Yes ; I omitted to mention irrigation, which is most esseutial.
7609. Are you of opiuion that a scheme of irrigation would assist the sugar industry of this district ? 28 "Feb., 1889-
Yes; it is one of the most important things in it for fanning generally, not; only sugar.
7610. Then you appear before the Commission to supplement that part of the answers to the printed
questions ? Yes.
7611. Are you prepared, as one of the landholders round Bundaberg, to pay so much per acre per anuum
for a supply of water to irrigate your land ? Yes.
7612. To what exteut would you go per acre ? I would willingly pay £1 per acre per annum.
7613. That would be £2G1 per annum? Yes ; I would pay £1 an acre for every acre that wanted it,
or even more if required.
7614. Are any of your neighbours prepared to do the same ? I h;ive heard several of them speak about
it, and they all said that such a system was wanted.
7G15. Have the farmers discussed the means of going into an extensive irrigation scheme for themselves ?
I do not think so.
7G16. If tbe Goverumeut were to establish irrigation trusts in the various farming districts of the colony,
whereby small loans could be advaueed to farmers, either iudividually or co-operatively, would it be taken
advantage of ? In a place like this it would have to be co-operative. We would not be able to get
sufficient water to irrigate our own land without: going a very long distance for it.
7617. By Mr. Cowley : In your answers to the pnuted questions you sa;ythat a white mau could cultivate-
twenty acros of land. Do you mean to say that he could hoe aud plant aud cut the dine on tweuty
acres ? I mean wheu the land is clearj and a man can work with a horse.
Hknrt Charles Arthur Yotjjto examined :
7618. By the Chairman : You are one of the owners of Fairymeade Plantation? Yes. jj q ^
7619. Aud also a member of the Bundaberg Planters' Associatiou ? Yes. Young.
7G20. And you have been deputed by the Association to appear before the Commission and give evidence
on their behalf ? Yes. 28 Feb., 1SS9.
7621. Will you be kind enough to state what the views of the association are as to the causes of the
present depression in the sugar industry ? Well, the Planters' Association think that under the present
circumstances we can't carry this indnstry on successfully against the foreign competition that we have
to contend against without the assistauce of a certain amount of Polynesian labour. That is at present.
They,
MINUTES OF EYIDENCE TAKEN - BEFORE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
■ A - They, therefore, hope that we will be allowed to go on recruiting in the meantime. They feel that the
ng - same argument that was used Are years ago, when it was proposed that the labour sho uld terminate at once,
""""""N whereas five vears' time was given with the view of some alternative system coming m, applies to the
, 1889. q Ues tion at th e pres<ent time, perhaps with greater foree. because lately we have gone through some
very hard seasons, especially the last one, the effect of which, in some eases, has been very severe;
ana very little time is left us to try and pull back some of the capital invested in machinery and the
mon.-y lost owing to bad seasons. I think that the planters of this district are not altogether
wedded to this class of labour; they only say that at present there is no apparent alternative for
them. But more especially the planters of the district feci that if they could be placed on an equality
with foreign competing eeutres. such as Java. Hong ICong, and Mauritius, by means of proiective
duties, or a reciprocity trea.ty; or, better still, by federation of the colonies, which would result in one
Customs house for Australasia, and protection for all the products of the colonies, or at any rate
those which could be grown to advantage in the colonies — they might possibly then be in a position to work
with a considerably less amount of this labour, if not to do without it all together. In fact, it resolves
itself into a matter of cost. Anything can be done at a certain cost, but at present the cost would be too
great. We have to compete with Hong Kong, where tlicy have- the cheapest of coloured labour, Chinese
labour; with Java, wh eve fctey have the Malay labourers; jvnd witk Mauritius, where they have the
Indian coolie; and the natural market for the sugar grown in these countries has been glutted by
the action of coutiuental nations fa: regard to the bounty-fed sugars, aud has forced them to look
for a market in the Australian colonies at a price at which they would not otherwise have done.
We do not get bounty-fed sugar here, but we feel the enVct of it locally owing to the European
markets being glutted by that sugar. The Planters' Association would like to clearly point out to
the Commission, that we do not even reqmYe a protective duty on sugar to exist in Queensland, because
the very large excess of production •ver demand in the colony makes the competition between the growers
in the colony so keen as to cause the price to fall very often lower in the colony than it is outside, or
to make it ro more than 4s. or 5s. a ton more. To prove this, I might add that, out of the 2,000 tons of
sugar made by one firm, fully five-sixths were exported. The Planters' Association feelthatif something could
be done to seeure us a fair footing in the Australian markets, it would go a great way to solve this very
question of labour. Then, again, we think that if something could be done by the Government to advance
money to those districts requiring water schemes, that, again, would be a, great factor in the solving
of this question. But the association think that, until something of this kind can be inaugurated, it will
be a very great hardship if we are forced violently to change ouc present method, especially considering
the very large sums of money we have laid out on machinery which is necessary. There is no doubt that
if the matter could be settled one way or the other shortly, it would be a great benefit to the industry. We
are suffering now from uncertainty, and that checks all sorts of improvements and extensions entirely, for
which there is great room, and if something could be done it would be an enormous relief to us.
7622. Then your statement combines the suggestions which the Association have to offer for the relief of
the industry ? Yes. The Association suggest that in the meantime tht-re should be some extension of the
Polynesian Act. and also some legislative action whereby we will be able to obtain a better position in the
colonial markets, and also we trust that the Government will go in for some comprehensive irrigation
scheme. These three thiugs seem to be the main suggestions. We do not want the people outside of our
industry to pay one farthing for the irrigation of our plantations. We would pay the interest on the
outlay.
7G2'.i. Your plantations being so near Bundaberg, you arc moro or less identified with the prosperity of
the town of Bundaberg ? Yes.
7824. Wh at effect has the sugar industry on the commercial prosperity of B ttndabcrg ? I think it has
made it what it is, and is supporting it in its present state — the sugar industry nai. farming. Fanning
has a certain influence, but the Customs export returns will show the .preponderauce the export of sugar
has over all other commodities.
7625. Suppose the Legislature should adhere to its determination not to interfere with the 11th clause
of the Polynesian Act of 1885, what effect would that have on your plantation at 1'airymead? Unless
some alternative scheme comes up wbich will give us equivalent ad vantage to the present system, we will
have to sh ut up ; we w«uld have to close our mill. We have been hoping to 'get a few good seasons, so
that we might get back some of the capital we have suuk in our mills.
7t>2<i. Do you think that an extension of the present system of Polynesian labour would have any
beneficial effect on the interests of the sugar plantations ? ' Yes ; it would. It would ease matters very
materially.
7G27. Then, in your opinion, the future prosperity of Bundaberg, and the people who are residing here,
will largely depend on what action is taken by the Legislature with regurd to this question ? Yes ; the
Planters' Association of this district consider that owing to the large number of white people who are
employed in and about the plantations, and whose existence depends on the working of the plantations,
the damage d.one to them would be quite equal in proportion to the damage to the owners. Statistics
show that they largely benefit by the continuance of the industry. Queensland is uot behind the average
cane-growing countries in their mills and machinery. We are a long way ahead of most nations, Compare
theirresults wit h those of the new process— the Despessis process. We' would not go in for diffusion unless
they 'unproved it very much. AVe are doing quite as well as some statistics published show can be (kme
with diffusion. We have double crushers and hea vy macoratioii.
FRIDAY,
TIIE GENERAL CONDITION OF TITE SITGATl INDFSTEY IJT QUEENSLAND.
FBI DA X, 1 MARCH, 1889.
MART BIYEE JISTEICT.
(At Maryborough.)
PhESENT :
W. IT. GROOM, Esq., M.LA. | H. E. KING, EaQ.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.LA., is the Chair.
Peteh ErcnAR»soN examined :
7(528, -Bv Mr. King ■■ Yon were formerly manager of Antigua plantation, were you not ? Yea. p.
7G2J). Can you state what was the am omit of capital invested in Antigua plantation at the time yon had Eioliardaon
charge of it ? When I left the plantation in 1881 the capital amounted to £22,000. That had been f K_ — x
invested in the property. 1 Mar., 1889
7630. hi all the machinery erected at that time? Yes.
Wn.wvii Frkdeiucic irAtiitiNOTON examined ;
7G:U. By fir. Chairman : You are managing director of Meswrs. Walker and Co., Limited ? Yes. W. F.
7G:S2. How long have you been in Maryborough ? About sixteen years;. Hanringto-
7(jH:"5. Have you made machinery in connection with the sugar plantations ? Yea; not so much lately as ^ — ^v^^
we would like 1 Mar., 18?«
7G:ll, \\ 7 hat used to he your output per annum of machiuery that has been supplied to the sugar planta-
tions ? Between tho years ls7l or 1872 aud L877 or 137*' f shouhl think we averaged about £12,M0
a year.
7033. When did you first begin to notice a diminution in your returns? I think about 1879; I should
think it waa ten years ago — or nine* years ago would be more like it.
7G3G. Are you ncquainted with the sugar industry in the district of Maryborough? Yes ; very well.
7G37. 1* it in a very depressed condition at present ? Very depressed indeed.
7(338. Can you state from your own personal knowledge the cause of the depression ? Well I think I
can give some of the causes. The principal cause has been the uncertainty of reliable labour. That is,
the regulations or the Act governing the importation of South Sea Island labour have always been — the
result of which I would consider to be that the planters have become half-hearted, and that capitalists are
constantly tightening or withdrawing capital from the assistance of the planter. I would look on that as
one of the chief reasons. 1 think the second cause would be the fact of people going into sugar growing
without means, and many having means, but without the knowledge of the requirement* ; and they have
had itiHiitliidmti machinery — that is, machinery unequal to the necessities ot the work. 'They come to
our place and order Mile sugar mills and small appliances, when it lias been proved to the satisfaction of
everybody that a mill should he a powerful one, and that there should be double crushing instead of single
crushing ; that catte shouhl go through a second time, by which operation it has been proved that 10 per
cent, more juice has been saved. This 10 per cent, loss has crushed out those people who went into
sugar without sufficient means and knowledge. For causes of depression 1 put labour first, and insufficient
appliances second.
7t>:39. By Mr. King : Are those insufficient appliances owing to want of ca pital ? Yes, and want of a
knowledge of tho requirements to take the last particle of saccharine from what was going intomegass.
7uTJ. Bij the. (Jlutirman : Has not the low price of sugar something to do with the depression ? The low
price of sugar should betaken up as the commercial viewof it, and has a great deal to do with it, no doubt.
But it has been shown that whenever the conditions have been favourable, and lab.iur reliable obtainable,
and the machiuery of the best elass, and irrigation carried on, that sugar, even at the present low price,
can be made a payable article. I have been part owuer of a plantation- in Bundaberg for four years, and
we have uo lack of capital, aud the land is all under the plough, and in other regards every condition is
fairly well f ullilled, and we huve been able to get reliable labour from time to time, aud we have had a
good manager and good machinery, and it pays. That is, it pays interest ou the capital invested, but
leaves no surplus. It pays interest on every shilliug iu vested in it, and enables us to write off something
for deprecia tion — something like £300 or £400 a year ; and so we go on. But that is because every con-
dition is f ullilled. Our machinery might be better, though we are eugiueers ourselves, but it is not likely
that we will launch out not knowing what the labuur conditions arc going to be after next year.
7Gld. io you know if any of the soil in the Maryborough district shows signs of exhaustion ? I have
heard that after constant, cropping it docs show signs of exhaustion.
704-2. is not the frosta very great enemy of the planters in this district ? Yes. It has been found to be
serious, but where good machinery has been put up, they would be able to clea.r the frosted ca«e off
rapidly. If a plantation lias sulncient machinery, the whole of the frosted cauecould be treated very soon
after it was frosted.
7G13. By Mr. King .- That is matured cane? Yes.
76a. But how about young cane ? It would have to go in next year again.
764i>. Thatyear it would be spoilt ? I am not sufficiently conversant with the growth of cane to say. I
know that when we get our cane frosted, it is put through immediately, and our manager tells us that the
loss is very small. The cane is injured not destroyed.
7G46. By the Chairman : Do you eonsider that the commercial prjsperity of Maryborough has suffered
from the depression in the sugar industry ? I do.
7617. To any very large extent? Well, our industries are so varied, and our resources are so considerable,
that I would not say it does to a large extent. But the industry is in a terrible state of depression ; the
output has falleu from about l,QM to 5.000 tons of sugar to about l,5f0 tons. That is the extent of the
loss. We lose say 3,500 tous of sugar, and all the labour connected with the raising of it.
7648. Yon
232
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN" BEFORE TTTE HOYA.L COMMISSION TO HS'QTJIJIE INTO
W. F. 7G48. You are aware that the importation of kanakas c;eases on 3lst December, 1800. What do you
Harrington, think will be the effect upon the sugar mdnstry in this ilisirict supposing thnt Act is enforced ? 1 think it
^^-A— — >v would practically, if not actually, stop it. J do not think \«; could possibly attempt to grow sugar in this
1 Mar., 1859. district without reliable and cheap labour.
7(i49. My Mr. King .- You have heen acquainted with the Ura.ngan Sugar Company ? Yes.
7650. You made the machinery for the company ? Yes.
76:51. For whom was the machinery made? Kor two Danish farmers named Hansen and Jorgcnsen.
7652. "Were they attempting to grow sugar with white labour? Yes ; white labour, and a little South
Sea Island labour.
7653. How long did they try the experiment ? Just for ono season. They only got one crop.
765-1. What was the result ? They lost everything.
7655. What was the area of their holding? It was about $00 a^res ; but the area of their crop would
not exceed thirty-five acres.
7656. After they failed the Urangan company was formed to acquire the mill ? Yes; as a limited company
to work the mill and extend the cultivation.
7657. Did the company work their mill as a central mill, or did they cultivate their own cane ? They
purchased some cane and crushed it as at a central mill, It was very bad cane.
7658. How much cane did they culfci vate themselves ? Tliey had about seventy acres under crop when
they collapsed.
7659. How many of those small farmers were growing for the mill from whom the company expected to
get cane ? There were ten or twelve farmers in connection with it who sold cane to the Urangan com-
pany's mill. The area they cultivated was very small.
766(.i. What price did the mill pay for the cane ? 10s, per ton delivered at the mill. I am not sure
whether they did not pay from 10s. to 12s. delivered at the mill.
7661. How long was the mill carried on under that system ? Two or three seasons.
7662. What was the result ? They showed a steady loss.
766:4. What has become of the company ? It collapsed and the machinery was removed. The company
went insolvent and is in liquidation, and the machinery has been removed.
70G1-. How did the farmers who were growing cane from the mill do out of the arrangement? Thev
simply had oue, two, or ten acres of cane, which they grew on speculation and sold.
766.5. Did it appear to pay them? Did they extend their cultivation? Yes; when they got 10s. or 12s.
for the cane they were conteut«d. They were quite contented, 1 believe, at that rate.
7666. Are there any more mills in the scrub ? Yes, two mills ; one worked by Stutz Brothers, and the
other by Boyle , L Afctiu.
7667. Are those mills in working order ? Boyle Martin's was last year, but I do not think Stutz's was.
I consider that one of the causes — 1 would be sorry to say the principal cause— of thefailure of the sugar
industry is inadequate machinery aud extravagant managemeut. 1 am speaking of the company and
Hansen and Jorgcnsen. The latter failed because they had not one farthing of capital. They uever paid
one farthing for their machinery. 'Hie company lost from £3,000 to £i,000.
7668. I suppose it was only a small mill? Yes; these Banish farmers bought it, and started without
any capital, and with insufli cienl appliances, and it was carried on to the detriment of everybody counected
with it. Insufficient machinery has a great deal to do with the misfortunes of sugar planters.
766J). By 3Jt. CuivIhj) : When speaking of insufficient machinery, are you confining yourself to the Mary-
borough district? Yes.
7670. The illustration you have given was at Bundaberg. Is it not much better soil in Buudabergthaniu
the Mary River district? I was referring to the Bouua Sugar Plantation. It is up the Burnett River,
higher up than Bundaberg, opposite to Palmer's. It is not in the Woongarra scrub. It is fa irly good
soil ; but certain soil on the Mary River is better.
7671. Is it subject to frosts there at all ? Yes, at Bonna ; but very slightly.
7672. As much as in the Mary River district ? I should not think so.
7673. Is it not a fact that the average yield of cane per acre has been much heavier in Bundaberg than
the average yield on the Mary ? I do not think so. 1 could give you the actual yield from year to year
at Bundaberg. I know there are plantations on the Mary River that luu'e yielded much higher results
than in the Bundaberg district, taking it for four jears. The average does not exceed, taking it for the
four years, 30 cwt. of snsrar to the acre. But 1 am speaking from memory.
7671. Speaking of insufficient machinery, do you include Yengiirie and Millaquin ? I d id not say juice
mills at all, 1 referred more to sugar-makiug appliances. 1 consider the appliances at Yengurie and
Millaquin good, but there are several juice-extracting works on Ihe Alary River that are not efficient and
they come under the same catagorv. They do not talte all the juice out of the sugar cane.
7675. Do you know whether the Yengarie people are prepared to allow those who crush for them to
macerate their inegass ? 1 am not conversant with the fact.
7676. Do they miiuuf acture sugar at Bouna plantation or send the juice to Millaquin ? It is a manu-
facturing plant.
7677. Whan was the cost of the manufactory at Urangan ? Very little indeed, to start with. They got
a vacuum pan al'lrnvards. It was not more than £1,200, ami, w'ith the vacuum pan at £:S00, it would
be £2,000 altogether.
7678. If they only had seventy acres of cane— thirty-five aores at first and seventv afterwards— to crush,
do you not think the cause of the failure w.as owing to the very small amount of c'une to be manipulated?'
No; because that was supplemented by the farmers, some of whom supplied from two acres to ten acres,
which \«iti sufficient, as the capacity of the mill only allowed them to work about 100 acres. The rollers
wen* only ;i0 inches long by 18 inches in diameter.
767!). Do you think that the appliances at the Antigua in ill were complete for manufacturing sugar?
Yes ; with some additions it would be equal to Bonna, the one I speak of as being fairly successful. °
7680. 1 am speaking of the manufacture of sugar ? Yes ; it would be equal to = Bonn a if filter presses
and some other small thiugs were added. Our experience of Ihe filter press is that it saves 10 per cent.
7681. By the Chtirman .- What suggestions can you offer by which the sugar industry of Maryborough
can be unproved ? I thiiik the first thing would have to be'freer access for reliable labour. The planters
must
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE 8T/GAB INDUSTRY TS QUEENSLAND.
must be able to obtain reliable labour at alow rate. This I consider answer No. 1. No. 2 is that no one should W. F.
Attempt to go in for sugar growing wlio has not experience and capital to enable him to get the veiy best Harrington,
appliances— the best labour-saving appliances — so as to fulfil every condition necessary to work the f
industry at a profit. That, of course, you cannot do by Act of Parliament ; ynu can give reliable labour 1 Mar, 18.1!»,
by .Vet of Parliament, but not the other thing. As far as the impoverishment of soil is concerned, I
do uot lay much stress on that, because it can be remedied. Irrigation is another thing that must be
goneinfor. Anyone with capital who is trying to work the industry tit a profit will see that there is
not siifficient moisture iu the earth.
7652. What was the value of the mill Messrs. Hansen and Jorgensen had? I do notthink that, witli
buildings and machinery and all complete, it would have exceeded £2,500.
7653. Did the company that followed add any more machinery ? Yes : but at the time Hansen and
Jorgensen had it, it did not represent the value I have just stated.
768i. What was the value of the mill when Hansen and Jorgensen had it? Beckoning all it would not
exceed £1,600.
70S.3. Then you are not surprised at their failure ? No; I :said no all along, although some of my own
money was going into it. I really think that these Danish farmers could grow cane iu small patches and
that a central mill managed well, and economically, the same as any other commercial business, could be
mnde to pay.
7686. Could a supply of water be obtained from the Mary, if the Government proposed a scheme for
irrigation? Tes.
7087. To irrigate a largo area ? Tes.
7688. What price do ynu suppose the farmers would be willing to pay per acre per annum for having
their land irrigated ? I am not able to answer that.
7689. From your personal knowledge of the farmers in this district do you tliiuk that if irrigation were
offered they would be willing to pay a fair price per acre t« have their land irrigated? See,
7630. Then if facilities were offered in the direction of irrigation, cane growing would stili be an
industry in this district ? Yes.
7691. IS if Mr. King .- You said that you thought the Danes would be able to grow cane for a central mill.
Is that because they arc satisfied with a very small return ? Yes.
7692. Would they be satisfied with much less than the wages of ordinary white men? Yes-
7693. Could cane be profitably grown if the labourers had to receive the ordinary wages of white men in
this district ? I do not think so.
7094. Do you think that those Danes and Germans would be satisfied to work for little more than their
rations on their own land ? Yes ; all the members of the family assist.
7695. But do they make fair wages ? No ; they o«ly make a living-
7696. By Mr. Ctivleif : You s: y that you believe that one great essential to the success of the sugar
industry is coloured lubour — cheap and reliable labour. As an employer yourself of a large number of
white men, and being well acquainted with the district and neighbourhood, can you tell us whether there
is any great objection raised by the working men to the introduction of these coloured labourers? What
1 s;iy is only my own impression, and that is that they are very much opposed to it. But I have avoided
asking any of my employes any questions toucliius on that matter or on politics.
7697. Do yon know the feeling of the public here? My impression is that they are opposed to it. That
matter coukl be ascertained in a very satisfactory way by examining two or three employes from each of
the industries in town. It is the old howl, " Queensland for the white man!"
Robert Cra.n, junr., examined :
7698. By the Chairman: Yon are part owner and manager of the Yengarie Sugar Refinery? I am E.CmrJunr.
managt r of the refinery. ^— ^
7699. How long have you been in that capacity ? About twelve years. t Mar 1889 _
77#0. Do you purchase juice from the surma nding growers on tho Mary River ? Yes.
7701. Do you have the juice brought to the refinery in pipes? By pipes a nd barges.
7702. What was the amount of sugar manufactured at the refinery last year? About 1,500 tons.
7703. Can you tell us the number of cane growers who supply you with juice ? About twenty-five.
7701. What amount of capital is iuvested iu the refinery ? Somewhere about £100,000.
7705. About what rate of interest did it return for 1888 ? I do not think it returned anything ; we just
barely paid our expenses.
7706. What were your working expenses for 1888 ? £9,8 40; for 18SG, they were £21,567 ; for 1887,
they were £17,007 ; and for 1888, they were £9,840.
7707. What hi/bour do you employ in the refinery? Principally white labour. I think we had about
twelve kanakas last year.
7708. What amount of wages was paid to Europeans during 188S ? £4,262.
7709. By Mr. Kinif : How many Europeans did you employ ? Somewhere about 200.
7510. By the ChaimiKiv : What amount of wages did you pay to kanakas during 1888? £161. Those
are absolutely correct figures.
7711. What labour is ouployed by the cane growers from whom you purchase the juice? Polynesians
and a sprinkling of whitea.
7012. Do the Polynesians preponderate over the white men in working in the cane ? Yes ; they do.
7713. Do you ihink from your own knowledge that cane can be profitably grown in the district by
white labour alone ? Not at the present rate of wages
771 J. Do you think that the present price of sugar would permit of European labour being employed ?
No ; it would not.
7715. Then what do you think will be the effect on the sugar industry of the district, supposing the
11th section of '• The Polynesian Act of 1885." is carried into operation — that is, the diseontiuuance of
Polynesian labour after li>90? It would collapse here altogether.
7716. You are able to state that authoritatively from your own knowledge? Y'es ; it is already doing so.
7717, And
234
MINTTTEg 01 ETTDESCE TAKEN BEFOBE THE HOXiL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
K. Cran,j u nr. 7717. And what in your opinion lias caused tlie depression in the sugar industry in Maryborough?
^ — — N There are several causes. ( )f course, it is my opinion that one cause here has been the drought. We htwo
1 Mar., 1889. had three droughts but I think the labour question is the primary cause of the depression. It is not so
mueh that there has been a. scarcity of labour here, hut the price of labour lias gone up so much, and the
institutions which have the planters in their hands have become funky, and have refused to advance any
more money. That has done a great deal to prevent the industry going ou. There are several estates
wouud up here for want of assistance. The land on the river would grow very good crops, for it is not
at all played out. The first cause is, we have had bad priees for sugar. Then the eost of obtaining Poly-
nefiian labour lias gone up to about twice the price it should be ; and then we have had a succession of
droughts. The frusts also have some inllueuce in these Southern districts. They are not so bad if we
have good weather to mature the cane. Up here the banks and monetary institutions are so
afraid of labour beiug stopped that they have put the screw on all of us. We can't go in for new
machinery, because we can't get the capital.
7718. What in your opinion — speaking from your own personal experience — can be done by legislation
in order to improve the condition of the sugar industry? For my part I wtuld like to sec the Govern-
mcut take the lecrtiiling of Polynesians into their own hands altogether. The planters are paying
exorbitant prices for the passage of these boys. The; shipowners are making a very good thing out of
il uow. They are getting £2.3 and £26 a head when they ought to be getting £13.
7719. What is the reason these high charges are bemg itia.de now by thcowim-s of these ships ? Because
you cannot get new ships to go into the trade on account of theintroduction of labour into the colony stopping
in such a short period. The prices would have bo go down if the importation of the labour was to continue;
at present the ship owners are getting c:x;tctly what the v like for the boys. I think that the kanakas'
term of service ought to be longer ^ iustead of three years it should be five years; that would reduce the
cost of passage uearly one-half, iou pay £2.3, and that spread over three years represents nearly £10 a
year, whereas if the term of service was fire years it would only be about £0. It is quite a common thing
fur these recruiting ships to make £1,200 or £i,>i00 on a trip ; and they make three tripsin a year. They
make about 150 per cent ou their value. Of course there ;ire great risks in the trade.
7720. liy Sll>: King : Does not the frost here destroy a considerable quantity of the crop? Tea, it does ;
it is a great bugbear down here.
7721. And flo you have frosts almost every year? Tea; but if we have fair seasons the frost is not such
a great enemy, because the cane is matured by Juue. or ought to be.
7722. When the young crop is frost-bitten before therein any eane on it you lose it, do you not? No;
cane will keep in dry weather when frosted for several months. 1 have known it keep till December.
7723. Does not the frost stop the growth of the cane ? Of course ; in the case of young cane, if it is
frost -bitten it has to be cut down.
7721. By Mr. Cowley : Jn stating the amount of wages paid, does that include salaries for management,
or only the workdoue by the men ? It includes everything. We had a very short season this year, only
four months. In former years the wages were very much more.
7725. Coulil you give us- the amount of wages paid for tlic past two or three years ? Yes. 18SG, white
men, £8,0;i8 ; Polynesians, £240. 1887, white men, £0,700 ; Polynesians, £20G. 1888. white men,
£1,262 ; Polynesians, £1(51.
, 7726. Have you an interest in Yengarie, Millqtiin, and Inula ? T have in Iinda.
7727. Can you tell us the amount of juice you obtained per ton of cane at linda? No ; I eanuot. I do
iwt think it has ever been kept.
7728. Bo you macerate ? No ; but we will this year.
7729. Up to the present hive you ever taken macerated juice ? No ; never,
7730. Then those planters who had double crushing mills have never derived the full benefit from them?
No.
773L. But you intend iu future to allow thein to macerate ? Yes ; to slightly maeerate.
7732. By so doing do you think they will increase their returns? Yes.
Jomsf Webeii examined :
J. "Weber. 7733. By the Chairman : You are a member of the firm of Weber Brothers ? Yes.
f. N 7731. How many aeres have you altogether? Thirtyaores under cultivation.
1 Mar., 188?. 7735. But what is Jour total area? Fifty acres.
7736. Have you thirty under cultivation by cane ? Yes.
7737. How much caue did you crush last season ? For myself 5 tons, and for mv brother 3 tons ; S tons
altogether.
7738. How was it that you got such a poor crop ? Drought.
7730. What labour did you employ? Borne free boys. Half the labour is ione by my own hands, and
some by my brother's. We sometimes keep four boy*.
7740. Have you any land under cane this season ? fesi ; fifteen acres under cane .now.
774 1 . What sort of crop have you got for this ueason ? 11, is very poor, owing to the drought.
7742. Tu good seasous can you muke a living out of growing cane'? Oh, ves. I have done so before. I
have got a mill, and do a very good thing out of it. I earn as much as I could if I was earmine wages.
At that time I did. b
7743. Then in ordinary fair seasons would you continue to grow cane ? Yes.
7744. Did you suffer much from frosts ? Frosts never do us much harm except >vhen there are droughts.
The caue when there is a drought does not mature before the f r«st comes.
7745. Do you think you cau continue to grow sugar cane with your own labour without eiuphmii" any
kanakas ? Not altogether. If white labour was reliable it would be right enough.
7746. Supposing in place of your own family you had to ewplov white men aud pay them the preseut
rate of wages, would you make sugar cane growiug pay then ? 1 do not know. At the preseut rate of
wages a white man would be just as cheap as a knnaka ; only kanakas are reliable and you can depend on
7747. Then do I understand that you are paying as mueh to a kanaka, now as you would to a white man ?
I have been paying them 8s. and 10s. a week, and for 10s. you can get a wliite man. That is exclusive
of board and lodging. 77 ^ llave
TIIT! GKNERAIi COyDTTIOJT OF THE SUGAR TKDUSTHY IN QUEEySLAirD.
774S. Have you ever tried immigrants? Yes ; I had none last season, but the season before I had eight J- "Weber.
o£ them, and took off a crushing I gave them 10s. and 12s. a week, but before I had thein a f ortnight
they wanted 15s., and I was obliged to give it to them. 1 Mar., 1889.
7749. How long did they remain with you? Some of them three months. I was crushing for another
plantation.
7750. "Were you satisfied with them ? Oh, yes ; I was satisfied with those men.
7751. If you could get the same class of men as you got then would you prefer them to kanakas ? Yes;
if I could keep Ihem and they were reliable I would as soon have them :is kanakas.
7752. Tou would not give the preference to the kanakas ? No.
775.3. By Mr. King .- Before you put up your mill, what ilid you do with your cane? I got it crushed
on half share*.
7754. Did that pay you well ? Yes ; it paid me when we had good seasons.
7755. How much money have you got in the farm and machinery now — What is the value of your
farm and machinery altogether? £800foi'the machinery, and I was offered £1,000 for the farm-
775ft. Has it paid you since you put up your machinery ? [t paid us until the price of sugar was lowered.
7757. Bid you make sugar, or only crush the juice? Only crushed the juice.
7758. Wluit [irice dirl you get for' your juice ? £14, a ton of juice— 2,240 gallons.
7759. How much juice do you reckon you got per acre of cane ? I have Lad as much as two tons, and I
have had ns season when I have not had a quarter of a ton.
7760. What would be a fair average for the past two or three years ? Only about half a ton.
7761. la your land exhausted — Do you think it is getting impoverished ? No; my land is in perfect
order now.
7762. *o you put any manure on the land ? Oh, yes.
7763. What manure do you use — just farm-yard manure? Mostly manure from a dairy farm,
7764. Do you lose much by the frosts? When the cane is matured the frost will not harm it much;
but it always corner tno soon on account of the drought, and the cine is not matured enough to stand it.
776.3. In this district do you not let plant cane grow about eighteen months before crushing ? I have
crushed it al ter eleven months.
7766. But is it not usual to allow it to grow for eighteen months? Yes; there is no depeuding on the
fi rst crop.
7767. Then you run the risk of two years frost with your plant cane ? I suppose so.
7768. Is that not a considerable drawback ? Yes. First cane is too soft, it will not stand frost, but
the second crop will stnnd it better.
7765. By Mr. Cowley : Bid the white men you employed work in the mill or do field work ? I had them
iu the null.
7770. Have you ever employed them in the field weeding, cutting, or trashing cano? I have employed
them for dray work aud driving horses, but I never employed them in ordinary work outside of Iwrse
driving.
7771. Has your mill double crushing appliances? No.
7772. What are the size of tho rollers ? Sixteen inches by two feet.
Eunest George Porter examined:
7773. By (he Chain tin ; How many years experience have you had in connection with the cultivation of E. Q. Porter,
sugar? Seventeen j cars. ^ — — N
7771. In Queensland or elsewhere? In Queensland. 1 Mar., 18B9.
7775. Are you secretary of the Planters' Association here? Yes, honorary secretary.
7776. Have you been authorised by the association to appear before tho Commission and give evidence on
their behalf?' No,
7777. Then you are only giving evidence on your own account ? Yes.
7778. What is the name of your estate? lam renting Glenora.
7779. 'What is its total area. ? There are 130 acres under cane. The total area is about 210 acres.
7780. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? We crushed about sixty acres for thirty-five
tons of sugar.
7781. Have you a mill ? A crushing mill only.
7782. Do you sell the juice to Yengarie? Yes.
77:S3. What is the amount of capital invested in the plantation? I nay a rent of £3 an acre. That
includes machinery and house.
7784. Can you tell us the capital invested ? I cann»t.
7735. By Mr. h'inr/ : Have you any idea what it would be; it is important to get the amount of capital
invested ? I should sny about £4.000.
77*0. By the Chairman': Do yon know of any interest that was returned on the capital for 1SSS out of
the plantation ? I paid fis rent, £;350.
7787. What were your working expenses for the year ? £1,700.
77S.S. What labour do you employ ? I had an average of five white mon and twenty blacks.
7789. What was the average wages paid to the kanaka boys ? A bout £12 a year Those were time-
expired boys.
7790. What was the amount of wages paid to the five Europeans ? 23s. a week and rations.
7791. What description of labour do you consider most suitable for lield work on the plantations ?
Kanaka. 1 have employed Chinese, but the result was a big loss. I have employed white men entirely.
I was the first to work a plantation here with white labour only.
7792. AVhat has been your experience in the employment of white labour? They have been a great deal
of trouble. They are always breaking their agreements. I remember some years ago a planter got out
some thirty white men, aod they nearly all absconded within six or seven months. It is the same with
the Chinese ; they abscond and go away to the goldfields.
7793. Is the land you cultivate free from stumps so that you can use the plough ? Yes ; but it is covered
with nut grass, which is a great curse on this river.
7794. Do Europeans do the ploughing on your estate? Yes. 7795. How
MINT/TES OF ETTDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE ROTAT, COMAriaslON TO INQtTlBE INTO
Porter. 7795. IIow many acres do you cultivate for each black labourer employed? About a boy to every five
*~\ acres.
I8.1!i, 7796. And how many acres could one European work supposing he c«uld use a plough and horses? Ife
woidd have to do the trashing and weeding.
7797. No ! Suppose he used the plough and horse-hoe iu place of the kanaka? We plant the cane with
the plough now, and it takes about six kanakas besides the fire white men who do the ploughing. We
require the kanakas to chip in bet-ween the cane and trash, besides the ploughing done by the white men.
After nlautiug, one man could work twenty acres with a horse-hoe.
7798. Do the blacks who work on your plantation suffer in health ? No.
7799. Do the Europeans ? No.
7800. Does the land show any signs of exhaustion ? No.
7801. Do your crops suffer from frost ? Yes. I lost nearly the whole of my crop last year from the
drought and frost together. The frost came on after the drought,
7802. What is the value of the mill ? From £1,700 to £1,800.
7803. Who was it manufactured by ? Messrs. J. Walker and Co., Maryborough.
7804. I suppose you have tiought over the present position of the suga r industry. Can you state to us
what have been the causes, in your opimon,whk:hhare led to the present depression ? First of all, labour
is 100 percent, dearer now than when I Urst of all started — fifteen or sixteen years ago. Sugar has gone
down in value. There are many places on the river liable to flood. I had a flood the first year — I have nad
Clenorathree years — and the last two years I haddroughts. I have 130 acres of cane, and with the labour
I employ I have lost about £1,000 a year. I have lost nearly £3,090 owing to floods and drought.
7805. Can you offer any suggestions by which, in your opinion, the sugar industry of Maryborough can
be improved ? The planters must have black labour, because there is no other labour you can get so
suitable for the cultivation of sugar. If reliable labour were certain, planters would put in much more
sugar. Some of those planters up the river who hare shut up on account of the bad seasons, did so
sooner than they otherwise would, because they thought the importation of kauakas was to be stopped.
7806. What, in your opinion, would be the effect on the district of Maryborough if '■ TJw Polynesian Act
of 1885" were put in force, and the importation of Polynesians were to cease at the end of 1890? We
would all have to shut up ; I would. There is some til k of the Isis people falling the scrub there, and
going into sugar. One of the great drawbacks to persons in a small way is having only one refinery
here. You are never certain, if you have a frost, of getting your crop off ; it all depends on Yengarie.
7807. By Mr. King .- Is your land on Tinana Creek ? No, on the Mary River, close to the junction of
Tinana Creek.
7808. Is it your opinion that it would be possible to irrigate the land on the Mary and Tinana Creek
with water from Tinana Creek ? Yes.
7809. Is there always a considerable stream running over the dam at the waterworks? Yes.
7810. Would it be very expensive to bring the water down to irrigate the land ? No.
7811. If a scheme of irrigation was initiated would the farmers and planters bewilling to pay the interest
on the cost of the scheme ? Yes.
7812. Would you yourself be willing to pay your share? Yes. My experience of irrigating cane has not
been very much, and what I have seen of it ha,s been disappointing to me. For instance, water does not
affect the cane so much as it does lucerne or any other crops.
7813. Where did you see irrigation tried f I tried it at Antigua when I was manager.
7814. Did you obtain the water with the mill pump? Yes.
7815. How many gallons did you raise per hour ? This was only about half-an-acre that we were experi-
menting with. I do not know what the pumps used to throw. I had a 3-inch pipe.
7816. How long did you play the water on the half -acre at a time ? That I could hardly tell you. We
used to soak it.
7817. Did you not calculate the quantity of water ? No.
7818. Did you flood the land ? We made a trench up each row and ran the water into it. I was afraid
the salt would affect the roots.
7819. Was the experiment a success ? No.
7820. Do you think that if freshwater were supplied in quantities sufficient for irrigation, you could
afford to pay £1 an acre for it? Yes ; I am sure we could.
7821. By Mr. Cowley: You say you had 130 acres under cane. What other crops did you grow? I
have had lucerne. I have corn planted in between my cane.
7822. Do you use the rest of your land for grazing ? Yes.
7823. Have you a dairy farm ? No.
7824. Do you know of any other crops that can he grown here that will paybetter than cane ? No ; I do
not. Last year I grew as an experiment an alternate crop of blue peas, and they would have paid me
very well if it had not been for the drought. I got a thrashing machine. I am going to try them again
this year.
7825. When you say that your working expenses for the year were £1,700, do you include your rent?
Yes.
7826. You say that labour has risen 100 per cent. Does that refer to white labour? No; to coloured
labour. Forinstance, in 1873 we could get our boys here for from £9 to £10 passage, and now they cost
£20. Then the wages paid to the boys was £6 a year, now it is nearly always £9 per boy.
7827. Does this arise from any great, demand for labour, or any other cause ? 1 think it is owing to the
restrictions put on in bringing them here.
7828. Were you not managing other estates in the district ? Yes ; Yerra Yerra, from 1873 to 1877.
Then I was managing Antigua for four years, from 18S2 to 1886.
7829. Do the remarks you make in reference to white labour refer to those plantations? No ; only the
one I am on now.
7830. Did you ever employ white labour in field work on those plantations? No, not for hoeing. At
Yerra Yerra our first 300 acres were put in by white labour. The work was done by contract.
7831. Was the cane cultivated by white labour? No ; by kanakas and Chinese.
Fbedebick
THE QENEEAL CONDITION OP THE SUGAR INDTT8TH.Y IN QUEENSLAND.
237
Frederick Bbyant examined :
7S32. By the Chairman : Arc you mayor of Maryborough ? Yes. F - B<7»at-
7833. Are you al s o in business iu Maryborough ? Yes.
7831. How long have you been a resideut in Maryborough ? Twenty-seven years. 1 Mai-., 1889.
783.5. Are you acquainted with the sngar industry of the district? I am.
7336. From your own knowledge as a business man? Yes. I am not personally acquainted with it. I
have never been engaged in it.
7837. Can you state what, in your opiniou, are the causes of the present depression in the sugar industry
of this district ? I think the waut of labour; the scarcity of reliable labour. I also think that one cause
is that the soil wants renovating. That has a good deal to do with it.
78:38. Do you think that the sugar lands have been overworked ? 1 think so.
7839. Are there not several plantations closed in this district ? A good many.
7840. Can you state of your own knowledge why they have closed ? Duly that they huvc not proved a
financial success.
7841. Are you able to state from your 1 own knowledge why they were not a financial success ? No.
7842. Do you think that the failure of the sugar industry in Maryborough hia had any effect on the
commercial prospcrty of the district Y A very great deal.
7843. Are you able to speak of that from your own personal knowledge ? Yes.
7844. Then if restored it would have a very considerable influence on the future prosperity of Mary-
borough ? A great, deal.
7845. Could you offer us any suggestions by which in your opinion the sugar industry could be improved ?
No; I could not.
7846. Do you think that if the Government were to establish irrigation works in the district that any of
the cane growers would avail themselves of it for irrigating their land? I could hardly say; I am not
sufficiently conversant with agriculture. I can only speak of the effect the stamping out of sugar would
have on Maryborough commercially.
7847. Has the failure of the sugar industry affected all branches of trade in Maryborough ? Yes ; very
much. The demand tor horses aud stock and everything has diminished already very considerably.
7848. By Mr. King : Do you speak of your own knowledge when you say that frost is a serious enemy to
cane growing in this district ? Yes ; frost has interfered with it.
7849. Is that one of the probable reasons why the crops hare given such poor returns lately ? I do not
know why, but I know that frost has had a great deal to do with the failure of the crops.
7850. If the su^ur industry were to die out of this district, would it affect the business of the town
materially ? J think that to a very large extent it has done so already.
7851. How has the falling off in the cultivation of sugar affected the town at the present time ? It is
absolutely impossible to realise or sell any of thclargc plantations or any of the land. Property has become
valueless.
7852. Has it diminished the amount of business done in the town ? Yes ; very much. My own business
has suffered a good deal from it.
7853. Has it in any way affected the value of property in the town ? Yes; I think that is one of the
reasons why property is so cheap as it is now, not only property in town but farmsa.nd plantations on the
river banks.
7854. By Mr. Cowley : Are you practically connected with the owners of sugar plantations at all ? No ;
I am not.
7855. Do you know if they own other land to any extent ? I do not know. I believe they do not.
7856. Has any other crop supplanted sugar on the abandoned plantations ? No.
7857. Then all the capital invested in these plantations, in clearing and improving, is lost? Yes.
7858. And the result is that there is much less labour employed in the district now than previously ?
Yes, very much less.
7S59. Were these plantations that are now stopped, or some of them, at one time moderately successful ?
Yes ; Magnolia, Marion, and •'Kelly's.
7860. Do you remember the yield of sugar at Magnob'a, the year it was published in the Chronicle, when
Cummings was manager ? I do not think Cummings ever had the charge of Magnolia. I know that four
tons of sugar per acre were taken out of the land by the sugar company next to Magnolia.
7SG1. By Mr. Kin// : Is the Sugar Company's plantations out of cultivation now ? Nearly; but not quite.
7SG2. By Mr. Cowley: Are you in a position to give us the amount of capital invested in those planta-
tions that are now closed ? No ; I am not.
7S63. Coukl you form any idea of the number of white men permanently employed on these sugar
plantations previous to their closing? No ; I could not. I dare say I could get it.
7864. By the Chairman : If you would, you would oblige us very much.
Ii»BEHT Evans examined :
78G5. By the Chairman : "What are you? I am an auctioneer and a commission agent. It is from my E. Evana.
pas t experience that 1 want to speak of the working of plantations, as I was on a very large estate at / — ^
home. _ _ 1 jrur., 1880.
7886. Have you been engaged in the sugar industry in Queensland? No, not long ; but I worked in the
sugar cane when I fi rst came here, and saw something of the management and so forth.
7867. By Mr. King : Do you want to make a statement to put before theCommission? Yes. I was engaged
for some time on a plantation in this district, and happened to be on several of the plantations when they
were working cutting cane aud doing other kinds of work during 1 lie season. 1 was just in the heart of
the season. On some of the plantations I reuoeinber that I thought that drainage would be necessary, that
to drain the fields with pipes would be necessary. I also thought that without some artificial manure,
sut h as bone dust or bones, bein 1 * supplied the soil on many of the plantations would become exhausted
in course of time ; or rather that, for w.mt of certain component parts, the soil would eventually become
exhausted, unless it was artificially subsidised with like ingredients. 1 also thought that to successfully carry
on cane growing, the cane grounds should occasionally have another crop put into them so as to help
nature ;
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOXAI, COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
R. Evans, nature ; that is after the cane roots have been ploughed up. I noticed particularly that the constant
^-^a^ cutting down of cane, or the uprooting of cane an J replanting caie roots agaiu on the same land must in
1 Mar., 1889. course of time bring about what I will call a wry stagnant result in caue growing. As regards th»
labour being engaged on the caue field, I noticed that there would not have been so aiuch objection on
the part of white labourers to w«rk in the cane, cutting, trashing, &c, if they had been allowed to work
early in the morning and late in the evening, and allowed to go off more in the middle of the day when
the great heat was on. I found that out from actual conversation between my fellow-workers and myself.
T\Tiat I w»uld suggest in a practical way would be to send samples of the soil, of each plantation, or
perhaps from two or three different places on the same plantation, to some competent public analyst
and have them analysed, and the question submitted to the analyst, " What will the soil grow," or " what
would it be best suited to ? " or " would that soil grow certain things? "
7868. How long were you on a sugar plantation here? I v<as on one for about nine months i n the very
thick of all the season and of all the work, and I was travelling about from one farm or plantation to
another during all the time v\hcn my employers were cutting cane, and buying cane and having it cut on
the different plantations.
7S(39. How many years ago was that ? About eighteen years.
7570. Were you a new chum at that time ? Yes. But I may say tbat I •bserved more from extensive
experience. I had the privilege while at home of frequently going on one of the largest estates In Eng-
land, which was thoroughly drained with pipes, and saw the application of manure tested.
7571. Were you ever, wheu in England, employed in agricultural pursuits? We had a farm uuder our
own landlord, but it was pastoral laud. But my father was manager for the proprietor, and he had culti-
vated land. I went on it for a time. I could go over it whenever I liked. 1 have also had experieneeiu
the management of gardens. Two of my brothers are professional gardeners, so I had considerable
experience in the management and cultivation of soil and gardens.
7s72. B >/ Air. Cowley: What plantation were you employed on? Etonvale.
7873. Who owned it ? Mr. Eton, I think.
7874. Was he managing it himself ? Tes ; under a manager.
7875. Are you not aware mat a great deal of draining has been done at Etonvale 1 lam not aware of it.
787G. Then you know nothing about it during the last eighteen years? If any draining has taken place
it was during the period when Mr. Canny was there.
7877. What did you doon the plantation? I did all kinds of work— trashing, cutting, and planting cane.
7878. Are you not aware that a great deal of money has been spent by the planters in this district in
manuring ? 1 know that some of them were going to use megass.
7879. Are y»u a practical agriculturist ? I could not say that I am actually practical. I do not say that
I could go and do everything like a ploughman, but I know what ought to be done.
7880. What crop would you suggest to take the place of sugar caue? I believe that it would be well if
experiments were tried to produce beet sugar in some parts of the colony-
7881. But you say that one of the effects of continually cropping cane is that the soil becomes exhausted.
What crop would you suggest as an alternative? 1 would suggest beet because it would produce EHigaaf,
It would have a beneficial effect in establishing a system of rotation of crops.
7882. What would you do with the beet ? i'ou can conrert it into sugar.
7883. Then it is eviileut that you are uot acquainted with the art of manufacturing sugar? No, I was
not engaged in its manufacture.
7884. Are you not aware that the machinery for produeing'sugar from beet is different from that used
for manufacturing it from cane ? Yes ; but I should think that, the machinery for beet would be much
less expensive than for cane.
7885. Would you suggest that the planters have two plants, one for beet and one for sugar? Yes.
7886. Are you not aware that several of the owners of land have had their soil analysed ? Yes, but I
doubt whether the Boil was taken from more than one place on the same plantation.
7887. Then you ;iro really working on surmise, you have had no actual experience as to what the
planters have done in the way of analysing llunrsoil? 1 believe they have done comparatively little in
the way «f manuring. They may have analysed their soils.
FRIDAY, 1 MARCH, 18S9.
[KVEMNG- SITTING.]
MARYBOROUGH DISTRICT.
(At Pialba.)
PKKsr.trr :
W. II. GROOM, Es«., M.L.A, | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in tub Cuaik.
ANTiioxr Axueeson examined :
A.Andeivon. 7888 - B V ffte Chairman : Are you a farmer living in this district? Yes.
7889. What is the extent of your selection ? 100 acres.
1 Mar., 1889. 789 °- How man > aw "cs have you undercultivation ? Seventy acres. A Veil, thev are not all under cultiva-
tion ; thirty acres are under cultivation ; the seventy acres have been under cultivation.
7891. What were you growing when you li;ul your severity acres under cultivation? Partly corn and
oats ; a little of each.
7S92. Have you grown any sugar cane ? Ves ; eleven acres.
7893. How long ago wats that? It was about seven years ago. At the time the Dulong mill was writ-
ing. I cannot exactly say, but it was ab«ut seven years.
7894. 3$
THE GENERAL COyDITION OP THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
23!)
7891-. By Mr. King .- What cane hate you in now ? Only about an arre for the cows. A - Anderson.
7895. W hat made you dimmish the quantity of cane that vou grow? I was growing it for sale to the »^-— —
mill at Dulong. Ills,., lfcSO.
7S96. By the Chairman : How is it that seven years ago you were growing eleven acres of trane, and that
now you ar<> ouly growing one ? The owners of the mill could not make it pay, and so would not take
my cane.
7897. By Mr. King : Is there any mill near you now? ?so; no mill here at all; they took it to
Maryborough.
7S9S. Did you grow cane with white or black labour? White labour.
7*99. What did you get for it? 1 was promisei 10s. a ton and I got fia. a ton.
7900. Did it pay you at 8s. a ton ? Yes; for I got the 8s. a ton, and then in addition I got 10s. in the £ of
the balance of 8s. per ton promised— that made an actual tofal of 12s. a ton.
7901. When did the Dulong mill (stop work ? They were only here two years.
7902. Are y»il not near enough to the Yenogera mill? The same people who had the Dulong mill had the
Yenognra mill.
7!:0:l liilt, thai mil! has ouly just stopped work ? It is a long time since it stopped work,
7901. How many tamers are 1 hero in this locality ? 'Between seventy and eighty farmer*.
7905. Arc they all living close together? In the part of the district I came from there are thirty
in a lump.
790l>. Arc they all near enuugh together to send their cane to the same mill ? Yes.
7907. Do you know what was the reason that Dulong mill was closed ? The men were too poor to
start with.
790S. But was not the company that was formed afterwards rich enough to carry it ou ? Yes; but tJiey
were not able to carry on.
7909. What quantity of cane do you suppose that the thirty farmers round you couhl grow to send to a
mill if there was one? I could manage to plant twenty-five acres, some could put in twelve acres, and
others ten acres.
7i)10. Could they altogether make up from 300 to 400 acres ? Yes ; we counted it up one day and
calculated we could produce 600 acres of cane in my locality, and we could plant more if the mill was
handy,
7911. Do you kuow what was the price of sugar at the time the Dulong mill was at work ? I can't exactly
say. The sugar that we give 14s. a bag for now was 10s. a bag then. We got £18 a ton for the best
that was grown.
7f)12. Did they make good sugar ? A very fair sugar. It was not refined sugar.
7913. Have the fanners about here talked •ver this business of the sugar industry ? No.
7914. Have you any suggestions to make to the Commission whereby the fanners could be benefited ?
No; only that the farmers would grow sugar caoe if any mill would guarantiee to take it. That is the
only thing.
7915. When you grew your cane, did you grow it with black labour? Ye*.
791G. What weight of cane did you get pvr acre ? .About three tons per acre of sugar, but 1 was paid
pel' ton of cane. I got between thirty-six and forty tons of cane off the acre.
7917. How many years did you grow it ? Only for two years. Then 1 allowed the cows to come in and
cat it up.
791S. Are you not near enough to Boyle Martin's mill ? No, it is too far ; but he will not take cane
from farmers.
7919. By the Chttirmttn : Would the farmers living round you undertake to grow cane solely by white
labour, if the Groverument erected a central mill here ? Yes ; we would.
7920. Did Mr- Uodgkinsou pay you a visit ? No, he did not come down here.
7921. If he had came down here and made a proposition of that kiud, would you have accepted it? My
word, we would.
7922. Are you prepared to accept suc:h a proposition if marie now ? Yes.
7923. And be prepared to enter into all the arrangemeuts for a ceutral mill on that footing ? Yes ; it is
the only thing lhat we want. If we don't get something of the sort we might just as well leavo the
country altogether ; we can't make a living.
Andkes Peter Stevenson examined :
7924. By ilie. Chairman : Are you a farmer living in this district? Yes. ^ p
7925. What is the extent of your holding ? I have US acres. Stevenson.
7926. How many acres have you under cultivation ? Last year 1 had 700 acres in my possession. I had
very nedrly frjrty acres u ruler cane. I sold sirae of my cane, tut at a very low price, and I had to pay l Mar., 1889.
muiev to get it away from the field. I lost everything, but oat of the 700 acre? 1 managed to purchase
hack 11S acres. I got. it, buck on lease. I have to pay it back in live yeftr.s ; it is £500 in all.
7927. 1)« vou mean to nay lhat v-m had to g« into the insolvency court'' 5 JNo, not at all.
7928. By Mr. Kinq : Was the land sold to pay yoirr debts? I could not pay the interest?
792!). B i/ Mr. Cow/ey : Was it mortgaged ? Yes. The mortgagee t ook possession.
7930. And now die mortgagee has given you back a portion of it, with five years t o pay it in ? Yes.
7931. By the Chairman : What interest were you paying to the mortgagee? Nine per cent. That is
what I am paying now.
7^32. How many acres of sugar cane are you growmg now? I destroyed the whole lot.
7933. By Mr. Cuwley : What price did you get for your cane ? Boyle Martin crushed part or it for me,
and he did it on the lialf-aiuLhnlf principle ; but sometimes 1 had to pay him. I hail five kanakas myself,
and the others 1 got from Boyle Martin's, and had to pay liitu for them. I had to pay all the espeuses of
cutting the caue and taking it down to the mill, aud 1 only got half the profit out of it. That is the
re.i8on I lost so much, because I did not get as much for the caue as would pay my expeuses.
79:14 How many acres did he crush altogether for you? That was not last, year, but the yearbefore. I
think he crushed something like twenty au-es. If we had had good seasons it might have'paid.
7935. How much sugar did you get for your share — hou uiauy tons ? I forget that. I have it in a
hook at home. 1 think it was something like seven tons. 1 am not quite eu re . 7936. By
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN HEFOEE THE EOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
A. P. 7936. By He Chairman : What are you growing now ? I have beeii planting corn, but could not grow it
Stevenson. at the price.
""^ 7937. If a mill were erected near you would you grow sugar cane again ? Tea. If a mill were erected
1 Mar., 1889. ], ere by Mr. Cran, the same as lie proposes in the Iain, not only I but very nearly all the settlers would
grow cane. It is the only thing that will grow here.
7938. But if the Government were to erect a central mill here, woulil you undertake to grow cane by
white labour ? Yes ; 1 would.
7939. By Mr. Cowley : And how much inon^y would you want per ton to grow it with white labour ? I-
conld sell the cane very well a»d cart it half-a-ciilo t« Martin's for 8s. a ton. I would cart it two
miles for 8s. a ton. That is not only my own opinion, but many others would grow it at the same price.
I was thinking of asking the Government to buy Martin's mill. I do not think they would do it, but it
would be no harm to ask them to do so.
7940. How many selectors arc living near you ? Hound my place for 2} miles there are about thirty.
79-il. And would the whole of the thirty grow cane ? I could not s-ay the whole, but the uiostpartwould
if they only got a little bit of a guarantee.
7042. By Mr. Kin;/ .- How many acres of cane do you think the farmers who are around you would be
prepared to grow altogether ? I could not say until we had a meeting.
7943. By Mr. Cowlfy : Are you employing any kanakas now? Not now.
7944. *id you when you were growing cane ? Yes.
7945. How many did you employ ? I had five.
7946. How much did you pay them ? Some of them 10s. and some of them 15s. a week. I got them
under agreement for six months.
7947. What work did you do with those boys when you had them ? They did the heavy field work.
They were engaged planting and cutting cant;, and helping with the bananas.
7948. And do you think that you could grow cane, chip, plant, weed, and trash it, and do all the work
with white labour ? Yes; I can grow it with white labour and deliver it at a mill two miles away for 8s.
a ton.
7949. What labour would you get to do the work ? I would get white men. I would do it myself, and my
own son and some other white men would help me.
7950. What wages would you pay these men ? About 12s. a week and rations — about 19s. altogether.
7951. Is that the most you could afford to give them ? I think so. A man who gets His. a week aud
rations. I think does very well, and farmers could not pay any more, and would sooner do without hvui.
7952. Does the cane here suffer much from froBt ? Not my cane. We hud Cane all the season rouud,
and my cane had not the slightest touch of frost. Martin's had a little frost, but not much.
7953. Do you know what was the weight per acre of the cane grown ? Martin had something like three
tons of sugar to each acre.
7954. Have you never weighed your cane ? My cane went about forty tons to the acre. That was
two year old cane.
7955. Have the farmers ever talked over theii- position.— Do they meet together and talh it over ? Yes ;
several of them. Some of them would grow tobacco if there was a tobacco factory in Maryborough.
Tobacco grows here like a weed. For my part I have live acres of tobacco, and would want to put down
tobacco.
7956. Do you think that tobacco would pay better than sugar ? I think it would. If we could get 6d.
alb. it would pay very well
7957. What price would you expect to get for leaf tobacco ? Taking it all through, about Gd. a lb.
7958. Have any of you had any experience in growing tobacco and saving it? 1 have had a little bit.
7959. Do you understand how to save the leaf ? Yes.
Jens Chbistian Daum examined:
J. C. ])umm. 7960. Bij the Chairman : What are you ? J ;un fanning in this district.
^— ^v^^ 7901. How long have you been here ? Nineteen years.
1 Mar., 1889. 70(52. Have you lived in this district all those yeai"s? No.
7963. How long have you been here ? About ten years.
7964. How many acres have you altogether ? One hundred.
7965. How many have you cultivated ? I have very few under cultivation. I have had ten acres under
cultivation.
7966. What were you growing when you had teu acres under cultivation. The principal crop was sugar —
eight acres of cane.
7967. And to whom did you sell your cane? The first year I sold it to StuU' mill.
7968. What did you get f»r it ? On au average 1 had about 7s. a ton.
7 69. Did it pay you at that price? No.
6970. Did you continuo growing sugar cane ? No ; 1 did not plant any more.
6971. And have you not grown any since r No ; for they dissolved partnership and had to close the mill
for want of capital. I sold three acres to a man named Pope, who took the mill, for £15. That paid me
right enough. ]t paid me better than the first year.
6972. Could sugar cane be grown profitably if you had a mill near euough ? Yes ; I do think that I
would plant caue again if the Government put up a good mill which we could depend on to sell our
cane to.
6973. Would you undertake to grow sugar cane by white labour entirely if the Government were to erect
a mill? Yes. I have never had black labour.
6974. At what price would you sell your caue to a Government mill it' it was put up here ? That all
depends on the distance I would befi'oni it. if within a mile 1 could sell cane at 8s. a ton, and deliver
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE 8IJGA11 TNDUSTET IN QUEENSLAND.
7970. I mean previously ? Oh, yes.
7977. AV hat conclusion did you come to ? Just what I have now slated — that if a central mill were f
erected here we would grow cane for it. 1
7978. How many farmers live round you in your locality ? There are five near me who have grown
sugar.
7979. By Mr. King .- How long has Stutz's mill been closed? I think it has been closed very nearly
three years. I would not be quite certain.
7980. Has it been removed ? No ; it is still standing there.
7981 . "What was the reason that the mill failed? All the mills that were down here were not fitted for
the manufacture of sugar at the price sugar was at that time. If you like I will tell you the way I was
treated with the first crop of su^ur. The proprietor of the mill said he would take my first crop andcrush
it, and we agreed (hat I should have 13& n tou for 10 per cent, density. I (juite agreed to that. 1 knew
that would pay me. 1 l.e tented if with the saeearometer, but before doing so lie used to mix the juice with
rubbish, and so the saeearometer would uot rise, and only showed 5 per cent, density. If lie liad allowed
it to settle it would isoon have shown moce. I hare seen it when settled show 5, 7, 8, aod even 11 per
cent, density. So lie humbugged me altogether, and that is wby I only averaged 7s. a ton.
7982. How many acres of cane could be grown in your neighbourhood, supposing there was a mill ; taking
it all together, you growing some ami your neighb«ur.s growing some? That would be a very hard
question to answer now ; we would want to calculate up first. Of course, iE nil the fanners plaTitedthe
same quantity, all you would require to do to ascertain the acreage would bo to count the farmers. I
could now, if I started, put in ten acres of cane ; but there are others who would not be able to do it.
7983. Then altogether you would not be able to put more than 100 acres under cane in your neighbour-
hood ? No ; I mean on this side of the hill.
7984. Have you tried any other crop besides sugar cane ? Maize.
7985. Did it pay ? No ; it does not for one reason, that when there is a good crop there is no market
for it. One year I took off' 57 bushels to the acre, and that would bave paid me ; but it was the only
crop I took off my ground that did pay me. I got 4s. and 5s. a bushel for it.
79S6. By Mr. Cowley : Are you married ? Yes ; and have a family.
7987. When you said that you <?ould grow cane for the mill at 8s. a ton, would you be assisted by yonr
own family in growing it ? No.
7988. How do you intend to grow it ? I intended to grow ten acres with my own family, but I intended
to employ labour to plant it and cut it, but I would keep it clean with my own family.
7989. What would you p;iy the labourers you would employ ? What I paid them before was 25s. a week
and rations.
7990. And do you think that you could pay those wages and grow cane for Ss. per ton? Yes.
7991. By Mr. Kiv rj; Is there any other crop that you know of that could pay as well as cane, that could
be grown in this district ? I do not think so. Cane seems to grow fine in this district. I have had
rappoe cane two yearn old standing 21 feet and 22 feet high. I have some of this Caledonian ribbon
cane, it does well. I took olf cane that was 17 feet and over L8 fe<>t.
7992. Have you tried the cultivation of the vine? 1 have, but they have not borne any cr«p yet.
7993. Do oranges grow well in this district ? Yes. I liave a few orange trees and they flourish very
nicely.
7994. Have you a good market for fruit? Well, yes ; in the summer time we can sell it very well round
about here.
7995. Is there not always a market in Maryborough ? Yes; I think I could sell fruit in Maryborough
at any time. But a man could not make a living out of that alone, unless he went into it extensively.
It also req uires knowledge for fruit growing, whereas cane is such a simple thing to grow.
SATURDAY, 2 MARCH, 1889.
MARYBOROUGH DISTRICT.
(At Pialba.)
PflESENT :
AV. H. GROOM, Esq, M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Es«.
A. S. COAVLEY, Est., M.L.A.
W. H. GKOOM, Esq, M.L.A., in the Chaik.
CJeokoe Ambrose White examined:
7996. Jlii the Chairman .- You are a fruit grower in the Maryborough District ? Yes. Q . Whit
7997. What area of laud do you cultivate ? I think about forty aeivs.
7998. What fruit do you priucipally produce ? Bananas, pineapples, grapes, and a little of everything 2 ^ r
— oranges.
7999. Do you export your fruit to other colonies ? Yes.
8000. Do you send it to Brisbane ? Well, I send a small quantity to Brisbane. I send more to the other
colonies — to Sydney and Melbourne.
8011. What has been your experience with regard to the loss of fruit in transit ? During the season of
1887-8, the season before last, and the season just finished. I lost by ullage over 100 dozen, out of
20,000 that I sent. That is over 50 per cent. Some of them were carried as deck cargo, and some
between decks ; there was loss both ways.
8#02. Did you make any application to the company for redress ? I spoke to the agents here several
times, and they said that they had employed a detective at various times, but the thief could not be
discovered.
B 8003. What
242
MINtTXES OE EVIDENCE TAJ«N BEEORE THE EOTAi COITMISSION T« INQUIRE INTO
&. A. Wliite. 8003. "What company? Both companies. I had loss by both companies.
/"^^-— "~-\ 80»i. By Mr. King : Are you certadu that the fruit was put ou board all right ? Yes : I saw it put on
2 Mar., 1889. board myself.
8005. None of it would be pDfered before it went on board ? Not the slightest
8006. Have you had any losses with other fruits ? With grapes sent to Rockhampton. I have com-
plained of one shipment of sis eases of grapes because 10 lbs. were taken out of each case.
8007. What company were these carried by ? By Messrs. Howard Smith and Co. They were skipped
in the steamer "Balmain."
8008. By the Chairman : As deck cargo ? I should think it would be as deck cargo ; but they were
packed securely in good cases, and no one, excepting those who actually knew that I shipped grapes,
would know what was inside ; but the thieves took the lids off. I also lost five cases of fruit out of two
shipments of fifty cases.
>i009. By Mr. King .- Have you to accept bills of lading exonerating the company from all responsi-
bility ? I accept the bills of lading that are prepared by the agents.
8010. "Why do you take bills of lading on these terms ? Because if I did not I might keep the fruit. I
would have to keep the fruit, or accept the company's own terms.
8011. Then you have no choice ? No choice.
8012. By Mr. Cowley : "What was the weight of those cases of grapes on which you lost the 10 lis. ?
60 lbs each.
8013. You lost 10 lbs. out of every 60 lbs.? Yes.
8014. "Was the loss from actual ullage or from decay ? Prorn ullage, because they were only twenty,
four hours on the boat at the most, and the man to whom I sold them, the consignee at Rockhampton
made no complaint of any decay during the season.
8015. How do you account for them being able to open the cases on such a short trip ? I do not know.
8016. "Was the fruit sold and delivered m Maryborough, or do you run the risk of loss ? I delivered it
free on board.
8017 . Then it was a loss to the consignee ? Yes.
8018. In shipping fruit to the southern colonies, have you had any great loss from decay ? None. The
only fruit sent south was pineapples, and I had no complaints of any decay.
8019. Then they carry well except for the pilfering? Yes ; for anything I know to the contraiy,
8020. Have you never been able in any one instance to obtain compensation from the company for this
loss ? No.
8021. Do you find that fl ying foxes are bad to the fruit here ? Yery. And a great many of our native
birds destroy the fruit, and 1 think that the Native Birds Protection Act includes a number o£ birds it
ought not to, and if the law was carried out to the strict letter, scarcely any fruit growers would ie able
to protect themselves.
8022. By Mr. King : "What birds do you find obnoxious ? There is one that has been eating the bananas
on the river for two or three years. "We call it the red-bill; some call it the water-hen. There is the
bald-headed coote; it is very destructive to young corn, but it also attacks the bamanas when about three-
parts grown,
8023. These birds are not protected under the Native Birds Protection Act ? I am not sure, but I think
they are, according to my reading. Then the magpies and such birds are very troublesome.
8024. Do the flying foxes eat the pineapples ? No. I have done my best to have them destroyed, and
I have given £5 to one man for the greatest number of scalps that could be brought in.
8025. Doyouthink that the flyingfoxes should be included in the Obnoxious Animals Act? Yes; certainly.
(At Maryborough.)
Thoiias BoLEa Smith examined •
T. B. Smith. 8026. By tJw Chairman: Are you Polynesian Inspector for Maryborough ? Yes.
/^^v-*— ^ 8027- How long have yon been m that capacity ? Since May, 1882.
2 Mar., 1889. 8328. What number of Polynesians are now in the Maryborough district? Trusting to memory, 1 might
say about 500.
8029. Have yon a register of all of them ? Oh, yes.
8030. How many of these are indented boys now in service under a three years' engagement ? Trusting
to memory, I would say about 400. I am just speaking from memory ; that is as near as I can go.
8031. How many time-expired hoys are there? About forty with certificates.
8032. Then where are the balance to make up the 500 ? A great many of them are employed on farms
illegally ; and a lot of them are walking about unemployed.
8033. Have you a register oE all tho boys whether tboy are employed legally or illegally ? Not of those
who are employed illegally.
8034. Then these boys are not under your control ? No, not if they are illegally employed, and I do
not know where they are employed.
8#35. Have some of the Polynesians rented shops and wirried on business in Maryborough ? I have
heard so ; two of them.
8036. Do you visit the plantations where those boys are now engaged ? Yes.
8037. Are any of them on plantations that kive been closed ? No ; none that I am aware of.
8038. Could you furnish us with a returu showing the number of kanakas in the district and the places
where they are working? Yes ; certainly. [See Appendix^]
8039. Have you had any complaints from these boys in regard to their t reatment in any way ? Sometimes
trivial little complaints have come in and I b'ave iuvestigated them, and in the majority of eases found
that they were not quite correct.
8040. Have you had complaints of their being supplied with liquor ? Yes ; many u time.
S041. Have you prosecuted those parties for breach of the Act in that respect ? No ; but the police have
oil several occasions.
:8042. Do the kanakas come in any numbers iuto town on Saturday nights ? No, not now; very few.
8043. flave you heard of their creating .any disturbance in Maryborough on Saturday nights ? Not
lately ; they very seldom create any disturbance.
8044. Only when under the inlluence of liquor :' 'That is all ; nud even then only when iuterfered witli
hj larrikins and white men. S045. Have
THE GENERAL CONDITION Or THE SUGAE INDr/STET IN QUEENSLAND.
8045. Have you heard of the Polynesians visiting the haunts of the Chinese? Tes. T - B - &
8l)i6. And being taken into Chinese boarding-houses ? Tes. That is quite a common occurrence. — /V -
8047. Have you read the description in the Maryborough Chronicle of some of those Chinese haunts? Tes. 2 Mar.,
8043. Are there any grounds for these complaints ? 1 Ihmk there are.
8049. Has the attention of the police been called to them? I believe so.
8050. Do you consider it your duty, as inspector, to call the attention of the head of the department in
Brisbane to these facts ? I have never done so.
8051. 9o you not think that you should ? I never thought it wa3 necessary. I thought it was quite
sufficient to have them under the surveillance of the p«lice. I do not see what advice he could give mg
in the matter.
8052. Arfl you Polynesian protector as well as inspector ? I believe so.
8053 Do you not think that such duties as that would come under your jurisdiction as Polynesian
protector to protect the islanders tgaiust those haunts of demoralisation that are kept by Chinamen?
1 have many a time spokeu myself to the islanders about it,, and I have even gone into those Chinese
shops. I have often tried to get the kanakas away from there.
8054. Are you present when they are paid their wages ? Tes.
8055. Do many of them put money in the savings bank ? Not many.
805C Are you able to state the amount to the credit of the Polynesians in your district in the savings
bank ? Not at present ; I could tell you from the books.
8057. Are the forty time-expired boys within your jurisdiction ? Well, I might say thiit they are not.
They are free to do as they like.
8058. Then there are really 100 boys outside of your control ? Tes.
.H059. Have yon heard of any of them coming into active competition with white men in obtaining
em ploy men t ? No ; ne ve r.
8060. B y Mr. Kiny : How are the Polynesians treated by their employers ? Very well, so far as I am
aware. The complaints they bring iu are very few.
80(31. Arc they well looked after when sick r Very well.
8162. Is there uny excessive mortality or sickness amongst them now? No; it is very small now in
comparison to what it was a few years ago. There is very little sickness at the present time.
8063. Is there no demand for Polynesians at present in the Mary district, or what is the reason that the
number has fallen so very low ? I could not give you the reason.
80i4. Have you had any applications for licenses to recruit from this district ? Tes; there are licensed
vessels away at present.
80W5. Do you think that the demaud for Polynesians is gradually dying out in the Maryborough district?
Tes ; several of the plantations have been shut up here.
80(5(1. By Mr. Cotvley : I suppose all the Polynesians arc actually under your protection ? Tes.
8067. If they were to apply to you for anything, whether they were engaged or not, you would attend
to tli em ? Tes.
8068. Can you giv» any reasou why they are not depositing money in the savings bank? •nly one
reason: some two or throe years ago soin* islanders died, and the relatives tried to get money that
did not belong to them out of the savings bank. There was & lot of trouble and delay about it, and they
expressed themselves very much dissatisfied with this, and several of them openly stilted that they would
prevent their mates from depositing money again in the savings bank. Tkey always like to be able to
lay their hands on a pound if they require it.
8069. Hare you a deplt here for islanders? No ; not for isla.nders. There was a depSt for islanders,
but it is closed. There is no depot unless they occupy the European portion of it.
8070. Then when the boys are waiting to be returned to their native islands there is no depot for them to
live iu in the meantime? No; unless they remain in the place where they have been in the habit of
residing. They seem to have an objection to living in the European depot. 1 have tried several times to
get them into it, but they will not go.
8071. Is the European portion of the depot open for them if they wish to use it ? Tes.
8072. Then they prefer to take care of themselves ? Tes ; and they go on to the plantations, orliveany-
where outside of the depot.
S073. Is their last employer always willing to keep them? Tes.
8074. Is there any reason for their going into these Chinese boarding houses? None whatever.
8075. It is simply a matter of preference ? Tes.
8076. By Mr. King : Tou arc also immigration agemt ? Tes.
8077. What are the wages that newly-arrived immigrants get in this district? At the present time
carried couples get from <£35 to £±5 a year ; single men get J630 a year ou an average, scarcely that — •
that is perhaps the outside price ; jingle girls get from 10b to 12s. a week.
8078. Have the wages of white single men increased or decreased during last .yeat — since a number
of the plantations became closed ? For the past twelve months they have decreased; but that is due
more to the drought than to any other cause.
8079. Has the demand for immigrants declined or advanced ? It has diminished very considerably.
Ernest GtEoeoe Poetee recalled.
8080. By the Chairman: As secretary of the Planters' Association, can you supply us with a return H> q. ,
showing the number of plantations in the Maryborough district ; the capital invested therein ; the annual —
working expenditure of each ; the number of men employed — bl^ek and white; specifying in the return 2 ^
which are the plantations that are now closed ? I will forward it to you in the course of a day or two. r "
[See Appendix.}
Robeet Haet examined :
8081. By the Chairman : You are a member of the firm of Messrs. Wilson and Hart? Tea. „
8082. By Mr. King : Tou have a sawmill in Maryborough ? Tes. _/
8(XS3. Where used vou to dispose of your timber? In all the Northern ports of Queensland— from
Maryborough to Xoi-ui:iutou. " *'
8081. Has
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOUL THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
B. Hart. 8084. Has there been any alteration in the trade of late years ? Yes, a great alteration in trade since
f * \ 1883.
2 Mar., 1889. 8085. What direction has the alteration taken ? In falling off.
8086. Can you give us any idea as to what extent the trade has fallen off? Yes, from 18S3 to 18S6
25 per cent. There is a general falling off in our trade here as well, but I can give you the falling
off in, say, Maekay.
80S7. "Well, take Mackav for instance ? In Mack ay in 18*3, there waa £19,G00 worth of timber sold by
us, in 1884, £15,000 worth, in. 1887 ,£9.0i0 worth, and in 1888 £5,700 worth.
8088. To what do you attribute this falling off? In Mackay, to the sugar industry being depressed.
8089. Might it not be due to the fact of other saw-mill owners competing against you? No, not in
Mack ay.
8090. How is your local trade in Maryborough affected ? The falling off in our trade here from 1S82 to
I860 has been 25 per cent.
8091. To what do you attribute the diminution of your local trade ? To general depression in sugar all
over the north.
8092. There is then a general depression in trade caused by the depression in the sugar industry? Yes.
8093. Do you wish to make any suggestion to the Commission ? No, I do not.
Joseph AVhitino examined :
J. Whiting. 8094. By the Chairman : What are you? A journalist.
N 8095. Kesiding in Maryborough ? Residing iu Maryborough,
2 Mar., 1889. 809G. Do you know of many time-expired boys being in Maryborough at present ? Yes ; a great many.
I could not tell you how many— perhaps 100. I could not say exactly.
8097. Do you know if any of them are in business in town ? Yes ; there are some.
8098. Engaged in trade ? There are two renting shops. To my knowledge there jare two- There may
be more.
8099. Do you know if any of these time-expired boys are coming into competition with the white
labourers of Maryborough? Yes.
8100. Do you know the men, and the mode in which they are competing? Yes; as gardeners and
coachmen.
8101. Do you know of your own knowledge if Chinamen who keep boarding houses here are inducing
kanakas into their haunts and dens in this town ? Yes ; I have myself seen six kanakas in a Chinese
den or brothel.
8102. Were those in Chinese b»ariing h»uses ? No; merely opium-smoking places.
8103. Are these places licensed under the provisions of the Health Act? JSo ; they are not licensed.
8104. Do you know if the attention of the Polynesian protector has been called to this or not t No.
81*5. Do you know if anything has been done by the police to put a stop to it? The police have done
nothing to put a stop to it.
810G. Is there any •ther matter that you wish to refer to? 1 know of three places kept by Chinese, in
addition to those I have Mentioned, in which there are white women, and kanakas freqnently visiting these
places.
8107. By. Mr. Cowley : How do you arrive at the number of time-expired boys who are loafing about
town ? I did not say loafing : I intended to say that the men were at work.
8108. Are there 100 time-expired boys at work ? Yes, about that number.
8109. They are under agreement, I suppose? So far as my knowledgegoes they are employed on wages ;
they miy be under an agreement.
8110. Do you know if they are under agreement or not ? I do not.
8111. 1 suppose you are aware of the provisions of the Aet by which anyone employing islanders without
an agreement can be punished? Yes, I am aware of it.
8112. Do you know of your own knowledge whether these men are under agreement or not ? I have no
knowledge.
8113. You say there are two kanakas renting shops ? Yes.
8114. Are they renting them from a white man ? Yea.
8115. How long have these kanakas been in the country ? I cannot say.
8116. Can you say whether they are exempt from the Polynesian Act, and are what are known as ticket
boys ? No, I can not.
8117. How many kanakas are there engaged as gardeners and coachmen? How many are there whom
you actually know are gardeners, or driving coaches or buggies? I know of twelve.
8H8. Is this done publicly or disguised? No ; they drive through town, and I have seen them working
in gardens.
8119. Are these boys exempt or not; ? I do not know.
8120. And you can't say how lung they have been iu the country ? No.
8121. You say you have seen six kauakas at one time in a Chinese brothel ? Yes.
8122. How did you know that it was a Chinese bruthel ? Because on a subsequent evening a woman
was taken out of it. She is now in Toowoomba gaol.
8123. A white woman? A white woman.
8124. Are all these women who are kept by Chinamen white women, or are they Chinese women?
White women.
8125. And are you very familiar with those places ? Well, yes I am, because, yon see, my business takes
me there as a journalist.
8126. Is it not a very common thing to see white men there ? No ; I never saw a white man there.
€127. Are you quite sure of that ? Yes ; they are Chinese brothels.
8128. From your knowledge of the district are the kanakas more addicted to this sort of thing than the
same number of white men would be, or are they less addicted to it? Probably the immorality of the
kanaka, is more open.
8129. Have you ever reported these and other matters that came under your notice as^a journalist to the
police ? Yes ; I have told them what 1 saw. 813u. Have
THE GENERAL COlTDITIOjr OF THE STTflAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
8130. Have they taken any action to suppress them ? No action. J -
8131. Were you formerly a minister of a religious denomination ? Tes.
8132. Have you taken any action to try and improve the morals of the kanakas? I have not. 2 Mar.,
8133. Is it done by any white people in town? It is.
8134- Have they met with any degree of success? They have.
8135. Is this done by the employers or by other individuals ? By the Church of England — by the Rev.
Mr. Eva and two or three laymen.
8136. Then there are counteracting influences at work to try and check this state of things amongst the
kanakas ? Yes. But these counteracting influences— these relig ous influeuces — existed previous to any
knowledge of the extent to which thia immoi-ality was going on.
8137. Do they still continue ? Tes ; the religious influence continues.
8138. Could you give us any idea of the number of kanakas who attend the places of religious instruc-
tion? They attend the Church of England School every Sunday and once a week at night. I should
think the average attendance is from forty to fifty.
WEDNESDAY, 13 MARCH, 1889.
BRISBANE.
(At the Houses of Parliament, Brisbane.)
Present :
W . H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Edward "William Kjvox: examined :
8139. By ike Chairman : You are general manager of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company ? Yes ; and E. W.
before I was manager, I was for about ten years inspector of -the company's mills in New South Wales.
8140. "What experience have you had in the cultivation of the sugar cane and the manufacture of sugar? 13 Mar.,
I have bad about twenty years' experience in connection with the inspection and management of the
Company's business.
8141. What are the names of the three plantations that the Company own in Queensland? Homebush,
Victoria, and Goondi.
8142. What is the total area of land in the three plantations ? About 38,000 acres.
8143. How many acres are under cultivation in the three plantations ? 6,800 ; all under cane except
eighty acres.
8144. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? 5,008 of our own cane, and 995 of purchased
cane.
8145. What was the total amount of sugar manufactured ? 6,750 tons.
8140. What amount of capital is invested in the tliree estates? The total capital expended, independent
of interest on the outlay, lias been £624,000.
8147. Was any interest returned «n that expenditure during 1888 ? None.
8148. What is the average annual expenditure on worki»g expenses? £80,000, exclusive of interest.
8149. Can you tell us what labour was employed in working the three plantations ? " The average number
employed daily, exclusive of men off duty through sickness or from other causes, were : Europeans, 342 ;
Chinese, 114 ; kanakas, 607; Javanese, 215 ; and Cingalese, 27 — in all, 1,305 ; these being independent
of salaried Europeans.
8150. What is the average cost of the coloured classes of labour? For wages, introduction, rations,
clothing, hospital fees, &c. : Chinese, 3s. 10^d. ; Javanese, 2s. 9d.; and kanakas, 2s. 7d. per day worked.
8151. What is the total amount of wages paid to Europeans, Chinese, Javanese, kanakas, &c? Including
salaries to European officers, and the cost of rations supplied — such rations being, of course, part of the
wages: Europeans, £44,522; Chiucse, £4,977; kanakas, £24,844; Cingalese, £1,276; and Javanese,
£7,927— in all, £83,546.
8152. What wa« the cost of the machinery on your three plantations, and where was it manufactured ?
About £220,0#O, and almost entirely obtained from the United Kingdom, but a small quantity from
France. Of the tramway plant, not included in these figures, about one-third is French and the remainder
English.
8153. What is the cost of the annual overhaul and repairs on the three plantations ? Machinery, tram-
ways, rolling stock, steam ploughs, Ac, from £9,000 to £10,000.
8154. Op course you .are aware that there is a general depression in the sugar industry just now? Yes.
8155. In other places besides Queensland? Yes.
8156. Can you state the causes which, in your opinion, have brought about that depression, directingyour
attention to Queensland particularly ? The causes that operate in Queensland do not necessarily
operate elsewhere. The main cause is the great fall in the price of sugar which took place in 1884, and is
now likely to be permanent. This, speaking generally, lVsoived a loss of a portion of the capital which
had beenmvested in the planta ions and mills. Such loss was aggravated by the partial failure of the
crop in 1888 ; to a certain extent also by the expense and difficulty of obtaining the requisite labour, and
by the greater cost of fodder and other requisites since the change in the Queensland tariff.
8157. Can you offer any suggestions by which, in your opinion, the present depression can be relieved ?
There is reason to believe that sugar can still be produced at a profit in Queensland, especially now that
the plantations and mills can be purchased for sums much below the cost of clearing the land and the
necessary machinery, provided that owners can have some security that their investment will not be
forfeited by the stoppage of the employment of coloured labourers. Without suitable labour the industry
must come to an end, and unless planters can have a clear understanding that for some time they are
sure of their supply of labour, they must at v once prepare for closing, because the clearing of
246
MTTfUTES OF EVIDENCE TAEETT BEFOEE THE ROTAIi COMMISSION TO rNQUIBE 1X70
E. W. Knox, additional land, and in a less degree the improvement of that now under cultivation, by drainage and
/— N higher cultivation, are out of the question unless the expense attending these works can be spread over a
13 Mai, 1889. term of years. The one suggestion I have to offer is that the planters be permitted, under certain
restrictions, to import the necessary labour from other countries than China, or, preferably, that the
Government undertake this duty, as in the Crown colonies where sugar manufacture is an important
industry.
815b. Of course you are aware that the importation of kanakas ceases at the end of 1890 ? Yes.
8159. Are you prepared to state what will be the probable effect upon the three plantations that you are
general manager of in Queensland, supposing that that part of the Polynesian Act of 1385 is enforced?
Weshould atonce make preparations forclosingtwo of the plantations, andarrangeto work the third as
long as labour was obtainable. Then we must necessarily close this unless some description of coloured
labour could be procured.
8160. Ha,ve you visited the Northern plantations? No.
8161. Your experience has extended to other countries besides Queensland in the matter of sugar grow-
ing ? I have spent some time in the West Indies. I have been frequently in Fiji, and I have seen
something of the beet industry in Germany and France.
8162. How are the plantations on the Clarence River worked ? Entirely by small farmers, who cultivate
areas of from, say, five to fifty or sixty acres of cane.
8163. And the company purchase the cane ? Yes.
8164. Are the company growing any cane themselves? About 300 acres on the Richmond and from 300
to 500 aeres on the Tweed. None on the Clarence.
8165. How many mills have you in operation on the Clarence and Richmond? One large mill on the
Clarence, another on the Richmond, and a smaller one on the Tweed.
8166. What labour is employed on the Clarence in growing cane ? Entirely European labour.
8167. Do you know whether at any time coloured labour has been employed on the Clarence ? No, it
has never been employed, except a few over-time kanakas who have come over to New South Wales and
who have, as a rule, been paid the same wages as Europeans.
8168. Is the growing of cane by small farmers in the way you have just described remunerative to the
farmers ? They apparently think so as they have planted a considerable area of cane during the last
twelve iucnths.
8169. Have yon any idea of the area of land under cane on the Clarence ? Between 5,000 and 6,000
acres on the Clarence alone.
8170. How much on the Richmond ? Between 8,000 and 10,000 acres.
8171. All grown by small farmers ? Yes.
8172. And all the cane is purchased by your company ? Oh ! no. There have been in operation hitherto
a considerable number of small mills that have crushed the cane grown by the «wners of the farms on
which the mills are situated, and have to a certain extent purchased cane from neighbouring farms.
8173. "What is the price per ton of cane paid by the mills ? We pay the grower from 9s. to 13s. 6d. a
ton, according to the condition of the crop, and we cut it and take it off the ground.
8174. I presume the others who purchase cane from the growers give the same price ? Yes ; the price
is generally uniform.
8175. "What would the cane cost delivered at the mill? On the average between 17s. 6d. and 18s. a ton.
8176. Then the company are able to make it pay at that price ? Yes j with the help of £5 a ton
protection.
8177. Are the whole of the plantations in Fiji carried on with coloured labour ? Entirely — East
Indians, Coolies, antLFijians.
8178. Can you state the wages which are paid to the Coolies in Fiji ? One shilling per day worked, the
Coolie feeding himself.
8179. And the others ? The Fijians practically about the same.
8180. By Mr. King .- Do the Coolies get paid for days that they do not work? No ; of course the cost
to us is considerably more than Is. a day.
8181. By {he Chairman : Under what conditions are the coolies introduced into Fiji ? They are intro-
duced entirely by the Government, and allotted by them to the planters ; the planters paying the cost
of introduction on allotment, or, when only a small number of men are needed, having the pa.yments
spread over a term of years.
8182. For what term are they introduced ? They are indentured for five years.
8183. Is there any undertaking to return them ? I think the Government is under an obligation to
return the men to India at the end of ten years, if they desire to go.
8181. At their own or the cost of the planter ? At the cost of the Government.
8185. You have visited France and Germany ? Yes.
8186. And you are acquainted with the bounty system of those two countries ? Yes.
8187. Would you be good enough to explain the system as iteaine under pur observation? The
bounty in Germany and France is not a direct payment by the State to the manufacturer, but is obtained
by the latter through the Government levying a duty on the roots, nnd allowing a rebate on tho exported
sugar at a rate of production lower than the actual yield of the beets. That is tn say, that if the Govern-
ment assumed tbat the average yield from tho beets was, say, 10 per cent, of sugar, and the manufacturer
obtiuned 12 per cent., he would, on the exportation of the sugar, get a drawback larger than the
duty which he paid on the beets in the proportion of twelve to ten. 1 n Germany, also, the manufacl axel
has a further advantage in that duty is not levied on the sugar extracted from the molasses, and, in con-
sequence, expensive processes can be adopted for the extraction of such sugar which cannot be profitably
used where there ib no such advantage to be obtained.
8188. Have your managers on the plantations up north any general instructions to guide them i n the
management of the plantations, or are they left to their own discretion ? The work is left to their own
discretion. They have no general written instructions.
8189. I mean more particularly with regard to the management of the coloured races ? No ; they have
no written instructions, except such as are conveyed in ordinary correspondence. There is no regular
form of instruction.
8190. Then
THE OENEBATj CONDITION OF THE 9VQA.U EIDTJSTBT IS QUEENSLAND.
247
8190. Then the food which is supplied to the kanakas is that which is prescribed by Act of Parliament ? E. W. Koox.
The position that we tal«; up with regard to the eoloured races ih this. We tell our managers very
clearly, uhen they take charge, that under no circumstance are they to leave anything undone which 13Ma r .,l889.
should be done, in regard to the health or the food of the coloured men they employ; that we will not
grumble at any necessary expense that is incurred in those matters, and that, on the other hand, they
have the responsibility in thy event of any trouble occurring by reason of the coloured labour having
been insufficient!)' fed «r improperly h»oked after. Although there are no written instructions, these
matters are most clearly laid down for their guidance, and the managers know very well that if anything
goes wrong the responsibility is on thein
819L. By Mr. King : The whole of the sugar that you make in Queensland is imported into Sydney ? It
is all taken to Sydney, Melbourne, or Auckland.
8192 Do you have to pay any duty on importing it into Sydney ? Yes; £.5 a ton. At all our refineries
we work in bond and pay duty on the sugar, as it is taken out of the refinery.
8193. But if the sugar is consumed in New South Wales you have to pay the full duty of £5 a ton ?
Yes ; on the produce of it.
8194. Is there any excise duty on sugar manufactured in New South Wales ? None. The duty on
imported sugar is £5 a ton.
8195. Then you can afford to pay a much higher price forcane in New South Wales than in Queensland ?
Certainly. 1 may illustrate that, by saying that the price fixed in our contracts for cane soli to us in
Fiji is from 7s. to 8a. per ton below that which cane of somewhat similar quality costs us in New South
Wales.
8190. Is sugar cane cultivation extending in New South Wales ? A considerable area was planted
during the If.st year,
8197. Has it extended or diminished of late years — is there an increase or falling off, or does it remain
stationary ? The area under cultivation is increasing, but a number of small mills have been
compelled to stop operations by reason of their inability to work at a profit.
819s. There is not a sulficientquantity of sugar grown in New South Wales to supply the New South
Wales market ? The largest quantity produced in one year was somewhat more than half the con-
sumption of the colony.
8199. And therefore the growers get the full benefit of the protection of £3 a ton ? Unquestionably.
8200. Has your company ever tried the diffusion process for extracting sugar? Yes; we put down a
plant for that purpose on the Richmond two years since.
S201. You have had a trial of it? Yes.
8202. With what result 't Personally, I am of opinion that the process will, in the future, be universally
adopted for the manufacture of sugar from cane where cheap fuel and a good supply of water can be
obtained.
8203. lias the result of your working provei profitable— did you get a larger return ? Our working has
been only experimental, but it has convinced us that a larger quantity of sugar can be extracted from the
cane by means of diffusion than by any other process.
82U4. Will that larger quantity of sugar pay for the larger quantity of fuel tha.t is required ? That
depends on the cost of the fuel — 1 believe so when the cost of coal would not exceed from 25s. to 30s.
a ton.
8205. Will the result of this experiment induce you to adopt the dilrusion principle at your mills in
Queensland ? Diffusion can only be adopted at factories, as now arranged, by the expenditure of a large
sum of money, and under present circumstances it is out of the question to invest any additional capital
in Queensland factories:.
8200. I think you said that the sugar market was depressed all over the world ? A low level of prices
has been reached which is likely to be permanent. You can hardly call it depression now. It is a fall
in price.
8207. There is a diffusion mill at Cudgen, on the Tweed ? Yes.
8208. Does that belong to the company ? No ; to Mr. John K.obb, of Melbourne.
82J9. Have you seen that mill at work, or do you know anything about it ? I have not seen it, but I
understand that the proprietor is well satisfied with the results.
8210. By whom was the machinery made ? It was made by a German firm. Ours was by a French
firm.
821L. Is it your opinion that the sugar industryis more depressed in Queensland at the present time than
in other sugar producing countries ? Yes ; because the cost of production is higher.
82L2. Ho the company find that sugar growing is more profitable in Fiji than in Queensland? We can
produce sugar there at a lower cost although the cane is not so sweet as the Queensland cane.
6213. By Mr. Cowley : But still you produce the actual sugar at a lower cost ? Yes.
8214. By Mr. King : What is the amount of fall in the price of sugar since 18S4? From £10 to £12 a
ton in Australia.
8215. You do not see any prospect of that fall being recovered ? No ; partly because there has been a
general reduction in the values of all produce, and partly because since the fall t«ok place the
cost of production or' i*ugar has been considerably reduced. 1 may illustrate that statement by
pointi'ug out that in Germany the yield of sugar from the beets has been increased and the cost of
working has at the same time been lessened, and it is understood that for the first year since 1884
several new factories will be in operatiou in 1889. In LsS7 the yield of sugar throughout Germany was
1 ton of 88 per cent. N.T. to 7.4 tons of beet ; in Anhalt it was 1 to 7.33 ; in Saxony I to 7.45. Iul886
the yield was 1 to 8 21 ; in 18SST, 1 to 8 45; in 1888, incousequeuce of thedamagedoneby theearlyfxost, it
is expected that the yield will be 1 to 7.63- In some cases the beet contains between 19 and 20 percent,
of sugar.
S210. You said tha.t it was possible if cheap labour could be procured that the sugar industry eould be
carried on profitably now that plantations could be bought at a very much lower price than they had cost ?
Yes.
8217. It is your opinion then that simply those plantations that are already formed can be carried on,
but that there will be no inducement to extend the sugar industry ? ISo inducement to extend new
plautations, because there is at the present moment in Queensland ample machinery to manufacture a
much larger crop tha.n has yet been taken off. 8218. Your
248
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEEOEE THE ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIHE INTO
E.W. Knox. 8218. Your opinion is that with cheaplabour the plantations now in existence might manage to carry on,
— \ but that there would be no inducement to form new plantations ? I think that with a certain supply of
13 Mar., 1889. coloured labour the present plantations would be carried on, and must necessarily be extended, because
employment has to be found between the seasons for the hands who are not required for cultivating the
8219 S . By Mr. Cowley : You stated in reply to one queBtiou that if the present Act now in force is not
repealed you will close your m lis i» Queensland— two at once, and th e other would follow ? Yes.
8220. Where would you put those mills —would you take them to New South Wales or Fiji ? I think
that employment could be found for the machinery either in New South Wales or Fiji.
8221. Do the small cane growers on the Clarence own the land, or do they rent it? I cannot tell you
the exact proportion of rented land and land held in fee simple by the cultivators, but I think it is about
one-third rented and two-tkirds fee simple.
8222. Do the proprietors or leaseholders do most of the cultivation themselves, or do they employ other
labour ? They do the work personally, and employ additional labour when needed for breaking up the
land and at trashing time-
8223. Do they employ the members of their families at the work? The boys, I think, always ; the girls
very sel<Iom.
822-4. What is the general nature of the land on the Clarence and Richmond Eivers ? The land which is
cultivated in almost exclusively the alluvial deposit on the bauks of the river. It is on th» Clarence, a
strip on an average of about ten chains wide ou the main river and t he delta ehannck, which ar» very
numerous. On the llichmond the alluvial land is wider, and there is in addition a very large extent of
rich country known as the " big scrub," on which it is probable that cane can be grown to a very large
extent, though the effects of the frost on the crops growing there cannot yet be spoken of with
eertainty.
8225. Is the alluvial land on the Clarence very rich ? Very rich ; and continually refreshed by floods.
8226. Are the crops heavier there than the average crop in Queensland ? I think that in portions of
the district, which are not touched by frost, the average crop is at least as high as that of any district in
Queensland.
8227. Is the whole of this land free from stumps and worked by horses ? It is all worked by horses.
8228. Do they trash the cane? The cane is almost always trashed. We pay a higher price for trashed
than for untrashed cane.
8229. How much higher do you pay for trashed cane? Between 3s. and 4s. a ton.
8230. Do you give rewards for the best kept farms ? Not now.
8231. Are we to understand from you that when the Government introduces Indian coolies into Fiji,
they permit the s*naller employers to extend the payment o£ passage money over five years? I do not
know the exact term over which it is extended, but it certainly is deferred over a term of years.
8232. Is that done simply to encourage the small farmers ? Entirely. The large planter has to pay cash
on the allotment of the labour, besides a payment of £6 a head with his application for the introduction
of the men.
8233. What is the total cost to the employers of the introduction fees for these men? About £23
apiece ; women and children over a certain age included.
8234. Don't you think that the £23 a head paid to the Governmentcovers the cost of the return passage ?
We have never seen the exact figures ; but a very small proportion of the Coolies desire to return. They
settle down on little farms of their own, and do not want to go.
8235. What is the actual total cost per day of Indian Coolie labour? Something under Is. 6d. ; which
covers the pay, hospital expense, and cost of introduction.
B'l'Stt. Do yon employ fchern in preference to kanakas «n account of their being cheaper ? Although the
rate»f wages paid to the C«»lies is less than the cost of the kanakas per day, I do not know that the work
13 done at a cheaper rate. The climate of Fiji is not suited to the kanaka, and we hare not for some years
introduced any.
8237. We noticed that there were a very large number of boys in the Ingham Hospital, and I would like,
to know if you are prepared to establish a hospital at Victoria on the same principle as that at (roondi
where all trivial cases could be treated, and thereby obviating the eost of sending so many to the Ingham
Hospital? We certainly would have no »bjectioa; but we are in such matters, to a great extent, in the
hands of the Government medical officer »f the district and the Polynesian inspector, and are ctrapeMed
to carry out their wishes in these matters. If they require us to send the men into the Ingham Hospital
we must do so, whatever our own opinion or wishes in tho matter may be ; and, as I stated before,
the general instructions to our managers arc, in such matters, to do everything that is necessary for the
health of the kanakas. With reference to the suggestions that have been made concerning the treat-
ment of kanakas at Victoria plantation, I desire to bring before the Commission the following facts relative
to the expenditure and death rate on the three plantations belonging to the company in Queensland during
the years 1887 and 1888 : In 1888 the cost of the food supplied to tlie kanakas at Victoria was greater
per working day than at either of the other plantations. The cost nf the hospital attendance w ; is greater
than at Homebush, and less than at Goondi ; and the cost ot' the other supplies at Victoriawas also
greater thun at the other two places. The percentage ol workers at Victoria was greater than at
Homebush, and one per cent, less than at Goondi, the figures being respectively : 8248 for Victoria ;
80'7 for Homebush, and 83'5 for Goondi ; showing that there could not have been rery much, if any, more
siekness at Victoria than at the other plantations. During 1887 the food supplied at Victoria cost more
th an that given at Homebush, and the hospital attendance somewhat less. The percentage of workers at
Victoria in that year was also a trifle less than at either of the two other plantations, the average for the
whole for the two respective years being almost exactly the same. As to the mortality, I ean say that,
during 1887 and 185»8, there were at Victoria sixteen deaths for 150,000 working days. At Goondi, there
were during the same time thirty deaths for 144,UU0 working days; at Homebush, in 1887, there were
four deaths for 22,000 working days ; amd in 1888, seven deaths for 30,500 working days. It will bo
seen from these figures that the mortality at Victoria has been much less than at Goondi and Homebush,
and I believe it will compare favourably with that of any plantation in Queensland.
8238. You say that under present circumstances you are not prepared to invest more capital in the sugar
industry in Queensland? Yes.
8239. What are those circumstanees — what do you specially refer to ? The uncertainty as to the supply
of labour. 8240. Does
TUB GENEBAI, CONDITION «r THE SWATC IKTDTJSTET IN QUEENSLAND.
249
8240. Does the matter of extension depend entirely on the labour question being settled satisfactorily ? E. w. Knoj.
8241. Are you manuring your land in Queensland ? Only to a slight extent. "We have not gone in for 13 Mar., 1889.
the same improvements in the cultivation sis we have initiated elsewhere, owing to the uncertainty of the
supply of labour.
8242. Tou stated that you purchased somewhere about 900 acres of cane last year? Yes.
8243. Did you get as much as you wanted ? No.
8244. Up to what extent would you be prepared to buy in Queensland to keep your present mills going ?
We are prepared to purchase to a very large extent— indeed, would prefer to purchase all our cane rather
than to grow it.
8245. Then in that case you would lease your land to farmers ? Tes. ,
824G. Have you leased any at present on any of your estates ? Only one block on the Johnstone.
8247. On what terms is it leased ? A clearing lease. We are paying a fixed price for the cane on
delivery.
8248. How many years does the lease extend over? Eight years.
8249. Do you charge any rent for the land at all? I think not.
8250. Can you tell us the number of miles of tramway you have on your estates? We have fifty miles
of permanent; line, twenty-four miles of portable line, 1,500 waggons, and nine locomotives.
8251. Have you double crushing at all your mills ? Tes.
8252. *o you macerate ? Tes.
8253. Is your machinery of tho veiy best description, or are there better mills in existence ? I think
that during the last few years there have been some considerable improvements in sugar machinery
brought to perfection, which we have not applied in Queensland. When the Queensland mills were
erected, the plant supplied to them was of the best description.
8254. Do these improvements apply to the crushing or extraction of the sugar from the juice? Both.
8255. Do you intend to introduce any of these improvements into Queensland? Not lit the present time.
8256. Would you do so if you were carrying on for a number of years longer ? Tes ; we would make
modifications in the plant as opportunity offered.
8257. Do you strive to avoid all waste by employing analytical chemists ? The whole of our work is
carried on under chemical supervision, and we are now introducing the same system of supervision in
regard t o the agricultural work.
82-58. Can you tell us the average percentage of sugar you extract from the cane ? Speaking roughly,
we obtain tnree-fourths of the obtainable sugar from the cane.
8259. Do you do anything with your molasses ? We put it on the fields.
8260. Tou do not use it tor rum making? Not in Queenalaud. We distil in New South Wales.
8261. Is there any reason for not distilling here ? The reason for not utilising our molasses in
Queensland by establishing distilleries is that the distilling power in Queensland is already sufficient for
the spirit consumed there. If another distillery were established, the price would fall to an unre-
munerativo level.
82(32. We notice that you employ a great many Chinamen — do you employ them in preference to
kanakas, ur on account of not being able to get enough kanakas ? Tho Chiuese are mainly employed at
felling and contract work, for which the kanakas are not suited.
8263. By the Chairman ; Can you offer any suggestion by which tropical agriculture outside of sugar
growing can be promoted ? The climate «f Queensland, south of the Johnstone, is, I imagine, unsuitable
for any tropical products which could be grown in rotation with sugar cane, unless it be rice. Whether
nee could be cultivated largely without extensive irrigation — for which there are not any facilities, an«L
many hindrances, such as 15 per cent, duty on the plant — is, I think, doubtful, and it seems to me almost
hopeless to expect that, with the highly paid labour which lias to be used iu Queensland, any crop of this
sort for which expeusivo machinery or skilled labour are not wanted could be raised in Queensland and
sold at remunerative prices against the produce of India, C'hiua, Burmah, and Java, except in the local
markets, and then only if it were protected against outside competition. Coloured labour must also be
provided for any crops that can be grown in the tropics. The systematic employment of Europeans in
most of the agricultural operations north of Bundaberg I believe to be impossible.
8264. By Mr. King : Can you tell us what thecost «f an agricultural labourer is in Java? 6d. per
day.
82"b'5. And find themselves ? Tes.
8266. What is the cost of the agricultural labourer in Germany? The men get from Is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. a
day for agricultural work, working from daylight to dark, with short breaks for meals. In the factories,
working eleven hours per day, men get from Is. Gd. to 2s. ; boys and women from 9d. to Is. 3d., and in
all cases find themselves. In France the factory wages are from Is. 9d. to 2s., men working twelve hours
a day, night and day, and Sundays.
82G7. What nre the Freuch wages in the field ? I do not know. On thfc whole in Germany the wages
in the field are somewhat higher than in the factory, but the factory work is carried on at a time when
other outside work is checked, and when the men in the building trades are to a certain extent out of
employment, and look for work in the factories.
82G8. By Mr. Cowley : Can you tell us anything about the disease in cane wluch is known as sereh ? I
can ouly say that it is believed to be exteuding in Java, and by the last mail wc had advices from our
agent there that it was reported to have broken out in n district not liithcrto affected, and that they
feared if the report was true the output of the coming crop would be materially reduced.
Ebwaed Baoihow Eohbest examined :
8269. By the Cliairman : Ton are a member of the Legislative Council of Queensland ? Tes. E. B. Forrest.
8270. Tou act for the Colonial Sugar Company? Tes; I am managing director forParbury, Lamb, and —
Co., who are agents for the Colonial Sugar Benning Company. 13mIt188S
8271. How long hare you been acting in that capacity ? I have been with the company myself for the
last thirty years. I was formerly in their employ.
8272. How long has your agency extended over the sugar plantations of the company in Queensland?
Since they were established. 8273. Can
250
HINTJTE8 OP EVTDEXCE TAKEN BI3FOKE THE ROTAX COMMISSION TO ISQTjIRT! CTTO
E. B. Forrest. 8273. Can yon give us any statistics as to the price of sugar some three or four years ago and now?
N Yes. I have classed the sugars into three sorts. Whites first and second, yellows first and second, and, in
13 Mar., 18B9. addition to those, ration sugars. For first whites in 1882 the price ranged fr»m £ 38 to £28 per ton;
second whites from £28 to £23. You will understand t-hat some portion of that variation in price is due
to the different samples of different descriptions of sugar. Yellow*; rangedduriug 1882 from £24 to £20;
ration sugar ranged from £22 to £16- In 1883 first whites ranged froin£34 to £28; second whites, £27
to £25; yellows, £27 to £ 19 ; rations, from £ L7 to £1-1 In 1884 irst whites rauged from £30 to £20 ;
second whites, £2(5 to £18 ; yellows, £24 to £14 ; rations, £13 to £10. In 1885 first whites ranged from
£20 to £18; second whites, £19 to £17 ; yellows, £17 to £L3 ; and rations were quoted at £10 throughout
the whole year. In 388(3 first whites were worth £20; second whites, £19; yellows, £14 to £11 ; and
rations, £11 to £10. In 1887 first whites rose a?ain. They stld. at, from £2(3 to £17 ; second whites, £25
to £14 10s. ; vellows, £15 to £11 ; and rations, £12 to £9. In 1888 first whites ranged from £22 to £L8 j
second whites from £19 to £16 ; yellows, £17 to £13 ; and rations, £12 to £L0. That brings us up to the
end of last year, and this yea.r first whites are now worth £26 ; second whites, about £24 ; yellows, £21 ;
and rations," £13 to £14. That; brings us up to the present date,
8274. What in vour opinion has led to the fluctuation in prices during those years ? Over-production no
doubt, largely due to the production of beet sugar. This market of course has been affected like all other
markets.
8275. Can you state of your own knowledge whether beet-root sugar comes much iuto competition with
Queensland^ sugars here ia Brisbaue ? Not here directly.
827«. It is the competition in the open market that affects the colonial price? The market at home
generally governs the colonial price. Beet sugar is very largely consumed there, aud consequently there
is less draw on the sugar from Mauritius. The market here follows as a rule the market at home, in
sugar as in most other things.
8277. By Mr. King .- What proportion of the Queensland sugar crop was exported beyond the local demand
of the colony — -say in 1886 or 1887? The quantity of Queensland sugar exported in 1886 was 14,510 tons.
8278. What do you reckon the local consumption during that year was ? The estimated production was
56,859 tons, which left for consumption 12,349 tons. As a matter of fact, the consumption here is about
15,000 tons a year. Then in 1887 the estimated production was 57,960, and there were exported 41,890
tons which left for the home consumption 16,070 tons.
8279. How is the price of sugar iu the colony fixed, and what operates to fix the price of suj?ar in this
colony? The price which it can be imported at froju other places. We have got, as you know, the
benefit of £6 13s. 4d. per ton on the higher class of sugars, and £5 a ton on the lower sugars. If you
import sugar fr«m Sydney at a certain price and add the duty to it, that would fix the price here.
8280. Do the grower.s of sugar get the advantage of that protective duty in the colony, or is the price of
sugar fixed by the price which they net on the exported sugar ? If they have to compete in the
Melbourne market with foreign sugars they have to take their chance.
8281. Does the Queensland sugar grower who sells in the colony get £5 a ton more for his sugar than the
man who exports to Melbourne, or is it the Melbourne price that rules the market ? The Melbourneand
Sydney prices rule the market. I do not think the export of Queensland sugar has very much to do with
the southern markets. I'he Queensland grower does at times get the benefit of the duty but not always.
You can understand that sugar here varies in price, and apart altogether from outside influences prices
here are forced up or down as the case may be. If I want for this month, 1,500 tons and there are only
1,000 tons here, naturally prices stiffen ; if on the other hand you have 3,000 tons to supply a market
requiring only 1,500 tons the prices ease off. That affects the market at all times. I say that occasionally,
and frequently possibly, the planter gets the benefit of the differential duty and occasionally he does not.
8282. I do not think you fully understand me. Three-fourtha of the Queensland sugars are exported ;
do the holders of the remaining one-fourth get £.5 a torn more for the sugar sold in the colony than they
would if the su^ar was sent to Melbourne ? Mot necessarily.
8283. Do they get any more ? They do get a higher price here than they would get in Melbourne.
8284. How much more do you suppose they would get — if the sugar which was sold here last year at £22
had been seut to Melbourne, what would it have netted? £18, £19, or £20 a ton as the case might be.
82;<5. On an average theu I take it that the Queensland sugar benefits to the extent of about £3 a ton
from the protective duty ? I should say £2 or £3 a ton as a rule.
8286. I suppose you have had large experience as a commercial man in regard to the charges made for
dealing with sugar — are you aware what the charges are ? I have been in the sugar trade ever since
sugar was manufactured in the colony and before. The charges here for selling su»ar — agents' charges —
are 6^ per cent. That is known in the trade as " The Mack ay rate." The charges were established
when Mackay sugars first came down here, and they have ruled ever since. Those charges have ruled in
Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
8287. What does that charge cover ? It covers commission, del credere, receiving, storing, delivering,
and insurance ; everything, in I'act, except freight, wharfage, and interest.
8288. What are the rates of freight from the northern p»rts ? They have varied considerably of late
years. There is a very large scale.
8289. As a commercial man of Large experience do you think thut the rates of freight and iusurance on
this coast at thepreseuttime a,re excessive as applied to such an industry as the sugar industry ? I think
both insurance and freights are high. Insurance is heavier here than in a ny other part of Australia, and
as for freights, they are considerably higher in the north than they are in the south.
8290. What is the cause of the insurance charges bem^ higher on this coast — have there been any losses ?
Yes ; but they are working under what they call a scale. There is a kind of eoinbinatiun, and the rates
have be^u kept up.
8291. Ia this coast not as well lighted as any other part of the Australian coast ? Better lighted than
any I know of.
8292. It ia sheltered almost the whole way ? It is safe enough and can be worked easily enough by any
sort of steamer.
8293. You arc not aware of any special causes which would justify an increase in the rates of insurance ?
Certainly not. My opinion is that the rates should have been reduced long since.
8294. Are
THE GEITEHATj CONDITION OF THE 9TTGAB rNWJSTTlY TN QC EFTf SLiSTJ.
251
8291. Are you aware whether there is a regular scale of charges from the different northern ports for E- B. Forrest,
the carriage of aii;;,ar, or are the charges according to arrangement ? There is a regular scale. The two ^-^-*->^
companies practically work together. 13 Mar., 1889.
8295. Does the Colonial Sugar Company get its sugar earned by these steamers? They do ; by contract.
They have a special agreement. The companies contract for the season's output.
8296. Then I suppose they obtain more favourable terras than a small planter would ? They do. The
bigger the parcel the cheaper it is carried. That applies to everything. If they did not get freights at
a decent rate they would send their own boats up.
8297 Have the rates of freight and insurance on the northern coast ever been considered by the
Chamber of Commerce in Brisbane ? I think not. 1 am not aware of it.
8298. Don't vnu think that the development of that part of the country mi^ht possibly be retarded by
excessive fronts mid charges? Undoubtedly. I tell yon T think the rates are too high.
8299. And that must injure the trade of the port of Brisbane also ? It addsto the expense of working
it. and dimishes the trade. When you look at the rate paid for the carriage of coal from Newcastle to
Melbourne, and the rato from Macka.y to Brisbaue, the thing is perfectly ridiculous.
8300. What is the rate for sugar from JMackay to Brisbane -at the present time ? About 12s. 6d. a ton.
83i)L By Mr. Coivlr y : You have given us the ruling rates for sugar from 1882 up to the present time ;
canyon also give us the rates for the introduction of kanakas during (he same term, including the
passage money and Government ch'irges ? Yes ; we have been importing kanakas for tho company ever
since the sugar industry was established here. In 188L we paid £12 15s. and £L3 per head passage
money. The capitation fee then was 30s. In 1882, £14 lOs. and £t6 10s., the capitation fee being Sis.
In 1883 and 1884, £20, £L8 10s., and £2210s., the capitation fee being 30s. In 1885 and 1886 we paid
£25 10s. with a capitation fee of £3. In 1887 we paid £22, with a capitation fee of £3. In 1888 we paid
£22, £23, £24, £25. and £26, with a capitation fee of £3, And in 1889 we are paying £21 10 3 ., £23,
and 1 believe £21 has been given this year already, with a capitation of £3.
83#2. Do you account for this great rise through the demand there has been for kanakas ? Partly so,
and owing to the more stringent regulations, ships cannot run at the old rates.
83U3. Do you think this cost could be materially reduced if the Government took the introduction of
kanakas into their own hands ? I really could not tell you. There is the experience of other places
where the Government have taken the thing into their own hands, and the cost has been much less, out I
am not prepared to say.
8304. You said that some time ago there were times when the planter got the benefit of the duty — in
times of scarcity. I suppose you mean from that, that he would get the benefit if he held his sugar ?
Certainly.
83U5. But as it is now, I presume it is the merchant who buys the sugar, who tfets the benefit? Certainly
not. As a matter of fact the planter gets an advance, and he gets the benefit of the rise. At the present
time we are holding sugars on which we have advauced four months ago, The planters will get the full
benefit of that. We advanced so much a ton, aud they leave the sugar to us to do the best we can with.
We believe that by holding it now, we ahull get a better price a month hence than we could get now, but
the planter will get the full benefit of that. That is a common practice. With all our clients the practice
has been to advance and the planters leave it to us to hold the sugar as we like. We hold the sugar as
long as we think fit. It is a simple question to them of interest on the advance. Wheu the augar is sold
they have to pay interest on the advance.
8306. By the Chairman .- In reference to the protective duty of £6 13s. 4d. that we have upon sugar,
under any circumstances that is a, substantial assistance to the grower of sugar ? It is a substantial
assistauce to him, undoubtedly. If you took it off you would find the difference.
8307. A lthough the benefit to the grower who sends his sugar to Melbourne might be only £2 or £3 a
ton, yet at the same time the duty acts against the importation of sugar ? Undoubtedly, it prevents
importation.
8308. So that in that respect the planter has a substantial advantage? Unquestionably. The full
benefit of the £5 a ton is not always obtainable. A good many circumstances govern it. If the market
is overstocked and a ma.n sells and must sell, he has to take a lower price.
8309. By Mr. Cowley .- The benefit has only been derived on one-fourth of the total output, because
three-fourths of the sugar has been exported ? It could only apply to what is sold here.
8310. So that it only benefits the planter to the extent of one-fourth of the local output ? To the extent
of the sugar eonsutned in Queensland and no more. In a good crop to the extent of about one-fourth,
and in a bad crop to the extent of about one-third. The crop last year was something like 28,000 tons ;
exported, 17,000 tons odd ; retained for consumption, 10,648 tons.
8311. By the Chairman : Can you offer any suggestions by which the su gar industry can be relieved from
its present depression ? Of course I have my own ideas about some of the things. The price has had a
material elfect ou the trade, but f do not think that so much is attributable to the fall in price as many
people think. I think that the price of sugar, a s of everything else, will always regulate itself in time.
It is a thing |hat cures itself ; it is curing itself now as regards sugar. I think that what has established
some of the " funk," if I may use the word, has been the uncertainty as to labour. At one time people
came prepared to embark money in sugar, but I am certain there is not a man left who would put any
money into it now in the face of the present prospect. People who wauted money to extend their opera-
tions conic] not get it. Capitalists would not risk lending money, because they can see no certainty in it.
Two causes have contributed to the depression — one is the price of sugar, which is correcting itself, and
has corrected itself in every branch of trade ; aud the other cause is the uncertainty about labour. #f
course I need not say that my own opinion is that sugar will never be grown successfully here without
some coloured labour, and I look upon the kanaka a s being the least ob jectionable.
KH2. Then what do you think will be the effect upon the sugar industry, supposing that the importation
of kanakas ceases on the 3lst December, 1S90? I think the production of sugar in Queensland will
cease. One of two things must be clone. People have either to go on or stop. Going on means being
supplied with labour ; and if the planters are not supplied with labour 1 do not hesitate to sa y that nine-
tentbs of the plantations must collapse.
THURSDAY,
5TPTTTTE3 OF EVIDENCE TAKES TJEFOEE THE KOf XT* CO"\IMI8STOU TO XJiQUTKE XTTTO
sugars. That
THURSDAY, 14 MARCH, 1889.
(At the Houses of Parliament, Brisbane.)
PRESENT :
W. H . GEOOM, Esq., M.L.A. 1 H. E. KISG, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
James Stoiid art examined :
(. 8313. *By the Chairman: You are a merchant carrying on business in the city of Brisbane ? Tes.
n 8314. Tou have had considerable dealing*, commercially, in sugar ? Tes.
9. 8315. For how many years have you been engaged in that business ? Between twelve and thirteen years
8316. When did you first discover, in the course of youi- business, a decrease in the price of Queensland
made sugar? I should say about four or five years ago.
8317. Can you tell us tho price you. were obtaining for sugar formerly aud the reduced price which
subsequently paid for it? We used to get from £34 up to £37 a ton for the best white sugars. 1
was, perhaps, nine years ago.
8318. And what has been the price at more recent date s ? Within the last three or four years I suppose
we have averaged £22, that is taking the year all round. In the crushing season the best white sugar
goes down to as low as £19.
8310. Have you exported tsugar to the other colonies on behalf of Queensland growers ? Yes.
8320. Have you found a depression in the price in those markets ? Yes.
8321. Were the prices obtained in Sydney and fyteLbourne higher or lower than the prices obtained in
Queensland? Lower.
8322. Can you state the proportion ? During crushing season I should think they very nearly reach the
export level here — perhaps within £l a ton.
8323. That is, sugar would be £1 or 3»a. lower? Yes; in the height of the crushing season. The
exported sugar comes within £l of the price realised in Queensland.
8324*. Can you say, from your business experience, that the local producer gets the full benefit of the
Queensland protective duty ? Certainly not as l«ng as there is sugar exported. Ho long as our pro-
duction is over our consumption he does not. We lose the benefit of the duty altogether.
8325. Have you ever gone into the question mathematically so as to really discover whether the
producer does get any advantage ? My opinion is formed through being interested in an estate myself,
and I know that we do not.
8326. By Mr. King : There being a duty of .£5 a ton, does the Queensland grower get £5 a ton more for
the sugar sold in the local maTket thau for tho sugar that he experts ? No ; certainly not.
8327. Does he get anything more ? He would at certain times of the year ; but the grower, as a rule,
does not get that ; it is the speculator who gets it — the man who buys a stock of sugar and sells between
seasons.
8328. How much does this advantage amount to ? — Do they ever get the full £5 a ton in Queensland
more than if the sugar was sent to the Melbourne market ? Tbat would depend upon the state of the
Melbourne and Sydney markets. #ften the Melbourne market is low, and they could send sugar up
here.
8329. Is not the price of Queensland sugar governed by the price obtainable in the outside market? It
is in two ways. Out of season, it is because sugar can be brought in here, and the price her* would have
to be regulated by the price in Sydney or Melbourne, alwnvs taking the duty into consideration. When
we are exporting sugar in the height of the season we entirely depend upon the Southern markets.
8330. The extent to which the Queensland grower is benefited by the protective duty is the excess in
price he could obtain in the colony over that which he could obtain by exporting the sugar ? Yes.
8331. How much would that amount to ? It would amount to very little — perhaps to £1 or 30s. a ton,
according to the quality of the sugar that was sold here ; but only a small quantity would be sold here,
and there would be no advantage at all to be derived on the exported sugar.
8332. What are the commission charges in counecti»n with the disposal of su^ar ? The general thing is
5 per cent, commission, guarantee, and bank discount. The sugar is sold on terms.
8333. Is there not what is known as "the Mackayrate" for transactions in sugar — a rate which covers
everything ? Tbere is a rate of commission which covers everything.
8334. Are you agent for other places besides Yengarie? I am agent for places in the Mackay district,
Bundaberg, and the South.
8335. Is there not a recognised rate which is known as " the Macki
connection with sugar? It has never come under my notice.
8336. What are the charges which have come under your notice ?
guarautee. Cartage, weighing, a.ni everything the, 5s. a ton. That
for cvu-tage, &c, and the sales are discounted at bank rates.
8337. Then 5£ per cent, covers everything? Yes ; but doos not include del credere.
a ton would cover everything except bank discount.
13:38.^ What are the rates of freight on this coast for sugar from port to port? They vary. 8s.
r rate " for commercial charges in
The 5 per cent, commission and
vould be 5 per cent, and 5a a ton
5 per cent, and 5s.
uyliorough to Brisbane; 10s. from Buudabcrg to Brisbane; 15s. from Macka 1
Townsville.
83;J9. How do those rates compare with the charges made for carrying other descriptions of produce ?
They are very low. They are very much lower than the freights on goods going up the coast.
8340. What are the freights for carryiug between the other ports— say from Bundaberg to Rockhampton,
or Mackay to Rockhampton ?
rates 1 have n amed.
Id not say definitely, but [ believe they are about in proportion to the
8341. What rates of insurance are charged on this coast? From 5s. to 7s. 6d. per cent.
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGA.U INdUSTEY IN QUEENSLAND.
253
8342. How does tbat compare with the charges going south from Brisbane? They ure just about the J. Stoddart.
same. They insure the same going up north as going down 10 Melbourne and Sydney. One or two (^-■"^-A.— — ^
places are a little higher — 2s. 6u. per cent, higher- 14 Mar., 1889.
8343. Do you consider the charges for freight and iusurance reasonable? Yes; I think so. Very
reasonable as they are adjusted now. They have been exorbitant in times gone by.
S344i. Wheu wer« they adjusted ? Some little time before the British India Company came here the
A.S.N. Co. reduced their freights a little.
834-5. These freights are settled by the agents of the steamers ? Yes.
8340. And there is practically no competition? Only to some of the ports. There is competition
between here and Maryborough, TownsviHe, and Rockbampton ; butthereis no competition with jMackay
and Cairns. To Bundaberg there is a little steamer, called the ll Lady Musgrave," running now; but before
that, the company used to charge 17s. 6d. a ton to Bundaberg.
8347. Have not Howard Smith and Co. ;md the A. U.S.N. Co. agreed to maintain a certain rate? Yes.
8348. So that they are really not competing ? It can scarcely be called competition.
8349. A re you aware whether the A. U.S.N. Co. has adopted a form of bill of lading by which they are not
answerable for anything whatever ? Yes; they try to make themselves answerable for nothing; but I
always find them very willing to settle any claim I have.
8350. They settle the claim in spite of the bill of lading? I think so. I always find that they meet
me when there is any damage to sugar or short landed sugar.
8351. I suppose residing in Brisbane as yon do they would be more likely to settle with yon than with a
small producer up the country ? That is very likely. It might be a matter of policy with them.
8352. I understand you to say in reference to the price of sugar that the fall in the price from 18S2
down to the present time is fully £10 a ton? Well, I would scarcely like from memory to say a £10
fall had occurred during the last five years. It commenced to fall a little before that.
8353. You said that iti 1882 first sugars were worth £34 to £35 a ton ? I said about nine years ago we
used to get from £31 to £3/3 a ton.
8354. And last year the price was £22 to £19 a ton ? It averaged during the year £22, falling down to
£19 in the crushing season.
8355. That would show a fall of over £lObetween the first period that you speak of and the last ? Yes ;
iut I do not think the last five years covers the whole of that fall. It may have commenced before.
8356. Are you a member of the Chamber of Commerce ? Yes.
8357. Has that body taken any steps to obtain a free interchange of products between Queensland and
the other colonies ? Yes ; there was a movement about three years ago to consider some proposals made
by Victoria.
8358. I suppose you went into the subject on tbat occasion ? Yes.
8359. Did you consider that it was feasible? I considered it feasible wheu considerably boiled down on
the pan of Victoria. It was not feasible in the way in which it was proposed.
83(50. What would be the effect on the price of sugar if we had a treaty with Victoria or South
Australia 'by which Queensland sugars could be imported duty free into those colonies ? It would bo
rafrher difficult to sav, because we bavo the Colonial Sugar Company to contend with in Victoria. It
depends upon how they would look upon it.
8301. I suppose the effect would bo that the Queensland grower would gain the amount of duty wbich
he has now to pay ? Yes ; but it is a question whether the market would give him tke whole of that,
because the company down there may put prices down to prevent it.
8362. How could the company put down prices ; they would have to import their own sugar ? They
have an advantage of £1 a ton now. I think they bare £ 1 a ton advantage if the sugar is refi ned there.
That is by the last alteration made in the tariff.
8303. Then you think that the Queensland grower would not benefit to the full amount of the duty which
is now levied on Queensland sugar? I think it is a little doubtful whether he would g^t the full amount.
He would get a great advantage by it certainly, but I doubt whether he would get the full advantage.
8364. By Mr. Cowley : That is in Victoria and New South Wales, but it would not apply to South
Australia? No; in South Australia I think he would get the full advantage.
J 111 say that the shipper sometimes loses from £l to 30s. a ton by sending his sugar to Melbourne
— is that not after paying duty and all expenses? Yes.
8366. I» it not a fact that during the crushing season when sugar is plentiful owners often realise quite as
much or more for their sugars in the southern markets than tliey do in the local markets ? That may be
so. My esperieuce is that they generally do better here, but they cannot sell any quantity here. JPor
what they do sell they generally get a slight advantage.
8367. Then it is only a(; exceptional times when sugars are scarce that the manufacturer reaps the benefit
of the duty? That is all.
8308. And then only if lie is in a position to hold his sugars? Exactly.
S3G9. You are agent for other manufactories besides Yengarie and Milliiqiiiu ? Yes.
8370. "Do you ever make them advances on sugar at the market rates and hold the sugar on their behalf
to sell to the best advantage when a rise takes place? 1 generally sell at once. If I make an advance
to a planter against his sugar I reserve the right to myself to nell it when it suits me.
8371. And he gets the advantage of ths rise, less the interest he pays? Jf I hold it for him for a better
market, he gets the advantage of it and pays me interest on the advance.
8372. Do you often do that — is it the rule or the exception ? Well, it is rather the exception.
8373. Is that the fault of the planters — is it their desire to sell, as a rule? The planter, as a rule, is
always in want of money, and he has to realise his sugar directly it is made.
8374. When making advances in these cases, how much do you advance? Of course that very often
depends upon who the party is, but, we advance very close up to the value of the sugar, allowing for a
possible fluctuation in the market.
£375. Have you kuowu many instances in which the planter has derived substantial benefit from this
mode of proceeding? No ; I have n»t,
8376. You cannot say that it is cast omaiy with other people besides yourBelf to do it? No; I do not
think it is at all customary.
8377. By
254
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUTBE INTO
J. Stoddart. 8377. By the Chairman: Do you think that the mercantile community or the general community of the
citv of Brisbane are much interested in the success or failure of the sugar industry ? I think they are
I43Iar.,l8S9. very much interested in the success of the industry .
S37S. Do you know whether the Chamber of Commerce has ever taken the question into consideration with
a view of offering suggestions to this Commission by which the industry can be assisted ? I do not think
they have. In fact they have done nothing for some years. They are only just begioniug to have life
again.
8:379. Would you not ha ve thought that the question was of sufficient magnitude to have attracted their
attention ? Yes, certainly.
8380. Have you thought the matter over in your own miud, and can you offer any suggestions by which
you think the industry can be improved? There are many ways of suggesting improvements, but I do
not know whether they would be acceptable. I think the regulat ion of t he labour traffic would go a very
long way towards assisting the industry. It should be put upon a proper basis. "What I mean is, that
the Government might take a closer supervision over it in the way, perhaps, of establishing depots in the
islands, and gathering the labour under guarantees from the planters. If some definite form of reliable
labour could be assured so that the planters could get facilities from monetary institutions at reasonable
rate" of interest, it would be a very great assistance to the industry. At prescut the planters cannot get
money under any circumstances, or if they do get a little money they have to pay interest at usurers'
rates for it.
8381. Do you think that the unwillingness of the banks and mooetary institutions to advance on sugar
plantations arises wholly from the uncertainty of the labour question or from other causes? Of course
there are other causes, but I think it is from the uncertainty of the labour question princi pally, and the
doubtfulness of what the planters are going to do when the labour does cease. If a lot of the laig'e
estates cannot get labour it means shutting up.
8382. B y Mr. King : Is the sugar industry of considerable importance to the commercial community of
Queensland and Brisbane ? I think so — of very large importance.
838:1 I suppose there is a large amount of merchandise of different kinds consumed on the plantations as
well as the sugar produced, which is dealt with ? Tes ; they are very large consumers of stores of all
kiuds and of co:d. Their freights are of very great importance to the railways in the different districts,
both in the matter of sugar and other goods carried. Bags alone are a considerable item.
8384. The freights are also of considerable importance to tbe steam companies ? Of great importance.
83S5. Have > «u any idea mi the manner in which the prosperity of the commercial community of Brisbane
would be affected if this industry were to die out completely ? It would materially affect a great many
of the iron yards in different places, and it would affect the shipping very much at a good many of the
ports as well as Brisbane.
8;i8G. Does the trade give any employment to the working classes in Brisbane ? Not so much in Bris-
bane as in the sugar districts. Of course every steamer coming down with sugar gives employment to a
lot of wharf labourers and carters in Brisbane.
8387. Would it produce any perceptible effect on the prosperity of Brisbane if this trade went out of
existence? I should not like to say that it would affect Brisbane particularly. It would affect it to a
slight degree.
83S8. By Mr, Cowley .- Would it not affect Brisbane in the price of sugar — would not the people of
Brisbane have to pay a great deal more for their sugar ? They would have to pay nearly double.
8389. Tou say that the Cha mber of Commerce threeyears ago debated the question of reciprocity ? Tes.
8390. 1 think I understood you to say that the terms offered by Victoria were unfavourable? Yes;
Victoria wanted too much.
8H91. Did the Chamber of Commerce object to the principle, or only to the terms offered by Victoria ?
Only to the terms.
8392. They were in favour of admitting the principle if it could be worked equitably ? Tea.
8393. Are there uot veiy large supplies sent from Brisbane to the sugar plantations — supplies of stores
and produce ? A fair quantity from Brisbane.
8394. You, as agent for some of the plantations, purchase supplies for them ? Very little. We merely
sell the sugar. They generally buy their stores at Bundaberg or the towns nearest to where the planta-
tions are. The southern planters on the Logan, Albert, and Coomera, get their supplies from Brisbane,
but there are not many of them now.
James Mi.nko examined :
J. Mucro. 8395. By the Clttirmmn : You are manager in Brisbane for the British India Company and the A. U.S.N.
^— ^r^*-^ Company? Yes.
UMsr., 18SD. 83 96. You carry fruit for the growers in the northern ports of the colouy to Brisbane, Melbourne, and
Sydney ? Yes.
S397. Have any complaints reached you as manager o f the company of what the shippers allege to be the
unsatisfactory motle of transit ? Yea ; from time to time they have made complaints.
8:398. Have any claims been made upon the company for loss by ullage ? Yes.
8399. How have you dealt with those claims for losa and the complaints ? With regard to the complaints,
we have followed them carefully out to find out why the fruit did not arrive in proper order, and we
have found a number of causes coutributing to it. From inquiries we made in Sydney and Melbourne,
we found that the fruit which comes from Fiji is evideutly shipped in better order than the fruit from
Queensland. Either the fruit is picked in dry weather or'when the dew is not on it.
8100. By Mr. King : The bananas in Fiji are shipped by hand, are they not? I do not know myself ; I
believe it is so.
8401. Up north they arc shipped by being slung on board at the end of a rope by means of a steam
winch? Usually.
8402. Would not t he difference in the mode of shipment more than account for the difference in the
coudition of the Fiji and Queensland banauas ? Not by any means.. Mr. Nolan, of Geraldton, on his
way south a few months ago, called upon nie with strong compl.unla in regard to the condition in whieh
his bananas were landed at their destination. I invited him to step across to the Eagle street wharf with
hie
TItE GENEIUI, CONDITIO!? OF THE SUGAE INDDSTfiT IN QUEENSLAND.
255
me to where the " Warrego," which had just come from the north, was lying. We inspected a considerable J- Munro.
quantity of bananas lying on the wharf discharged from the " Warrego," and found them in excellent ? — ^v^— ^
condition. On board the " Warrego " we looked down No. 2 hatch and saw a large quantity of bananas l4Jlar., 1889.
lying in the 'tween decks in apparently good order. After some little conversation, Mr. Nolan said to
me that if we carried the bananas in the condition in which he saw them on the " Warrego" and on the
wharf there would be no reason to complain. I requt-sted him ou arrival in Sydney to notice the condition
of these bananas and also in Melbourne, if he were there', and tell me on his return what their condition
was when actually discharged ou the wharf. This he pminiaeil to do, but I have not heard from or seen
him since. Before leaving, he made what I considered an excellent suggestion: that instead of
our slinging the bananas 1 on board a number of bunches at a time and their striking
against the ship's side and ou the hatchway, we .should try the coal-naskel system — that we
should, get half-a-dozen large baskets, capable of holding a dozen hunches ; these to be put into the
lighter, loaded carefully, hoisted out, and carefully landed in the hold of the coasting steamer. This
experiment we are now trying. In comparing the condition of the Queensland bananas landed in the
southern ports with those from Fiji, I carinotstate that the condition ol: Ihe former is due entirely to the
handling. I think there are one or two causes which, perhaps, are Ihc principal factors in this matter.
The first is that the steamers from northern ports, in tlie imuomer weather, and all the year through, lie two
days at the Brisbane wharf, and two days at the Sydney wharf. This is, so far as I have been aide to
ascertain, most detrimental to the condition of the baua.nas. There is great heat while the vessels are
lying alongside the wharf, aud you do not get the same ventilation when the ship is stationary as when
she is moving. Mr. Draper, from Cairns, who was seat on a mission b y one of the Cairns newspapers
in regard to the banana trade, is now on his way back from the south, and he has promised that he will
give us his views very fully in regard to what he ascertains at the southern ports, so that we may adopt
all useful suggestions.
8403. Are you aware that in addition to the objections rrade against the mode of putting the fruit ou
board, it is stowed, wheu on board, in a manner calculated to destroy it, by beiug piled six or eight feet
high on the decks or below deck ? There are very few bananas carried on deck now.
8401;. Are you aware that they are piled up in that way ? Yes, in the same way as in the Fiji trade.
8405. Do you think that the fruit is calculated to earry well when piled up in that way ? The Fiji bananas
are carried in identically the same way, and we haxe had no complaiuta about serious losses.
84,0(5. I have had information, too, on that point, that the fruit is not carried in the same way. Here the
bunches of bananas are put in in any way. In Fiji they are stowed with the stalks up ? I may be wrong
in that. They are placed in tiers. There are no shelves in tlie ships.
8407. Are you aware that in the New York trade with the West Indies they have movable trays fitted
into the steamers for carrying bananas 1 I was not aware «f that.
840S, What amount does the company receive per annum for freight on Queensland grown fruit ? I
could not tell you that for certain.
8409. We were told at Cairns that the company was receiviug £150 a week for freight on bananas ?
Some weeks I believe that is correct.
8410. Don't you consider that a trade which has under present conditions returned that amount of freight
is worth fostering and encouraging? Unquestionably.
8411. Don't you think it would be worth while to adopt some system, by which the wteamers could be
fitted specially for the eaniage of fruit? We fitted tw« steamers with shelves as an experiment, over a
year ago — the " Katoomba" and " Qtiiraing."
8412. Do you know anything of the results of the experiment — has the fruit been carried better in those
steamers ? It was not reported to me in that way. The fruit was conveyed very well in those ships, but
there was no special report made that it was carried better in those ships than in any other. I could
find out and speak a little more decisively on that point.
8±13. In addition to the complaints about the carnage of bananas, have you had any complaints about
cases of fruit being plundered ? Not plundered.
8414. We have seen some tetters addressed to the comp.any, in which complaints have, been made of eases
of fruit being plundered, going both ways? There have been complaints about pilferings.
8415. On one occasion we were assured that out of a shipment of forty cases of oranges, twelve cases
arrived empty, and the remainder considerably tampered with. It would appear that this pilfering is
continuous ; that it is not exceptional, but that every man who ships fruit expects to have it plundered?
Unfortunately on all the coastiog steamers that is going on. It goes on both amongst the passengers
and crew, and. although we have detected it from time to time, it has not stopped it. It is painfully
general on board ships.
K416. But surely it is the business of the company's officers to stop it ? We are doing everything we
can to stop it. Whenever we have found persons redhanded, they have been punished. We are never
ceasing in our efforts to put a atop to this pillage, which takes place particularlyiu the north.
8117. What are your freights ou fruit from Port Douglas, Ca.irns, and other northern ports? Is. a
bunch on bananas.
8418. That is whether they go to Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne ? Yes.
84,19. And for case fruit? From Cooktown as far as Sydney, 20s. per ton of 40 feet.
8420. Is it the case that the company sometimes advertises steamers to sail drect to Melbourne, and on
their arrival from the north in Brisbane with a cargo of fruit, the steamers are sent back to the north
without going to Melbourne and the fruit is transhipped? The company has advertised direct ships, but
it sometimes happens that in carrying out our mail contracts the fruit has to be transferred to a connecting
steamer. In order to. acquaint shippers in the nort hwith these alterations, we telegraph that the chauge
will be effected, so as to give the option of not shipping by steamers stopping here, and we have had
letters from Cairns thanking us for that consideration.
8421. The shippers have to pay freight in advance on all fruitshippedfrom the northern ports? Invariably
so on fruit.
S422. And they have to sign a bill of ladiugby which the company is not answerable for anything? They
accept the usual shipping receipt.
842;{. Doestiot the shipping receipt which they receive relieve the. company of all responsiblity whatever ?
It has a very larse number (if conditions. The goods are carried subject to those conditions. That is
cuetuinary in all shipping business. Ours iis not an exception. 8424. Has
256
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
J Munro. q^o*. Has the company under that bill of lading any responsibility whatever for the safety of the cargo?
/^^- a -^-~n A very large responsibility. , „ _ T £l , ,,. ,
li Alar., 1389. S425. Has not the company declined to be responsible for fruit that was stolen t iNo case ot that Kind
has come before me.
8426. Have no claims ever been made upon the company for loss by pillage t 1 es.
84^7. How has the company met them ? Very much upon their merits. Any elaims that the company
consider they are really responsible for have been paid.
8428. Can you mention any growers up north to whom you have ever paid compensation ? Personally I
cannot, beeause the claims department is in the hands of my colleague, Mr. Bland, and these matters only
come before ine when there is anything very special or unusual.
8429. We have not received evidence of any case in which the company has paid claims ? We paid a
claim the other day to one of the Cairns people.
8430. By Mr. King: Have you had any claims from Swallow and Ariel for fruit shipped about Christmas
last ? 1 believe there were claims.
8431. How were those claims dealt with ? I cannot say.
8432. Are you aware that owing to the loss that shippers have suffered by the company's steamers in
many instances their agents have advised them to stop shipping ? No.
8433. Is there not always a watch on deck on the company's steamers ? Always. All night.
8434. How is it possible that nearly half a shipment of fruit can be stolen ? I have no doubt myself
that the crew are the principal thieves. Tbe passengers also help.
S435. Do you suppose that the officers also join in ? No.
8436. If they did not how could this systematic plunder continue? We have done our best to stop it,
and we are open to receive any suggestions for going to any extent in trying to stop it. We are always
learning and trying to improve. It is our interest to stop the pillage, and we are fully alive to the fact
that we will lose the trade if we do not.
8437. Is there a wharfage charge in addition to the freight of Is. a bunch on bananas ? Tea ; wharfage
in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
8438. And at Cairns and Port Douglas ? No ; there is no wharfage there.
8439. There is at Cairns? It is a local charge out of which we do not get anything. We pay 3d. out
of our Is. for lighterage at Cairns.
8440. With reference to sugar, what rate of freight do you charge for carrying it? It varies according
to the port.
i>441. Have you a regular scale ? Tes.
8442. From Cairns to the south ? From Port Douglas and Cairns to Brisbane, las. a ton ; Sydney, 17s.
6d. ; Melbourne, 25s. ; and Adelaide, 30s.
8443. Can you explain the reason for the very high charge between Sydney and Melbourne, as compared
with the rates between Brisbane and Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide? These rates fluctuate from
season to season. The quantity to Melbourne from Port Douglas and Cuirns is small. These rates of
course are fixed by the combination of steamship owners — Howard Smith and Co., Huddart, Parker, and
Co., the Adelaide Steam Shipping Company, and ourselves all work on a common tariff.
8441. What is the object «f making the freight between Sydney and Melbourne so mucli higher than
between Sydney and Brisbane and Melbouruc and A delaide ? I cannot give an explanation. These
anomalies do creep into shipping business.
8145. Do you have any special agreement with firms or individuals for carrying their produce other than
the terms which you apply to the public in general ? No ; they are all on the same footing.
8446. Have you any special agreement with the Colonial Sugar Refining Company ? I think we only
carry for them from Mackay.
8447. Have they a special rate for freight ? Tes. I must correct myself. The Colonial Sugar Com-
pany have a contract. The contract is apparently only for the carriage of the Homebush sugar.
8448. Then the company get some advantage under that contract ? 1 believe they will have some little
advantage.
8449. What is the freight on sugar going north, say, from Dungeness to Cooktown ? Somewhere about
£1 a ton.
8450. What would be the freight from Cairns or Dungeness to London ? It would depend very much
on the season of the year and the wool freights. It depends upon the supply of cargo offering.
8451. But I suppose you are only too glad to get such a cargo as sugar ? #nly too pleased to get it
We have carried it from Cleveland Bay to London as low as 20s. a ton.
8452. Do you consider that the North Queensland coast is well lighted and safe for navigation ? I have
always thought so.
84-53. Exceptionally safe ? From all I can gather it is exceptionally so
8454. It might be expected then that freights and insurance would be at all events no higher than they
are on morft exposed coasts ? No.
8455. Have you any acquaintance with the northern districts yourself? 1 have been at some of the ports
but not all, on my way from England.
8456. Do you not cousider there is a very large trade to be created there if encouragement is given to the
people ? We have been believers in the Queensland trado in every way.
8457. Do you not consider it would be worth while for the company to give every advantage to the few
people up there now with a view to create a large trade ? Yes ; and I think that we are doing that as
far as it lies in our power.
8458. As manager of the company can you suggest any way by which the time between the northern
orts to Sydney and Melbourne can be reduced so as to land fruit in a shorter space of tim^ ? It is very
ifficult to disturb what you may call theregulardaysof sailing. I have been thinking that the only way
to meet the banana, trade, if itassumea krge dimensions, is by sending a steamer through out; nionally direct
to Sydney and Melbourne. To meet the requirements of each poit individually, ivhere so many delays
arise, it would be a most difficult thing to disturb the standing arrangements.
8459. Tou have a telegraph line all along the coast and can ascertain exactly where the steamers are?
Tes.
8460. Is
THE GEMERAI, CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEEN SLAJTD .
257
8460. Is there any necessity for a steamer from the North to stop two days in Brisbane or Sydney ? The J- Munro.
necessity is obvious at once. The steamer arrives here from the North on Sunday. Her day of sailing, ^-^y^^
to meet the requirements of Brisbane, is Tuesday. It has been so for years past. "We cannot send the H Mar., 1889.
steamer away directly without seriously inconveniencing the public of Brisbane.
8461. Why should the public of Brisbane be inconvenienced when you have your advertisements out to
let them know that the steamerleaves at daylight on Monday morning ? That would never do. These
dates are known everywhere, and working a large business, such as we have, the thing is to have as little
disturbance as possible of our regular sailings.
8462. By the Chairman: Do you know the time occupied between Fiji and Sydney? About seven days.
Abo at the same time as from the North to Melbourne.
8463. And there is no port of call ? One steamer goes to New Caledonia.
8464 By Mr. King : Do you mean seven days from the North to Melbourne, stopping two days in
Bi'isbane, and two days in Sydney ? No ; I must correct that. It is nearly fourteen days from Port
Douglas to Melbourne.
8465. By the Chairman : Do you not think, in view of the very large dimensions the banana and other
fruit trade is likely to assume, it would pay your company to arrange for a steamer once a week or once a
fortnight to start from Cooktown, Port Douglas, Cairns, and Townsville, so as to meet the small boat
from Dungeness and the Johnstone — to leave Townsville and go direct to Sydney, carrying passengers,
mails, and fruit only ? It all depends upon the quantity offered. We keep a very careful eye on the
trade, and if the quantity justified it we would not be backward in putting a steamer on.
8466. Well, the position of the North of Queensland in relation to Sydney and Melbourne stands exactly
in the same position as the West Indian Islands do to New York. It paid the company there to have
fast -going steamers fitted with racks «n which to carry the bananas and all other fruit in such a position
that ventilation was secured, and it has now grown into a very large trade entirely through the facilities
provided by shipping — so much so that a very large proportion of the people of New York are supplied
with all the tropical fruits from the West Indian Islands. Could your company not adopt the same
plan? It will come in time. We must put the loss of trade from Mackay, Eockhampton, and Brisbane
against what we would get further north.
8467- What I mean is this, that independent of your ordinary line of steamers, in the fruit season, when
the bananas and mangoes are most plentiful, would it not pay the company, in order to facilitate the
trade and encourage the fruit industry, to run a steamer straight to Sydney and Melbourne? We will
do that whenever it begins to pay. If the quantities were equal to what we get by the Fiji steamers the
thing w»uld be in a nutshell. We get 23,MO bunches of -bananas from Fiji, whilst in the same time we
would only get 3,000 or 4,000 from Queensland.
846S. If you would put yourself in communication with the growers and let them know that the company
would offer them every facility, then the trade would develop ; but it is tho uncertainty of the transit that
stops the trade. All our inquiries point in that direction — to the necessity of there being swift steamers
from the North to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. That would develop an industry, the extent and
magnitude of which would very rapidly exceed that at Fiji? What I now say to youl say to the people
who have come down fr«m the N«rth: we will do all we can to encourage the trade, and when it gets
to such dimensions as will justify our running a direct steamer we will run it.
8469. By Mr. King : The growers have assured us that the general result of shipping fruit has been to
land them in a loss. How can you expect the trade to grow under such circumstances ? It is one of
those things we can scarcely deal with at present. The stunners h aveto lie in Brisbane and Sydney for
a couple of days at a time, and that is a very trying thing for fruit.
8470. What is the distance that your steamers have to run from Fiji to Sydney ? 1,872 miles.
8471. And from Port Jonglas to Melbourne ? 2,017 miles.
8172. By Mr. Cowley : Your company carries a greatdeal on behalf of the plantations both up and down?
Yes ; we carry very largely.
8473. Can you give us any idea of the amonnt of trade or tonnage you carry ? No.
8474. Do you net keep a record of the number of tons of sugar you carry per annum ? Yes.
8475. Can you form any idea of the number of tons of return freights in the shape of stores and horses?
It is impossible to keep a rec«rd «f that. Sugar being one commodity, we can keep a record of that.
8476. Is the sugar industry a very large factor in your trade ? Very.
8 177. Suppose the sugar industry were to cease, would you be great sufferers ? Very great sufferers
indeed.
8478. Would it result in the number of boats being decreased in the North ? It might.
8479. Would it result in a corresponding rise in freights ? The probable result would be that upward
rates of freight would materially advance if the sugar industry ceased.
8480. So that all northern c«Qsumers would have to pay considerably more for their stores and produce
than they do now ? Yes. I find that in the season of 1887-8 the total quamtity of sugar shipped from all
Queensland ports to the south was 45,470 tons. In the season that we are now finishing there have beeu
carried 22,789 tons, or a decrease of nearly 50 per cent. The value of that trade to us in freight, roughly
speaking, is 20s. a ton, so that in the season we are now closing we have had a diminution in our freight
returns of nearly £22,000 on sugar alone. The carriage of sugar is our backbone in Queensland. We
get little else but fruit and sugar.
8481. Is it not a fact that, over and above that, you carry a very large percentage of cargo for the planta-
tions all the wny up the northern coast ? I have no doubt we do.
8482. You siiy you charge Is. a bunch on "bananas to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Are you aware
that the grower in many cases only gets Is. to Is. 3d. a bunch ? I have heard that before.
8483. So that you are actually getting as much as the grower who has spent months in maturing his
crop ? Yes.
8484. Can you not see any way of reducing the freight ? No ; I do not see that we can. It is the same
as the Fiji rate, nnd all other rates are paid in advauce, the same as in Queensland. The distance is
about the same, and the work we do is about the same.
84S5. From Cairns to Brisbane the distance is much shorter? The rates to the three ports have always
been the same for the carriage of fruit. We cannot act individually in this matter.
s 8186. But
258
MISUTES OF ETTDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EOTAL COMMISSION TO INQTTIBE INTO
J, Monro. 8486 But surely it seems a strange thing that a Queensland consumer should have to pay as much as a
t Melbourne consumer ? The only way would be to raise the rates between Melbourne and Sydney.
HMar.,1889. We want to encourage the trade and enable people to sell their fruit in Sydney and Melbourne.
Brisbane takes a small quantity, comparatively speaking.
8487. Is not Mr. ISolanvour agent at Geraldton? I believe he is. .
848S. Was be making complaints on behalf of himself or others ? I believe he made general complaints.
Burns, Philp. and Co. control all the northern ports, and they appoint tbei'r agents. We hold Burns,
Philp, and Co. responsible. I take it for granted that the complaints made were general.
8489. Is it not a factthat the shipment of fruit by the " Wan-ego," of which you spoke, was exceptionally
favourable? There was nothing to indicate that. We went down in perfect ignorance of the state in
which the bananas were.
8490. Were the bananas on the " Warrego " stood up or piled in heaps ? Some in heaps and some in
layers.
8491. With regard to the ullage in case fruit, can you give any suggestions for improved cases by which
this might be prevented ? The cases ought to be made as stronf as possible, and, although it is expensive,
they should be renewed pretty often. The same cases should not be shipped over and over again.
84f»2. Do any of the shippers put hoopiron or wire round ihei cases ? I have never seen that.
8493. Don't you think that would be a preventative ? I think it would go a long way. It recalls to my
mind that, in London, we bad a very large fine poods trade from Manchester to Zanzibar, and the
packages for one particular firm were always being pilfered. Tliey could not get any satisfaction, so they
got iron bound cases and put their own seal in the centre. After that, the packages reached their desti-
nation safely, and there were no more complaints.
8494. Are you not responsible for loss on sugar ? AYhen we do not deliver the quantities we give
receipts for, we pay.
8495. Do you, in justice to the fruit growers, apply the same principle when they ship fruit in cases ? I
have not heard of claims being refused.
8496. Then you admit you are responsible ? I do not admit that.
8497. H you admit the principle as applied to sugar shipped in bags, you can hardly refuse the same
privilege to growers of fruit ? The conditions are not identical. The sugar is down below and the case
fruit is on deck.
8498. But as public carriers surely you should take the responsibility ? There are conditions under
which *e ha ve got to work which create these anomalies.
8499. Do you ever carry private detectives on board ? We have carried them.
8500. Have they ever succeeded in getting convictions against pilferers? Not one.
8501. Is it not a fact that the passengers get as much fruit as they can eat, supplied by the ship ? Tea.
8502. Then there is no inducement for the passengers to steal ? The steerage passengers do.
8503. Are the cases not stowed forward ? They are stowed forward and aft.
8504. Can you give us any valid reason why y»u charge £1 a ton freight between Cairns and Coo Mown,
whereas you carry at a so much lower rate going south ? In Queensland the cost is almost all one way.
It is all upward. We have to make our expenses, and the expenses come out of the upward freights.
8505. I am speaking of sugar carried to Co»ktown? The quantities are very small.
8500. Would it not materially assist the planter if his sugar was carried at a lower rate? It is a
queslion of demand and supply. If there is a large quantity the price comes down.
8507. You said that the "Quiraing" and "Katoomba" were fitted up to carry fruit — why did you
abandon that plan? I do not know that it has been abandoned. The ships have been laid up. The
" Katoomba" was too small for the trade.
8508. Is the " Katoomba " laid up now ? She is re-commissioned now.
8509. Do you know whether the trays on board the vessels have been abandoned ? I could not say.
Geobge Wixkie Gbay examined :
G.W.Gray. 8510. B y the Chairman : You are a member of the firm of Quinlan, Gray, and Co., carrying on business
—-^-—^ in Brisbane ? Tes ; and also managing director of the Queensland Sugar Company.
14Mar.,1889. 8511. Your firm has acted as agents for sugar planters in the North ? We have.
8512. In the sale of their sugar and in supplying them with the ordinary supplies of plantations ?
Yes.
8513. How long have you bcenengaged in the sugar trade with planters ? Since the first cane was grown
by Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald in Mackay, he being the pioneer there twenty years ago.
8514. In what year did the sugar industry begm to assume large proportions ? It was at its height, I
think, about seven or eight years since.
8515. What was the price of sugar (the produce of Queensland) in Brisbane at that time ? Best sugars
were selling then at £35 a ton.
8510. How long did that price continue ? It varied from £30 to £35 for ten years.
8517. Iu what year did you first begin to discover a decline iu the price of sugar ? The decline began, I
think, about five yeara since.
8518. Has it been a steady or fluctuating decline ? A steady decline.
8519. "What is the pi ice of the sugar now that previously realised £35 a ton ? To-day the same sugar is
worth about ,£20, but a rise of fully £6 a ton has taken place during the lass three months. It then
stood at £20, but the short crop has given rise to the advance during the last, few months.
8520. Do you know whether the sugar trade of Queensland has much influeuce on the commercial
prosperity of Brisbane ? I consider it has done more for the commercial interest, including the shipping
on our coat-t, than any other two or three industries iu the colony combined, and bad the prosperity
continued I believe as an export; in money value, it would now have far exceeded the wool producing
interest.
8521. Do you think it has afforded any employment to the working population of Brisbane? I do;
particularly mechanics. When we first started' our plantation, we had the greatest difficulty in procuring
mechanics
■
THE GENEEAL CONDITION OF TEE SUOAE INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
259
mechanics for the Johnstone River. In fact to get them we had to pay 20s. a day of eight hours for our G. W. Gray,
blaeksmiths, and engineers .were receiving from 15s. to lGs. a day. Since then the same men have called / — -^v^—^
upon me. and begged me to take them in as storemen at £2 a week. 14 Mar., 1889.
8522. What effect do you think the closing of the plantations would have upon the working classes of
Brisbane, and the commercial class ? It is already beginning to be felt very seriously, and if the plan-
tations that talk of closing carry our their intentions it will be very much felt by the working classes, by
the foundries, and by the shipping companies on our coa«t. The improvement in the shipping on our
coast has been entirely created by the sugartrade, and if that is snuffed out, as it promises to be, 1 do
not know where they will go to find cargo for the steamers that are running on the coast. The wool all
goes direct home now, and without the sugar I think that a lot of the steamers now on the coast will have
to be taken olf. There will be no employment for them.
8523. Is your firm engaged in the local shipping trade ? We have not a penny interest in it in any way.
8524. Therefore your opinion is perfectly disinterested ? Quite disinterested. I have no interest in it
whatever. I speak knowing the large sums we used to pay ourselves for freight up the coast, and for
sugar back, and now our monthly accounts with the same company are not one-tenth of what they were.
8525. By Mr. King : What is the rate of commission usually charged for the sale of sugar? It is about
6£ per cent.
852G. That is what is called the "Maclray rate" ? Tes.
8527. And that covers everything but interest? Tes.
8528. I suppose you art) well acquainted with the rates of freight and insurance on this coast ? Tes I am.
8529. io you consider that the freights and insurance charges arc reasonable? I consider the insurance
is too high altogether, and has been for years, for the reason that they charge now the same rates by these
fine steamers as they formerly did by the old-fashioned worn out boats that were running before the sugar
industry assumed such magnitude.
8530. How does the freight on sugar compare with the freight on flour? It compares very favourably,
taking it all round.
8531. What is the freight on flour from here to Maclray ? I cannot tell you from memory. I may tell
you that the upward freight on flour is higher than the back freight. The back freight for sugar we can
always arrange at a cheaper rate than upward freight, because the companies depend on the sugar for back
freight. I think with the small amount of freight offering now the steamers cannot carry it up at a
lower rate. It costs 50s. a ton for our flour to the Johnstone, and we get our sugar back at £1.
8532. Tou are one o f the partners o f the Queensland Sugar Company ? Iam the managing director.
8533. Has the company been paying during the last few years ? It has not.
8531 If something is not done for the sugar industry to relieve the present depression what will be the
effect on tliat plantation? It will be closed. In fact I may say it is practically closed now, awaiting
the result of this Commission.
8535. Your firm ulso own the Queensland Distillery ? They do.
8836. Is tliat now working? No ; it is not. It would be working if I could get molasses locally.
8537. The reason is that you cannot get a supply of molasses ? That is the reason.
8538. Would it pay you to bring your molasses down from the Johnstone? No ; it would not.
8539. Bo you think it would pay you to take the distillery to the molasses? Well, our company is so
disheartened at the big expenditure which has already been incurred on the plantation that they are not
inclined to increase it, either for distilling or any other purpose, uutil at all events there is some
guarantee that we will have reliable labour to carry on the estate.
K540. The difference between the excise and Customs duty is sufficient to encourage distillation in the
colony? Yes it is, particularly with the present high price of rum.
8541. What price do you suppose you would have to pay for molasses if you had the distillery where it
could be obtained ? On an average it has cost from l^d. to 2d. a gallon.
8512. A very large amount of molasses is being thrown on the fields in the North ? Yes.
8543. How is it that there are no distilleries working in the North at the present time ? I suppose it is for
the same reason that I have already given — that the sugar planters are so discouraged with the result of
their expenditure that they are disinclined to spend more money.
8514. But they have been actually sending to waste a product which might have assisted to carry them on.
At your plantation on the Johnstone Eiver, the molasses would have beeu of some considerable value if
it had been turned into rum ? We did not feel inclined to expend any more money, because we have
expended up to the present time about £80,000 and the company are disinclined to enter into any fresh
industry on the estate, until something definite is done in connection with the iudustry.
8515. If you eould sec clearly that it was going to be profitable you would go into it ? We should. I
have been thinking it over, but with the uncertainty of everything on the estate, I would not recommend
the expenditure just now.
85tfi. By Mr. Cowley: Can you tell us what the proportion «f up loading is to the sugar made which
is brought down ? I should say that the downward freights in sugar bear the proportion of three-fourths
to one-fourth of up loading, that is after a plantation is established.
8547. That is independent of the supplies from the local towns ? Yes ; direct from Brisbane.
8548. Have you ever had a vessel in the island trade ? We have.
854-9. Have you got it now ? No.
85.50. What caused you to abandon the island trade seeing that you own a plantation ? Owing to the
Government olfichd who was placed on board. Whenever we had a chance of making a successful voyage
something came in the way to spoil the voyage. Our venture in the trade was not a success owing to the
class of Government agents supplied by the Government.
8551. Can you offer any suggestions by which the island trade could be improved? Yes. I think that
the only way is for the Government to take it in hand and have a depot established at the islands ; getting
a steamer to go down once a month for the boys and take back returns.
8552. You think that would do away with everything objectionable in the matter f introduction ? I
think that is the only way to do away with the objections in connection with the kauaka trade.
8553. Since you have been eugaged for eight years sugar planting oti the Johnstone, has the price of
kanakas advanced materially ? Yes j very materially.
S554. Do
260
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN JJEEOUE THE JtOYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIEE INTO
G. W.Graj. 8551. Do you thiuk that is occasioned by the circumstances you have narrated ? I do. The private
^— owners of vessels do not care to go into the enterprise and send schooners to the islands, and the trade is
14 Mai., 1889. confined, I think, to about one man at the present time.
8555. From your knowledge of the island trade do you think that if the Government took the matter into
their own hands the cost of introduction could be very considerably reduced? I am sure it could, par-
ticularly if the agreements were for five instead of three years. My experience is that for the first year
you have the boys they are frequently in the hospital and you get very little good out of them. Practically
it is a two years' engagement. If the cost of bringing over the boys was spread over five years instead of
three the general expense would be considerably lessened.
8556. Then you think if the Government introduced the labour, and the term of agreement was extended
to fi ve years, it would be a material assistance to the planter ? It would.
8557. Is there any other suggestion you can make by which you think the planters would be materially
benefited ? My experience in connection with our own plantation is that without coloured labour it
will be impossible to carry on. The field work cannot be done by white men. I am sure of that, because
the heat is so intense at the Johnstone when they are cutting cane. White labour has been tried. White
men have been sent up there but they will not remain.
8558. There is nothing else you can suggest by which you think the position of the planters can be
improved? No, unless some arrangement could be made to bring Javanese down. I have had no
experience with them myself, but at the adjoining estate of Mounlyan I think they have worked
very well.
8559. You prefer the kanakas? Yes, if their introduction can be arranged in the tvay I suggest. Last
season, for instance, it was a regular scramble to get men to take off the cane. We had Chinamen,
lascars, and all sorts of men, and then we could not get enough off to keep the mill going.
8560. You would employ none «f those men provided you could get kanakas? I would not, but
without the assistance of Ckinamen hitherto we would have had the mills cUsed Ion:; 3inee on tlie
Johnstone. If we could get kanakas, and be able to depend upon having sufficient of them, under
the five years' agreement, I think that might meet the difficulty.
8561. And that would do away with the necessity of employing Chinese ? It would.
James Simon Michael examined:
J. 3. Michael. 8562. By the Chairman : You are in the Railway Department, Brisbane? Yes.
^— N 8563. "We understand you have had experience in tea growing ? Yes ; in Cachar in Bengal. I had
14, Mar,, 1889. about 1,100 acres under plant there, and about 6,000 acres altogether.
8564. Are you of opinion that the climate of Northern Queensland is aualagous to that where you were
cultivating the tea plant ? I think some parts of it must be. Wherever you have a rainfall of, say, 120
to 150 inches in the year, with a tropical heat such as they have in the North, it is certain to be suitable
for tho growth of tea ; but the longer the period of time over which the rainfall is distributed, the more
suitable it would be for tea. What I mean to say is, that if you have a rainfall of 150 inches in the year
and it is distributed over eight months of the twelve, you can goon manufacturing for those eight months,
but if the rainfall is for only four months out of the twelve, then a great part of the year would be lost.
Bushes will only flush during the time of heavy ram accompaiued by excessive heat, I have never been up
North and am not aware how long the rains last.
8565. What labour is employed in the growth of the tea plant ? Men, women, and children.
8556. Families? Yes; it is entirely black labour, of course.
8567. What wages are paid to those engaged in the industry ? Men are paid sit the rate of five rupees a
month, a rupee being worth la. 6d. W»men four rupees a month, and children in pr»p«rtion to the
women, according to their size.
8568. With rations ? No; they pr«\ide everything themselves.
8569. What is the average yield per acre? The average yield would depeud upon the age of the garden
and the age of the plant. In five or six years the plant is supposed to be iu full bearing, and when a
garden is a success, being well plamted with a good quality of tea, it ought to give at least 400 lb. of tea
to the acre.
8570. Then it would require a person of some considerable experience and knowledge to commence tea
planting? It would require at any rate the manager to have a knowledge of it. Of course it might be
possible for a man without knowledge to grow tea, but it would not be advisable for him to do it.
8571. Then how long after the tea plant is planted in the ground ought the grower to expect to realise on
his crop ? In the third year after the seed is placed in the ground he begins to realise. Alter the third
year he goes on recouping himself for capital expended, and probably, with success, he ought to recoup
his capital by about the sixth or seventh year. Of course a great deal depends upon the seasons and the
rainfall.
S572. Not having been north, you do not know what particular districts would be suitable for the growth
•f the tea plant? Fr»in what I have heard J. think the Mourilyvui Harbour, the Cairns district, ind the
Johnstone, would in all probability be suitable. Almost any soil is suitable, provided it has an admixture
of iron in it. A ferugiuous loam would be very suitable ; tlieu tho black loams are suitable, and some of
the most successful tea I ever planted was grown in a swamp th:it I drained. It was lying between two
ranges of hills. I cut down a jungle over this and drained it, and it was simply solid peat. Thattumed
out to be tho most successful planting I ever had.
8573. Do you t-hink it would pay to grow tea in Queensland with Eui'opeau labour? No ; I do not.
8574. Not on the family principle, as in Bengal? I do not think so. You could not afford to pay
European labour. It would be an utter impossibility.
8575. What price does the grower obtain for his tea? I suppose the average just now would be about
twelve annas — that is about Is. 6d. a lb. If he did not get an average of twelve annasit would be a very
bad look out.
8576. That would be equal to £30 an acre ? Yes ; an anna is worth l£d. There are about 200,000,000
lb. of tea manufactured in China annually ; in India 40,000,000 or 50,000,000 ; and the Indian tea
goes to make up the quality of the China tea. The Indian tea makes the China tea moie valuable and
Brings up its market value. Richard
1XIV. OEWEItAi COJfDITrOK OF THE BTTGAK TKDUBTET IN QTJEENSLAITD.
RiCHiBD Iliff examined :
8577. By Mr. King : What are you ? Accountant to the firm of Smith, Forrester, and Company, B. Iliff.
ironfounders and engineers. ^-^.a-— - -
8578. Have you been long in that office ? About four years. MMar., 188
8579. The firm was formerly R. li. Smellie and Company? Tes.
8580. Had you anything to do with the firm whilst they were carrying on the business ? No.
85SI. Have you had much work in supplying machinery or doing work for th« sugar plantations ? We
were very busy between the years 1882 and 1884.
8582. What was the value of the work you had in that time ? It would run into about £33,t00.
8583. Since then what work lias been done? Since: then there has been a lull.
8584. Can you say what was the amount of work of that description yon did in 1888? In this colony,
nothing.
8585. Is the establishment working full-handed ? Not as full as we were in 1882-1884.
8580. If you had the same demand f»r machinery as tliere was in 1882-1884, you would be able to
employ more hands? Certainly.
8587. What wages are given to the men in the foundry generally. From lOd. to 20d. an hour, according
to the class of work.
8588. Is the firm in a position to turn out machinery for sugar planters If they were required to do so ?
Tes ; to any extent.
8589. They have already had experience in that class of work? They turned out a large number of
plants during the time the rush was on— about twelve full plants, besides supplying parts to other
people who had a portion only of their machinery.
&590. You consider the sugar-planting industry is of some importance to the iron industry? It was of
great value during the time the rush lasted. Of course there were the repairs also, which brought in a
large amount of work.
FRIDAY, 15 MARCH, 1889.
BRISBANE DISTRICT.
(At the Rosewood Scrub.)
Pbesent :
W. U. GKOOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. B. KIN», Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Thomas La.t?hence Smith examined :
8591. By t/te Chairman : What is the name of your plantation ? We call it Woodlands. T. Ei. Smith.
8592. What experience have you had in sugar growing ? The only experience that I have had has been ^-^.a.-— ^
my own, and that has covered a period of seven to eight years. 15 Mar , 1889.
8593. How many acres do you hold altogether? About 1,200.
8594. How many :ieres have you under sugar cane ? We have never measured it up, but I should think
approximately about 250 acres under cane.
8595. What amount of sugar did you obtain from last year's crushing ? Last year we did not crush at
all.
8596. What was the eauso of that ? The dry weather. The cane had not grown sufficiently to make it
worth while cutting it.
8597. Have you a stand over crop for the next season ? Yes.
8598. What sort of prospect have you for a crop next season ? It is somewhat about the same. In
fact, it is a little worse, because the cane has not moved, and much of the cane that was good and sound
last year is rotten this year. There has not been sufficient moisture to enable the plants to live.
8599. How long has the drought continued in this district? More or less since 1877, but two years ago
we had a good deal of rain in January. That might bo called a wet season. Siuce then it has been dry.
You might nay :i continued drought for the past twoyearg.
8(500. In which all parties have suffered alike ? Pretty well. The maiae crop in the district was a
failure last year, and this season it is worse. There will hardly be a pumpkin, to say nothing of maize.
8601. Wliat amount ol; enpital have you invested, iofch in the mill and the land ? That is more than I
could tell you, 1 Lave had so many things mixed up that I could uot say.
8G02. Can yon give the approximate amount ? It would only be approximate. As nearly as I can come
to it, for the mill, the distillery, plan ting cane, ami fencing the land, it has cost from £20j000 to £25,00#.
8G03. Have you ever obtained interest on that amount «f capital? Nothing like it. We do not expect
to for some time to come.
8604. What amount of sugar did you make in 1887? We made between 260 and 270 tons, and about
1,300 gallons of rum, but nt that time we had not so much cane under crop as we have now.
8605. When you do have a crushing you utilise the whole of your molasses ? Yes ; turn it into rum.
8600. Have you a good market for the rum? We have no difficulty in selling it. 1 could have sold
tw ice as much if we had had it to seil. The price we get is very low certainly, but still there is plenty
of sale for the rum.
8607. What labour do you employ in working the plantation ? Niggers.
8608. That is kanakas? Yes.
8609. How many of them have you ? We kave about thirty-six now. Of eourse there is very little
work for them to do now. Jjcsides, a lot oE the boys' time has just expired aud they have gone away —
some of them ouly yesterday. We have tliirty-six left now. 8610 When
262
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE BOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
T. L. Smith. 8610. When you are in full working order and have cane to crush, as in the season of 1887, what is the
/'~**- A ^— average number of men employed by you? The number of men would be, I think, about 120, including
15 liar., 18S9. those euga ;ed in cutting cane, working the mill, cacti ug, and so forth.
8611. Do vou experience any difficulty in getting white la bour when you. need "it? Tou can get the
labour rignt enough, but it is no use when you do get it. You can tetany number of meu, such as they
are, but they will not do the work. I tried to work with white labour at first, but it was no go. Igotthe
men and started work, but as soon as we got to the crushing se ason they struck. I gave them more
money and then they were not satisfied. The first pay day half of them would be in the public-house
drunk, and you would have to start without them. lu fact the only season when we eut cane with white
labour alone it cost 6s. a ton to cut and load it.
8612. Do any of the farmers grow cane for you ? One or two of them are growing cane here and there,
but the whole of it put together would not amount to more than ten or fifteen acres. Sometimes they
bring it into the mill and sometimes they do not.
8613. What price do you give f*r the cane ? From 8s. Gd. to 14s. a ton, according to the price of sugar
at the time.
8614. ILive you ever made •vertures to them to grow cane for the mill under contract ? Not under
contract. The mill was put up as a central mill. We put up the mill before we planted any caoo
ourselves. That is why we are so far behind with the quantity uuder cultivation. The farmers promised
that if the mill was put up they would all grow cane. Wo did not enter into any contract, but I said I
would put up the mill if they would grow the cane. When I put the mill up there was not more than
fifty acres of land under cane, and I bad to begin planting myself. We are still open to purchase cane at
current rates from any farmers who grow it, but they do not grow it.
8615. Do they find maize growing more profitable ? Well, I suppose so. They have obtained a very good
price for the maize during the last few years. It has averaged 3s. or 3s. 6d. a bushel. If they get
another very good season maize will be so plentiful that they will get a very small price for it, and then,
perhaps, a good many of them may grow cane. I have bought maize here at Is. 4d. a bushel, delivered,
and that time will come again. In fact, I think myself that a good season will mean a bad one for the
maize growers. They will get little or nothing f»r their crop.
861G. When you were in full working order as in 1887, what was your average annual expenditure ? In
wages I should think from £2,000 to £3,000, taking tho cultivation of the cane throughout the year, the
working of the mill, and so forth.
8617. What wages do you pay your kanakas ? £15 a year and their clothes and rations, medical attend-
ance, and other things.
8618. Do you import them direct ? No ; they are time-expired boys. I find it very much easier to get
them than to indent boys, and they are much better. You pay them a larger wage, but they are better
workers. I should not try t« import any while I could get the time-expired boys. Being so near
Brisbane, where they congregate, we have a good chance of getting them.
8619. If the seasons were favourable, do you think this district is adapted for sugar cane growing ? Yes;
I do not think it could be beaten, judging from the cane I hare seen here. We have had canes here 10
feet or 12 feet long. The canes have grown up first, fallen down, and grown up again and fallen down
again in o:te season. The o ly thing I think is against cane growing is tha deficient rainfall. If we get
an ordiuary raiuf all, we get a fair crop, but if we get a regular wet season we have cane in abundance,
more especially if we get the rain before the end of December.
8620. You do not think the frosts would have an injurious effect on the crops ? We have not felt them
yet. Of course we plant on the high land, which is free from the frost, but if the cane was planted on the
low land, it would be frost bitten.
8621. By Mr. King .- You said that white men were not a success in the field— did they object to any
particular part of the work ? They were always grumbling and saying they did not care about doing
this or that, and if you wanted them to do a little extra work after hours, they would simply flatly
refuse.
SG22. "What description of w»rk did the yobject to most ? Cane cutting and loading and working about
the mill. They are in the habit of sayi ng " It is only a kanaka's job, and I will see you damned before
I do it; do it yourself."
8623. Do you trash your cane ? No.
8624. Did the white men object to weeding and hoeing ? That seemed to'be the job they would not do.
I put a lot of men into the field and they would chop the tops off the weeds, and never hoe them out
properly. I refer to such men as are available— the new chums. Other nieu who are any good s»on get
farms of their own ; but the object of the majority is to simply pass tlieir time as quickly as possible —
they never mind the work so long as the sun goes down.
S625. The year before last when you had a good crop you cultivated with kanakas ? Yes.
8026. You had some white men employed ? Yes ; we had some about the mill, and au overseer in the
field.
8627. .About how many whit* men did you employ at that time ? In the field we would have a white
man to about every dozen darkies, and the horse drivers would be mostly whites. Here and ther e we
have an extra intelligent boy that we put on to drive. About the mill we should have darkies at the
cane carriers, and one or two at the clarifiers.
8G28. How many white men would you give employment to if you were in full work? At crushing time
from twenty to twenty-five white men.
8629. In tho field and in the mill? Yes.
8630. What wages do you give the white men ? The ordinary labourers' wages, 4s. a day.
8031. And rations? No; without rations; and the overseers 5s. a day.
8632. Yeu find them lodging I suppose ? Yes ; and they find their own rations. They have no difficulty
in gettiug their own rations here, at the stores and groceries, and I find the men like it better than if
supplied with rations. It would be cheaper to me to give them rations, but they would not be so well
pleased.
8633. If you were unable to get any kanakas what would be the effect on your plantation? It is hard,
to tell; I thfe k there would uot be a plantation here very soon after. 1 do not see how there could bc\
I do
XnE GENERAL COSDlTIOlf OF THE STTGAJI UTDUSTBT TW QUEEtfSLATTD.
263
I do not see how it could possibly be carried on with such white labour as is available. Ton want these T. L. Smith.
men only for a given time and Tou have to take on new meli every season. You have to teach all these
men their work, and after they have thoroughly learned the work there is no more work for them. That 15 Mar.,1889,
has to he repeated every season. Then as to the cultivation I do not think we could get the ordinary
labourer to do that work at all, to say nothing about doing it satisfactorily.
8634. Would it pay you to do your cultivation with white lahour supposing the white men would work
as well as the kanakas? Not at present; but in after jeara I think it might. At present we haveto
cultivate largely amongst the stumps, and the whole of the labour is done by hand, but in the course of
time when the stumps 'rot and we get the land under plough, then it can be worked with horses. Then
I think we could do the cultivation without kanakas, because one man with horses would do as much as
a dozen by hand.
8635. Can you tell us the cost of your mill ? I am sure I could not. I do not know the cost of erection,
and I have never bothered about keeping separate books of account.
8636. What was the first cost of the machinery? I should have to hunt up all my invoices to teli
you that.
8637. Where did you get your machinery ? The greater part of it came from home. The evaporating
plant from Mirrlees, Watson, and Co.; the crushing plant from Fletcher Manlove ; part of the boilers
were manufactured in England and part in the colony. The charcoal plant came from home.
8638. Where was the plant that was made in the colony manufactured? The boilers were made by
Smith, Forrester, and Co.
8639. Do you give employment to any mechanics in overhauling and repairing the machinery ? Tes ; we
generally have two or three before our crushing, and when we are not crushing we keep one. There are
always repaii-s about the mill that will keep one man employed throughout — I refer to fitters ; and then
we have carpenters, blacksmiths, and bricklayers.
864*. Do you work many horses on the plantation ? I should think about fourteen or fifteen.
86H. Do you grow Hie feed for them? Yes ; we try to. I am afraid that this year we will not succeed-
8f>42. When you started this plantation what was the price of sugar ? Wbat we would call a low ration
su*ar now was worth £12 a ton. That same sugar would fetch about £12 now.
8613. Then there has been a fall of about £10 a ton ? Yes ; fully £10. When we began we just put up
the open pans and the fire battery, and made the ordinary open pan sugar, which is about equal to the
ordinary ration sugar, and £22 a ton is what we got for the sugar we made. Now we send out refined
sugar, and only get £15 a ton for it.
86ii. Was there any reason why the farmers of this district did not grow the caneafterthey bad promised
you ? No ; I do not know of any reason, except that cartage was a little heavy; but they kuew what that
would be before they commenced. The country is not level, and the cost of cartage was a drawback.
Still most of the men have thpir own waggons, aud the cost would be reduced to the lowest point. I
think the main reason was that they have had a good market for maize of late years, and have been able
to make more out of it.
8645. H<ad they any dispute with you as to the price of cane ? No.
8646. And you thiuk cultivation of sugar cane by the farmers has diminished instead of increased ? Yes ;
you may say it has been abandoned altogether.
8647. They do not talk of going into it ? No. Of course when I saw that they did not go into it as
they promised, I began to put in cane myself.
3648. Does not the sugar cane stand drought better than maize ? Yes ; a great deal better.
86l9. Do you not think that the sugar cane is a more profitable crop than maize in a climate such as this ?
It would depend upon the output of maize. If the market was flooded with maize, then tbe sugar would
be better ; but if there was a scarcity of maize, and it commanded such a price as it has done, then perhaps
sugar cane growing would not be better than maize growing.
8650. What is the average crop of maize per acre in this district ? It varies very much. I have heard
some people say that they have got as much as 100 bushels to the acre, and I have known them to
get only 5 bushels. About 30 bushels to the acre would be a fair average.
8651. Four shillings a bushel is agood price? Yes ; very good. i
8652. That would be about £6 an acre ? Yea.
8653. Do they get two crops off the same laud in the year ? Not very often. If a man gets a crop in
very early, he will put in a second one between it; but in that case he will only have two very light crops,
and not so much in the aggregate as one good one. As a rule, they only take off one crop.
8654. What do you consider a fair crop of cane per acre in this district ? I think if we get a fair season
we ought to get from 25 to 30 tons of cane to the acre.
8655. What price would you give for that? We would give at present 8s. or 8s. 6d. a ton delivered at
the mill.
8656. At thatratethe farmerwouldget moremoney for an acre of cane than for an acre of maize? Yes.
8657. Is it more expensive to work cane than maize? It is more expensive to plant it in the first instance,
but after that it is cheaper. With maize they plough each time they plant, but with sugar cane it is put
in this year and the same crop does for three or four years, and sometimes five years. Taking it on an
average, cane cultivation is somewhat cheaper than mai2e cultivation.
8658. Wbat do you reckon the carting of the cane to the mill would cost ? It would depend upon where
the farm was. It costs me to cart it out of my own field, one and a half-miles from the mill, from Is.
to Is. 3d. a ton.
8659. B y Mr. Cowley ; You say you have had a drought for two years — how much rain bas fallen ? The
record is : 1885, 2730 inches ; 1886, 33 OS inches ; 1887, 54-66 inches ; 1888, 23"88 inches ; and up to
the end of February in this year, 275 inches.
8660. When you made the 250 tons of sugar, what area of cane did you crush that year? About 120
acres all told.
8661. What is the proportion of black labour to white that you generally use? When we are
working, I reckon it will be about 100 darkies and from twenty to twenty-five whites.
86(32. By the Chairman : What would be the cost of carting, supposing the cane was grown two or three
or four miles round the mill? It would depend upon how a man was situated. If be bad a waggon and
horses of his own it should not greatly exceed what it costs me to bring it in, The great cost is in the
teams waiting for loading and unloading. 8663. Of
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE ItOTAI COiOHSSION TO IN^CIEE INTO
T. L. Smith. 8663. Of course the natural features of the country here are hiJly ? Tes.
r — -a. — N 86S-1. The cost of cartage would be more expensive than if the ground was level? Tt s ; of course. You
15 Mar., 1889. cannot cart so much at a time. The horses instead of taking \\ tons would go along with 1 ton.
8665. Bo you think that that has had a detrimental effect upon the growing of cane? I do not think so.
It is one of the causes whicli have prevented cane from being grown ; but this last season we have laid
down a tramway through our estate. That will extend one and a-half miles from the mill, and I should
be willing to give the farmers the same price delivered at the end of the tramway as I should give them
at the rollers.
8666. Have you made that fact generally known ? No ; I have not. I have not bothered about the
farmers in any way.
8667. "What quantity of sugar is your machinery capable of making ? It is supposed to be up to 5 tons
of sugar per day, but I think it is rather less — about 4 tons.
8668. How many working days do you consider the season lasts ? The last time we worked exactly sis
months. We began crushing on the shortest day in the year, and finished on the longest, After that we
had a month's work in the mill besides — finishing off the sugars.
8669- In view of being able to utilise all your molasses and sell all your rum, would it not be to yoiw
advantage to encourage the farmers to grow cane ? Yes ; but they are such a peculiar class I could not
persuade them. If I was a German I might succeed.
8670. They are not able to see their own interests, because they can make £12 an acre by growing cane
and only £6 an acre by growing maize? I have shown them that, but it is of no avail. They do not
believe me.
MON3AT, 18 MARCH, 1889.
BEISBANE DI8TBICT.
(At Mount Cotton.)
Feesest :
W. H. GROOM, Est., M.L.A, | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Heney Heinemann examined:
H. 8671. By the Chairman .- Yon are a sonof H. Heinemann? Yes.
Heinemaiin. 8072. He is the owner of Mount Cotton Plantation ? Yes.
— ^ 8673. How many acres have you here altogether ? Under cane ?
18Mar. ; lS89. 8674. No, altogether? Altogether about 1,200 acres, I think.
8675. How many acres have you under cane ? One hundred and fifty.
8676. How many acres did you crush last season ? Of our own cane ?
8677. Yes ? About thirty acres.
8678. Only thirty acres ? Yes.
8679- How many acres did you crush for others ? I could not tell you; I could tell you the tonnage.
8680. How many tons of cane ? 2,400 tons were crushed last season,
8681. How many tons of cane came from your own plantation ? 600 tons.
8682. Did you purchase the cane from the surrounding farmers ? Yes.
8683. What price did you give them for it ? 9s. a ton delivered at the mill.
8684. How many tons of sugar did you turn out ? 190 tons.
8685. Was that the entire output of sugar from the 2,400 tons of cane ? Yes.
8686. How much capital have you invested in the whole plantation? £5,000.
8687. How much have you spent on it ? About £2 ; 500.
8688. You have laid out no more than £2,500 ? No.
8689. What did your mill cost ? Well, you see a lot of alterations have been made; we had an open pan
at first, now \v,e have put np a vacuum pan.
8690. Can you tell u B 'appro innately what has been the cost of the mill ? £2,500.
8691. Then what capital do you consider is represented in the entire plantation, including the mill? How
much money have you spent in elcariug, cultivation, fencing, buildings, &c, all over the plantation smce
you first got it ? What do you eonsider the capital account of the plantation ? I do not think I could
tell you.
8692. What were your working expenses for last year ? £1,950. That ia as near as I can get it.
8693. What were the profits of the plantation last year r 1 £3,055. From that has to be deducted
£1,950 for working expenses, and the balauce— n;imely, £1,105, was the profit.
8694. Jo you grow anything else on the plantation besides sugar ? We do ; that is we do not grow any-
thing else ourselves ; the other land is leased.
8695. To whom ? Chinese.
8696. What Tent do they pay you per acre ? I do not know exactly how many acres thoro are, but I
tkink ab«ut 40 acres.
8697. What rent do they pay you for the 40 acres ? £200 a year.
8698. What do they grow ? ' Bananas. We planted the land and then handed it over to them.
8699. What labour do you employ to grow your sugar caue? White and black.
8700. How many kanakas have you? Wo have not many at present, but last year we had thirty.
S701. How many have you now ? About eight, We will pay them off within a week or so, but we will
increase them again at crushing time,
8702. What wages do you pay these boys ? £19 a year, and some £20. 8703. Are
THE GENEEAX CONDITION OT THE SCT^JR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
8703. Are they time-expired boys or indented to you ? They are agreement boys. We did not gettbem
from the islands direct.
8704. How many white men do you employ ? About six.
8705. What wages did you pay them ? That all depends. Some of them — engineers — £2 10s. a week,
others 30s. a week.
8706. Did you employ any white men at all in field work in connection with the cane ? No ; that work
is all done by kanakas. Of course we have ploughmen.
8707. What wages do you pay your ploughmen ? From 18s. a week and tucker up to 30s. a week.
8708. By Mr. Cowley .- Not ploughmen ? Yes ; 30s. a week and he finds himself.
8709. By the Chairman : Could you grow sugar cane here with white labour only? Yes, I think so.
8710. And why do you not employ white men in preference to kanakas? Those are right enough. I
would not employ any other coloured labour than kanakas. I would not employ Indian coolies.
8711. You say that you could grow sugar cane with white labour. Well, I want to know why you do not
employ white labour. You being a German, why do you not employ your own countrymen ? If you can
getthem cheap, it is right enough. But according to the Act there are no more South Sea's coming here
after next year, and if coolies come in I would rather take white men aud make a little less than take
them.
8712. Then it is not because the white man cannot do the work, but it is the question of cheapness that
makes you employ the kanaka? Yes ; the white men can do the work, but some of them won't.
S713. Hotf long have you been growing cane here ? Ten years.
8714. And have you always made a good profit out of it? Yes ; we cannot make such a good profit now
as we nsed to, because sugar is down in price.
8715. But you have rcado good profits, much larger than you a re making now ? Yes.
8716. Have you any in tcrest to pav on borrowed capital ? No.
8717. Is the plantation entirely free of debt ? Yes.
8718. By Mr. King: If you had to cultivate your cane with white men, paying them the same
wages as yon have just mentioned, instead of kanakas, could you then make it pay? You would not
make such a big profit.
8719. What price did you get for your sugar last year, net ? About £15 on an average, delivered in
Brisbane.
8720. And it cost something to get it to Brisbane ? Yes; 10s. a ton.
8721. So that would be £14 10s. net ? Yes.
8722. Have you to pay any commission on the sale of the sugar ? Yes.
8723. How much would that come to ? I could not say.
8724. Then the net price of sugar would be a little over £14 a ton ? Yes ; about that.
8725. What was the total amount of your expenses last year ? £1,950.
8726. Does that include everything — the kanakas' wages, the white men's wages, and the cutting of the
8727. The mill expenses ? Yes.
8728. Firewood ? Yes ; and the firewood in hand.
8729. Do you and any of your family work at the mill ? Yes ; I work there myself.
8730. Does your father work there ? He might see that everything was going on all right, but he does
not work.
8731. Do any of the family work? No.
8732. Do you allow anything for yourwages? — Are your wages included in the £1,950 ? Yes; all wages
are included in it.
8733. You say that your working expenses are £1,950 ; but you have to buy 1,800 tons of cane at 9s. a
ton ? No; I do not. We bought 1,100 tons for £530,and we bought 700 tons at 2s. a ton, which makes
a difference.
8734. That would be £70 ? Yes.
8735. You paid £600 for the purchase of cane? Yes.
8736. That, added to the £1,950 working expenses, makes £2,550 altogether. Then you made 190 tons
of Bugar, and the net price you got for that was about £14 a ton — that is .£2,660, leaving a profit
of £110. Do you consider that £110 good interest on the money you have invested in the plantation?
The £1,950 expenses included the cost of the cane, and everything.
8737. Is the cultivation of sugar cane increasing in this district? I could not [say. The thing is going
back round about here.
8738. Is as much sugar cane grown here now as there used to be six or seven years ago ? No ; not by a.
long way.
8739. Were there any more mills in the district six or seven years ago besides this one ? Yes ; tliree
besides this.
8740. Are they working still? No ; they are closed.
8741. How do you account for that? — If sugar ca.ne is so profitable, how is there not an increase instead
of a decrease?" Bad management has a lot to do with it.
8742. How many kanakas do you say you had last year? Thirty.
8743. Did you have them for the whole year ? Yes.
8744. What wages did you pay them ? £19.
8745. What wages did you pay the whitemen during the year? £507, I think.
8746. And you say that, after paying all expenses, you had £1,105 to the good ? Yes.
8747. When you say that, you mean that you had £1,105 more at the end of the year than you had at
the beginning? Yes.
8748. That is equal to considerably over £5 a ton profit on the sugar made? Yes.
8749. Then you must have made your sugar for less than £9 a ton, that is including working expenses
and purchasing the cane ? Yes.
8750. By Mr. Cowley : Were the thirty acres that you crushed of your own stand-over cane ? All two
years' old cane.
8751. Then should not a certain percentage of the working expenses of the previous year be charged to
this ? I do not know.
8752. You
HTJNTjTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE KOYATj COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
8752. Tou had two years' cultivatiou ? No ; only one year. "We do all our cultivation the first year, and
Hememann. then do no thing else.
( "-^^ \ *>753. Do you "not trasli tke cane? • »lv the first year ; we never trash it after that.
ISMar, 1889. 8 754 Never? No , never.
S755. Tou say that you bought cane at 2s, a ton. Did you cut and cart it yourself ? Tes.
8756. How far away was it? About a mile-
8757. You say you paid white ploughmen 18s. a week and rations, and 30s. a week without rations. Is
that a fair average price ? Tes.
8758. Do you never get them for less ? No ; I would not like to offer any man less.
8759. Well, paying these wages to these men, do you think that if you hai no kanakas at all, and had to
replace the»i with white men, you could make it pay ? I would not make it pay so well-
8760. Would you make it pay at all ? — Can you form au opinion from your ten years' experience ? We
"would not make much profit, I think.
8761. How many days did your mill work ? I cannot say.
8762. What uumber of men did you employ in the mill when you were at work ? About ten or twelve.
8763. All white men P No.
87^-i, How many white men did you employ ? A sugar-boiler and two engineers — one at £2 a week and
one at £2 10s. The latter is not stationary, while the other engineer is always here.
8765. How many days wfre they employed ? I cannot say.
8766. What do your ratious cost you per head per week for the blacks ? I do not know,
S767. Tou Cau forin an opinion, surely ? It would not come to much over 6s.
8768. Does that include clothes and tobacco ? We have nothing to do with clothes.
8769. But you must have to furnish them with clothes and tobacco if they are under agreement ? No.
8770. Does the Polynesian inspector come out here ? Yes.
8771. Aud does he not compel you to give them clothes ? No.
8772. What is the Polynesian inspector's name ? Taylor.
8773. Are those boys ticket men ? No.
8774. And you do not give them any clothes or tobacco ? No. If we agree to give these men so much
money a year, and they agree to keep themselves in clothes, what has anybody to do with it ?
8775. Do you pay the return passage of the men v Tes ; if they go home. But most of them leave the
district, and engage elsewhere. Most of them have been employed before.
877(i. But have you not to pay the previous employer if you do not send them home? Yes.
8777. Can you tell us the cost of the rations supplied to the white men ?— How much is a white man's
ration per week ? I do not thiuk there would be much difference betweeuit and the blackboys'. About
6s. per week. The kanakas are used as well here as any of the white men.
8778. 1 only want to know the cost? Six shillings per head per week all round. I could not do it if
there were only one or uvo.
8779. What is the average number of white men engaged on the plantation all the year? During the
crushing season there are sometimes more and sometimes less.
8780. The average number ? We have only six all the year round.
8781. Do you weigh all the cane that comes to the mill, both your own andthatwhich you purchase from
others ? Yes.
8782- Tou have not a double crusher? No, only a single crusher.
8783. How many tons of cane does it take to make a ton of sugar? Somewhere from 12 to 13 tons.
8784. And is that done by a single crusher ? Tes.
878 5. When you say that your returns were £2,660 for the year, does that include fruit or anything
besides sugar ? No.
8786. Does it not include the rentpaid by the Chinamen? No.
8787. Nothing bub the actual net returns for the year? No.
8788. After having paid for cartage, and commission on the sale of sugar, that is the Det return ? Yea ;
I do all my own cartage, and it is included in the working expenses.
8789. How many horses do you employ? Aboutnine.
8790. Have you debited the cost of these horses ? No.
8791. How do you feed them ? #n corn.
8792. Do you grow it yourself ? No ; I have to buy it.
8793. Is that included in the £1,950 ? Yes.
8/94. Then the £1,950 covers all your expenses, and your own wages and rations as well? I do not
include my wages. I get part of the profit. My wages are not included in the £1,950.
8795. Is there anyone ehe whose wajres are not included in tlie £1,950 ? No ; except father's.
8796. Is he the manager ? Yes, he is the manager. I have the management of the mill.
8797. Then. your wages and your father's have to come out of the profits ? Yes.
8798. Tou say that you make a gross profit of £1,103 after paying the men's wages, the return passage
money, rations, cartage, and all expenses ? Yes.
8799. By Mr. Ring .- Tou say that you had thirty kanakas employed during the year ut £19 a year ; that
is £57# you paid for kanakas' wages ? Yes.
88i#. The wages you paid the white men amount to £507 ? Yes.
8001. The kanakas' rations were 6s. a week each, that would be £9 per week, or £4G8 a year. That is
altogether £570 for kanakas' wages, £468 for their rations, :wi £507 for white men's wages, making a
total of £1,545, to which has to be added £000 for the purchase of cane, making a grand total of £2,145
for expenses for oue year ? (No answer.)
8802. By Mr. Cowley : Did you pay the passage money of the kaaakas ? I paid some of it, but many of
them have gone away from me.
8803. By Mr. King: How much had you to pay on account of retnrn passages for kanakas ? We did
not pay much last year.
8804. And your uwu wages were not include'! in the £2,145 mentioned ? (No answer.)
S805. By the Chub-man: How is it that you came to pay such a low price as 2s. a ton for cane? That
was because the plantation you passed turned insolvent, and they did not know what to do with the cane.
Potts had the cane. We took it as cheap as we could get it. It was not farmers* cane, as farmers could
not grow it and sell it for 2s. a ton. That is where the profit comes in out of the cane.
8806. Then
THE 0ENEBA1 CONDITION OF THE SUGAB nNDTJBTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
Teg. We have gone as high as 16s. 6d. a H.
8806. Theu that assisted to increase the profits of last year ?
ton for cane. That was eight years ago.
8s07. Are these farmers from whom you got the cane at 9s. satisfied to grow it at that price ? Yes. f
8808. Ami to still go on Sroxving cane ? Yes. 1!
8809. Do they grow it with their owu labour? No, they have South Sea Islanders.
8810. Wheu you were paying 16a. (id. a ton for cane what were you getting for your sugar ? £29.
881.1. Then you could aff»rd to pay 16s. 6d. ? Yes ; just as well as getting £11 a ton for sugar and pay-
ing 9s. for cane. Sugar 13 too cWap now.
8S12. Y»u know that the importation of kanakas ceases at the end of 1890. What is going to be the
effect of that with you ? Well, I will work as much as I can and then I will shut up. I couli not g«
on without them.
8813. Then you will close your mill if the Act is put in force ? Yes ; T believe in the South Sea's, but
not in any other coloured labour. We have tried several of the other, but they are no good.
8814. By Mr, Cowley : Than you have no other source of income as far as this account is concerned ?
,No.
8815. Have you sold aJl your sugar this season ? Yes.
8816. By the Chairman : Docs your sugar land show any signs of exhaustion ? Yea ; but only on
account of the drought.
8817. Supposing you were to abandon sugar cane and convert your land into other crops would they be
a.s profitable as the sugar ? I do not think that any other crop excepting fruit would b# as profitable.
Bananas do very well with us.
8818. When you say you would close the mill you do not mean that you would abandon the plantation
altogether? — Or would you devote your land to some other sort of production ? Yes.
8819. Is there any church or chapel in the place where the kanakas go to get religious instruction ? No.
8820. Do any ministers or missionaries visit them at all ? No.
8821. Do they go to any schools in the evenings ? No.
£822. Would you not prefer to have your own countrymen to work here in place of kanakas ? No.
8823. Why 1 They do not like to do a day's work. You might get a man once in a way who did.
8824. But your own countrymen are noted for doing a good day's work ? Perhaps ; but a good man can
always get work. It is only those who cannot get a, job anywhere else who cume about a plantation.
They work a day or two and then knock off. If they enru £1 and get it, and if there is a grog shanty
near they leave their work. You can't depend on white labour. You cau depend on the South Seas,
and I prefer them for their steadiness.
8^25. By Mr. Kiny : Do the kanakas get grog here and get into trouble ? Yes.
832G. Do the police try to stop people selling grog to them— do they try to check it ? Yes ; a man
named Ratz got lined the other day.
8827. B n the Chairman : Do you know that Chinamen are expert hands at supplying kanakas with grog ?
No ; I do not.
8828. ByMr.Kiny: Could you sug:j;ost anything by which the sugar industry could be improved? Is
there anything the Government could do to assist the production of sugar and make the iudustry more
permanent ? I do not know. Put on a duty, I suppose.
8S29. There is a duty on it? If the bounty was taken off the beetroot sugar it would help us. The
supply is too much for the consumption.
8830. By Mr. Cowley ; Do you make white sugar? No, no white.
8831 . Can you tell us the proportion of firsts that you get? No.
8832. How many ijualities do you make ? Only two.
8833. Then you only boil the molasses twice? No ; four times.
883k What is the highest price your best sugar has fetched? The last, I think, was £20.
883-3. Do you use the ordinary lime process ? Yes.
8*36. What bags do you use ? Hessiau.
8837. What do they coat you ? 2£d. apiece, I think.
8838. What is the steamer freight on your sugar to Brisbane ? 10s.
8839. And hoiv many miles have you to cart it to the steamer ? Four.
8840. Can you tell us what is a fair average crop of cane grown in this district ? I do not know. About
35 tons to the acre, I think.
8841. Is that a heavy crop ? We have had it as high as 81 tons to the acre.
8842. Would a 35-ton-to-the-acre crop be all two year old cane ? Not always. Some years the cane
grows as inuch in one year as at other times it does in two. It all depends on the weather.
8843. Was the past an exceptionally good season for cane as far as the manufacture of sugar is
concerned, or does it take a greater quantity of cane to make a ton of sugar than it did last year ? No.
The average is 12* tons.-
LOGAN DISTRICT.
(At Eagleby Pocket.)
Hanick ParLLrp Oppermann examined:
8844 By the Chairman : You are a farmer residing here on your selection ? On my freehold property. h. V,
8845. And you are manager of the central mill? Ses ; and chairman. Oppermann.
8816. How many shareholders are there altogether in the company ? Seven. /~~^>^—~^
8847. How has the company been formed? It was just formed under agreement between us ; it was not 18 Mar.,1889.
registered. There is simply a private agreement between ourselves.
8848. Theu all of the seveu shareholders are growing cane. Yes.
8819. Are they all farmers like you ? Yes.
8850. How much cane dn you gro*v ? Each of us ?
8851 . Each o f yon ? About ten acres each.
8852. How long has this company been formed? Since 1881.
8853. Have you been crushing every year since then ? Yea.
8854. How
irnruTES ofr evidence taxes" defoee the eotal commission to inqtitee rcrro
8854. How much cane did you crush last year ? 900 tons of cane.
8855. "Was that all grown by the company ? No.
8856. How much was grown by the company ? About half.
8857. Then you purchased l'jc other half from surrounding farmers ? Yes.
8858. "What did you give for the cane? 8s. lid. per ton delivered at the mill.
8859. How much sugar did you make out of it? 67 tons out of the whole lot.
8860. And what price did you get for your sugar ? We sold it in Brisbane at from £20 to £21. For
some of it we got £22.
88GI. How much has the mill cost you ? Just as it stands, £-1,000.
88G2. "What are your annual expenses in connection with working the mill ? According as the season is.
8863. "What were your working expenses last year ? £250. Last year was au exceptionally bad season
owing to the drought. "We only had half a crop on the land, and it required double the quantity of cane
to make a ton of sugar than it did before. We get 12 tons per acre, and it should average 20 tons per acre.
There is another thing ; instead of 11 tons of cane to the ton of sugar, we used 19 tons of cane last
year for a ton of sugar.
8864. Since the company was formed have you been makiug a profit every year ? Yes ; except one year.
8S65. "Which year was that ? 1884, when sugar fell from £20 to £12. "We had an open pan then ; since
then we have had a vacuum pan.
88G6. Did you make a profit last year ? Yes; a small profit.
8867. If I understand you correctly, you are working the mill on the co-operative principle ? Yes.
8868. Are you all shareholders alike in the profits? "Well, not exactly ; but we might say that we are all
equal as far as the debt on the mill is concerned. "We take no profit until the debt on the mill is paid off.
8869. Is the mill your own bond fide property, or is there a mortgage on it ? There is a small mortgage
on it yet.
8870. To what extent now ? About £700.
8871. When you built the mill origiually had you to borrow the money to do so ? Yes ; every penny. We
have improved it. It was a small mill at first. The debt of £1,000 is now reduced to £700.
8872. What labour did you and the company employ for growing cane ? Only white labour.
8873. And are you satisfied to continue growing it with white labour? Yes.
8874. Can you make a profit with it ? Well, I would not say there was much profit in the field, but the
profit is in the mill.
8875. Do you employ any labour, or do you and your family do the work ? We employ all the labour in
the mill. But in the field almost all the farmers' work their cane with their families.
8876. Then you employ nothing but white labour in the mill? No ; we never have.
8877. Are you satisfied to continue working as you are ? Yes.
8878. Then, in addition to paying off the mortgage as you have done, have you divided any money amongst
yourselves for your own support ? No.
8879. Has all the profit gone to reduce the debt on the mill ? Yes.
8880. What are your prospects of cane for this year? It will be very short on account of the drought.
8881. Are you likely to have a crushing this year ? It looks as if we would have very little, or none.
8882. When the mill was in full working order how many hands did you employ in it ? About fourteen.
8883. Do those who are in company with you w«rk their own farms with their families, as a role ? Yes.
8884. And do not employ any labour? Very little, if any.
8885. B i/ Mr, King .- Do you consider that it pays you to grow cane at 8s. Gi. a ton, if you allow for
yourself and family the same wages that you would have to pay to labourers if you employed them?
Yes; every outsider that I purchase cane from tells me th.it as long a9 they can get 8s. Gd. a ton tbey will
grow cane rather than corn.
8886. How much did you get for your cane at 8s. 6d. a ton ? Only about £20, as it was a bad season. I
only had six acres. I grew ten acres, but the flood washed it all away, and we could not get the full
amount of cane in.
8b$7. How many of your family were working at the cane? I and my son, because the girls were all
out serving, because there was such a small living on the farm that they bad to go out.
8888. Did you take your own time.to do it ? We (cultivated about twenty acres.
8889. You reckon that you could cultivate ten acres to one man ? Yes.
8890. And if you got £20 for six acres that would only be about £33 for the man's wages for the year,
supposing you had the same crop as last year ? Yes ; but last year it was ouly half a crop.
8891. What would you consider an average crop? Twenty tons to the acre for a one year crop. In
1886 we made 2 tons of sugar for every acre that we crushed. In 1887 we had hardly anything, we
only crushed 30 tons, because the flood had washed it all away.
8892. Do you ever suffer from frost ? Very little.
8893. Do you crush the cane when it is twelve months old ? Yes ; if it is fit for it. Sometimes we let
it stand over till we get two seasons cune.
8894. How many farmers are growing cane about here ? Fifteen.
8895. How many acres of cane are cultivated in the whole of this neighbourhood ? I think there are
about 100 acres of cane on the land now. But we had from 130 to 150 acres in this pocket before the
flood.
8896. Were there ever any other mills about here except this mill ? Yes.
8897. Wha.t has become of those mills ? They were ruined from the flood ; and only one shareholder
grows cane there now for me.
8898. Are the other mills shut up? There is a mill close to the river that is taken down altogether.
8899. Are any mills working but this one in this neighbourhood now ? One mill worked six days last
season. Some of the shareholders in it were ruined by the ilood, and they gave it up and sold their
shares out of the mill.
8900. What is the reason 'that the cultivation of sugar cane has diminished in the neighbourhood ?
Because the flood washed the sugar cane away. Last year there was the drought ; it was very dry. I
had in about ten acres of cane, but had to plough half of it out as it would not come up ; and a good
many had to do the same. j
8901. By
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
269
S901. By the Chairman : How high was the flood, in this pocket? Six feet in this room. H- F -
8902. Then it swept a lot of the laud and sugar cane away ? It swept the sugar cane away altogether ; °PP ermann -
there was almost none left, and I had to make a fresh start. z' - A — ""N
8903. Then all the land was rendered unfit for sugar cultivation ? Yes. 18Mar., 1889.
8904. And that accounts for the small quantity of sugar grown now? Yes ; that and the drought.
8905. Then if the seasons were more favourable more sugar cane would be grown here? Yes.
8906. Would you grow more ? Yes-
8907. Is it a better crop than maize ? Yes.
8908. Is it more profitable ? Yes.
8909. By Mr. Cowley What wages do you pay the white men in the mill? 15s. and £1 a week and
rations.
8910. Do you ever employ any men yourself? No ; not in the farm.
8911. Not when you are cutting aud loading ? No; we help each other during the crushing season.
8912. Then none of the shareholders employ white meu in cutting and loading ? Well, in 1885 we had
white men for cutting cane, but that was not very often.
8913. Did they work wtJ 1 ? Very well.
8914. Were you satisfied with them ? Yes.
8915. What countrymen were they ? English, Irish, and Scotch. They kept coming and going. Some
who did not do the work wc sacked them. The others liked the work very well and said they would come
back again if they could get a job.
8916. What wages did you pay them ? ISs. a week and rations.
8917. You say you have purchased a good deal of cane? Yes.
8918. Do those men from whom you purchase the caue grow it with their own labour or do they use
kanakas ? No ; there is only one South Sea Islander in the pocket, and he is in the far end of it.
8019. By the Chairman : Amongst the fifteen farmers ? Yes.
8920. By Mr. Cowley : What is the most your crop has yielded you in one year since you commenced
growing it ? I have had 250 tons of cane from ten acres.
8921. Is that the heaviest crop you have had? Yes.
8922. And that was at 8s. 6d. ? No ; at that time we got 13s. 6d. for it at the mill.
8923. Is that since you were selling it to your own mill ? Yes ; sugar hasfalleu since then, and we could
not give so much.
8924. Then 25 tons of cane to the aere is the heaviest crop you ever got ? There might have
been some patches which were heavier, but that is an average crop.
8925. Was the 250 tons of cane a stand-over crop ? No ; it was twelve months old cane.
892G. Was it ratoon crop or plant cane ? Plant and ratoon.
8927. What interest did you have to pay on the £4,000 borrowed on the mill ? For the first six months
10 per cent., and after that 8 per cent.
8928. What interest have you to pay now? We still pay 8 per cent.
8929. You hav e paid all the interest and reduced the debt to £700 ? Yes.
8930. Burin;: that time have you declared any dividend? No ; the profit has all gone to reduce the debt.
8931. What else do yoti do for a living besides growing this cane, because that would not keep you and
your family ? We grow maize and other craps, and during the winter get our firewood for the mill.
8932. Do you get paid 1'or that ? Yes.
8933. Do you work oil the roads at all ? No.
8934. Then with the assistance of the firewood you support your family on twenty acres of land ? Yes ;
we could do it without the firewood.
8935. But what docs the other ten acres yield you in money ? The maize and all brings in about £6 an
acre.
893G. How many horses do you have? Two horses do all the work very well.
8937. Do you cart the cane to the mill with your own team ? Yes.
8938. The other farmers assist you and you assist them in turn ? Yes.
8939. Then you assist each other without employing any labour ? Yes.
8940. How many tons of cane do you crush in a day at the mill? From 25 to 27 tons. We can crush
30 tons.
8941. What wages do you pay the man who manages the mill? None.
8942. 'The manager gets nothing? No.
8943. What do you pay the engineer? £2 10s.
8944. Do you manage the mill ? Yes ; lama shareholder and we manage it together. I am the first
man ; I pay all the meu.
8945. How much does the sugar boiler get ? £4 a week.
894G. And rations? No.
8947. By Mr. King : You said that you crushed 900 tons of cane 1 Yes.
9048. Was that 900 that you bought ? No ; the whole lot.
8949. Then you made 07 tons of sugar ? Yes.
8950. That is about 13 tons of cane to the ton of sugar ? Yes.
S951. By the Chairman : Is the whole of your freehold comprisedin those twenty-three acres ? No; the
freehold is thirty-three acres in extent.
8952. Do you keep any cows ? Yes.
5953. And do you sell butter and milk? Sometimes a little butter.
5954. Do you sell eggs ? Yes.
8955. Then you carry on a dairy as well as a farm ? Yes; on a. small scale.
895G. Then you do not only live on the proceeds of the ten acres ? No.
8957. Do you grow anything #lse but maize ? Yes, a little hay • I have a little chaff.
8958. Do you grow sweet potatoes for your own use? Yes; we have to buy none.
S959. Is (he £b an acre you said yon got off your land all profit ? Yes.
8960. Are you quite satisfied with your prospects as a farmer settled iu this district ? Yes.
8961. Do you pay your way ? Yes ; I bought half of the land since I came here for £250, and have paid
it off. * 8962. And
270
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN SEFORE THE EOTAIi COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
H. P. 8962. And you do not owe anybody anything? No.
Opp'rniBnn. ^3 Are fa niem bers of" the company in the same happy position ? Almost all the same. They are
( — — \ all very well satisfied. The sugar mill has done a good deal for us. Every one can make £50 out ot the
18Mar., 1869. sU g ar mill if he gets paid. v
8964. Is it an understanding amongst the shareholders that you are not to employ black labour i les ;
it is an understanding that we are not to employ black labour .
£965. And you are quite satisfied that you are able to grow cane, crush it, and convert it mto sugar
without black labour ? Tes ; when the seasons are good.
8906. By Mr. Coictey : What is the most that you aud your son could grow if you grew all sugar cane?
Ten acres. We might grow twelve. If we had it all under cane we could not manage it properly m the
time ; but the other crops come on at different times, and so we can do well with twenty acres when it
is not all cane.
8967. If you had to grow Sfty or one hundred acres of cane, and had to pay white men from 1 as. to £1
a week and rations, could you make it pay ? That is a hard thmg to say. White men caunot do so well
here as thry can in the old country. If 1 had 100 acres under cane I could not do it with ten men.
8968. Do you find that they are 'not reliable; that they do not well in the field? Somie are good,
but it is hard to get them all good.
6969. By Mr. King : If ytu couli get good men, would it pay you to cultivate lOOacres of cane and pay
those white men wages ? There would not he a penny left of profit on the growth of the cane, the profit
would come out of the mill.
8970. By Mr. Coviley : Is all the land under the plough ? Tes.
8971. Can you work it all with horses ? Tes.
8072. Do you trash the cane ? No. We did it at the commencement, but since we have had the Eappoe
caue we do not trash. I think the cane ia better untrashed than trashed. We trash it when we cut it.
TUESDAY, 19 MARCH, 1889.
ST LOGAN DISTBICT.
(At Beenleigh Plantation.)
Peesent :
W. H. GPOOM, Esq., M.L.A. | IT. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLE5", Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Feajscis Gooding examined :
F. Gooding. 8973. By the Chairman : What is the name of your place 1 Beeuleigh Plantation.
<■ — — v- — s 8974. Are you one of the owners ? Yea.
19Mar.,1889. 8975. Dp to a recent date were you growing sugar cane upon it? Tes; forthe last twenty-three years.
S976. What is the total area of it ? 200 acres under cultivation ; 340 acres altogether. We have been
in the habit of crushing cane for tie farmers in the immediate neighbourhood. We crushed it on terms,
or bought it straight out.
8977. When did you first commence to grow cane here ? In 1866. We bad sugar in the market in 1S67.
8978. Ihen you have been cultivating sugar cane from 1S66 up to the present time ? Tes, we have cane
8979. Then up to what date was cane a profitable crop to you ? Till about two years ago.
8980. How many tons of cane used you f average to the acre ? It varied a gcod deal. We have made
as much as four tons of sugar to the acre. That was in 1869. The average throughout is ahout 2 tons
15 cwt.
K981. How many tons of cane did you get to the acre ? 25 tons.
8982. liow many tons of cane went to the ton of sugar ? 14 or 15 tons.
8983. When you got these high averages, what price did you receive for your sugar ? From £28 to
£32.
8984. In what year did you begin to discover a decline in tlie price of sugar ? Between four and five
years ago. It gradually went down until it reached as low as £15 10s.
8985. Wince the decline in the price of sugar, do you consider that it is a profitable crop to grow ? No
not under £20 a ton.
89t>6. What labour used you to employ when growing caue? Polynesian.
8987. How many did you employ ? Sixty or seventy.
8! 88. How many white men? They vanei a good deal. We had white men for the horses and carts.
We had sometimes a dozen all through the crushing season.
8989. What was the rate of wages paid to the Polynesians ? £6 a year ; £18 for the three years
under agreement.
8990. Were those boys indented to you ? Tes.
$$91. What used they to cost you delivered here ? The first lot we got here, that is twenty-three
years ago, cost us £8 a head ; now they run up to £25. £25 is the last we paid.
8ii92. 'Ihen you continued growing sugar until the flood in 18*7 ? Tes.
8993. Was the loss that year very heavy? Very heavy indeed. The whole of the cane was destroyed,
or very nearly the whole of it. 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of rum were washed out f the distillery, and we
had no crushing as the cane was all washed away.
8994. After
TEE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE SUGAB INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND.
8994. After the flood you did not think it worth your while to replant ? No ; owin^ to the low price of F. Gooding,
sugar and the difficulty ofgetting labour we did not think it advisable. /^~-^^~\
8993. Explain the difficulty of getting labour. According to the Polynesian Act we are to be debarred 19 Mar., 1889.
from getting them after 1800. We nrght indent them now, aud get them for three yeara, but after 1890
where are we to get them ? There is no certainty of labour unless it is provided in some other way.
8996. Then it was the knowledge that the importation of kanakas ceased in lb90 that had a good deal to
do with your not replantiug after the fl ood of 1887 ? Tes.
8997. What cane have you growing now? Teu acres growing ; we have laid the rest of the land under
lucerne.
8998. Have you a mill to crush the ten acres ? Tes. "We crushed a lot last year.
8999. Have you been growing only lucerne this year ? Yes.
9000. How many crops do you get in a year? We cut it every month if the weather is at all wet, it
sometimes runs for six weeks.
9001. What is the average crop to the acre ? From 18 cwt. to a ton of dry hay.
9002. Then you consider lucerue a more profitable crop than sugar ? Tes, at the present time.
9003. Is the land adapted for the growth of lucerne ? Yes, certainly.
9004.. By Mr. Kint/ : What capital have you invested in your sugar estate ? About £9,000.
9005. What number of white men did you employ when working on the sugar plantation? The average
was from 12 to 15, sometimes more. Three years ago we cut 100 acres of cane, and we let the cutting
by contract, owing to the scarcity of getting islanders. We let the contract for 2s. 6d. a ton for cutting.
It was all done by white labour that year.
9006. How many white men do you employ now on the farm ? Eight.
9007. Then there were more white labourers employed on it when it was a sugar estate than you employ
now when it is a farm ? Tes; a great deal more.
9008. Is the fact that you have gone out of sugar entirely due to the flood, the low price of sngar, and
the difficulty of obtaining labour? I might mention that the principal things that we went out of sugar
for were the flood which swept it all away, the low price of sugar, and owing to our not seeing our way
to obtaining in the future a sufficient quantity of certain labour that we could depend on. These three
things combined did it.
9009. Has the fact that this railway has been made through the district, thus bringing farm produce nearer
to the Brisbane market, not something to do with farmers going out of su?ar? No ; I do not think so.
9010. Is it not a fact that since the railway passed through the district the people have gone more into
general farming, having now a better market than they bad? I do not think so. I am speaking for myself.
We find the railway freight much cheaper than by water, but we are near the station. Farmers who are
situated far from it find that it does not pay to take their produce to the station. Wc are reaping the
benefit of the railway by being so close to the station. That is a considerable benefit, no doubt.
9011. There are two mills in sight across the road ; who do they belong to? The one opposite the gate
where you came in is the Loyea plantation, and belonged to Messrs. JohnBtone and Black.
9012. Is it given up now? Tes; entirely.
9013. How long has it been given up? About four or five years.
9014. Do you know the reason why it was given up ? It did not pay.
9015. Whose is the mill on the other side of the hill opposite to it? ThatisWitty's, originally Dickson's,
Tatala plantation.
9016. Is it now working? No; they crushed a little cane last season for the farmers; but they are
making saef'heureka. They have a patent for it.
9017. Do they cultivate cane ? No.
9018. Then you may say they have given up working it as a plantation? Tes. It is cut up into ten-acre
farms.
9019. With the idea of making it into a central mill? That is the idea I believe.
9020. Are the farms sold yet ? No; none of them.
9021. A few years ago were there other plantations in this district? Yes ; lota. There were three or
four further up the river. They are all closed.
9022. How many mills were working this List season in this part of the district? Only three—
Wiilcocks', The junction, and Kleinsmidt's of Central Island. There are only two in this immediate
district.
9023. Then sngar planting generally is being giveu up in this district? Generally it is.
9024. And the mills are standing idle? Tes-
9025. Do you think that there is anything that the legislature could do that would revive sugar planting
in this district? I think so; I believe that it will come round again. Give us certainty of labour,
that is one thing ; and put a duty on sugar coming into the colony, that is another. I mean by that
a reciprocity treaty by which our sugar would be admitted free into the other colonies.
9026. Does this district suffer very much from frost? Occasionally; but sometimes we run a couple
of years without the frost doing much damage. It is a thing we cannot depend on ; it does damage
occasionally.
9027. Have you suffered from drought lately ? Tes.
9028. When you have both the fro^t and the inught would it not make it a very uncertain crop
in tliis district? N«. Cane will stand against anything; it is a very hard crop. I tried to encour-
age the farmers here about twelve mouths ago to enter into a contract to grow cane and I promised
to purchase it from them and make this a central mill. I could not get them to do it.
9029. What did you offer them per ton ? 8s. per ton at the river bank.
9030. By Mr. CoieJey : You offered them 8s. per ton at the river bank ? Tes. I tried to work it on a,
sliding scale. Supposing the best sugar was to fetch £10 a ton, we could give them 8s. per ton, and I
offered to ri*e it 6d. nton for every £1 it rose above £20, and drop it Od. for every £1 under £20, on
the understanding lhat I was never to pay less than 7s. per ton. At that price I would take delivery at
the river bunk and punt it myself, and take all the responsibility after that. For instance, if sugar was
£l$ a ton I would give them 12s. a ton for their cane.
&031. Did the farmers accept your proposal ? They promised 60 acres, but that was not sufficient for me
to commence with.
9032. How
272
MINUTES OP EVTDESCE TAKEN BEPOBE THE EOXAL COMMISSION TO TNQtflBE INTO
F. Gooding. 9032. How much would you require to try it ? 200 acres,
^^■^v^— N 9033. Bo you know the reason why they did not accept this ? No.
19 Mar., 1889. 9034. From your knowledge of farming, do you think that that price would pay them ? I do. I think it
a fair average price for sugar.
9035. What distance would those men have to cart the cane ? Not a quarter of a mile to the puntmg
place.
9336. Could those men grow cane at that price and make it pay with white labour, or would they have to
employ coloured labour ? They generally do it with their own families. They have acknowledged that
at this price sugar cane would pay them better than any other crops they could grow, and yet they will
not grow it.
9037. You say that the difficulty in getting South Sea Islauders and the increased cost of their intro-
duction is one of the reasons why you abandoned sugar cane growing. If there was a good supply of this
labour at a reasonable rate would you be willing^to go into sugar again on your own account ? Yes I
should.
9038. What rate of wages do you pay white men — ploughmen and farm labourers — in this district ? I
have four first-class working men — agricultural labourers — from home. They are under a six months'
agreement at 26s. a week and they find themselves. After that if they suit me and agree to keep their
lace I would raise their wages 2s. 6d. a week,
039. Do these men do all kinds of farm work, hoeing and chipping ? No ; it is all horse work that they
do.
9040. Have you had white men doing such work as hoeing and chipping ? No.
9041. Is that because it does not pay or because they won't do the work ? They won'.t do the work.
9042. What has been the reduction in your wages sheet since you left off growing sugar cane ; that is in
regard to the white men in the district ? About one-third.
9043. Does that include skilled labour — carpenters, engineers, &c. ? We have none now. We formerly
"had some. This reduction includes all those.
9044- Is there anything in the climate to pre vent a white man dting a fair day's workin the field? In the
open, such as working h«rses and all that kini of work, they can ; but I have seen them chuck it up scores
of times, going into the cane. It could be done for six moDths in the year, but white men won't do it in
summer. When those farmers and their fam'dies grow the cane themselves, they go out into it very early
in the morning and work until the heat of the day, and then they go indoors, and go out to work again
in the evening. But when you employ white labouring men, they expect to have their regular working
hours, but the families of the farmers do not care about that.
9045. Would you be willing to start sugar cane here solely with white labour ? No ; certainly not.
9046. By the Chairman : When was this agreement off ering to purchase cane from the farmers drawnup?
Eight months ago.
9047. I see by it that eleven farmers agreed to it ? Yes.
9048. Would those farmers agree to grow it with white labour ? They would grow it with their own
families.
9049. Do you not think that if you adopted the same hours with white labourers as those adopted by the
farmers and their families you would be able to grow sugar cane with white labour ? I ean't get
them to do it. I have tried it. The men dt not like getting up early in the morning. They like their
regular and proper hours.
9050. Was the flood in 1887 exceptionally high ? Yes. Thewhole of the cane on thebanks of the Albert
and Logan was washed away.
9051. Had that vezy considerably to do with the reduction of cane growing in this district ? Yes.
(At the Junction Plantation.)
Kabl Eehfelt examined :
Z. Eehfelt. 9052. By the Chairman: What is the name of your place ? The Junction Mill.
9053. How many acres have you altogether ? It is in two pieces— of fourteen acres and fifty-seven acres.
19 Mar., 1889. There are seventy-one acres altogether.
9054. How many acres have you under cane ? About forty.
9055. How long have you been growing cane here ? I have hacl the mill nine seasons ; this is the tenth
season. I grew cane before, but sold it to Couldery.
9056. Then for nine years you have been growing cane and crushing it on your own. account ? Yes.
9057. And have you crushed it for anyone else ? Yes.
9058. How many acres of cane did you crush last year? Twenty-eight acres of my own cane.
9059. How many tons of cane to the acre did you get ? 2<»0 tons i iff the twenty-eight acres.
9060. How many tons of sugar did you get ? About 25 tons of sugar. The most of the cane was
frosted.
9061. How much did you get for the sugar per ton ? I got £18 for the first. I sent the balance in the
week before last, and do not know yet what I will get ; but I think I will get nearly £22 a ton.
9062. When you crush cane for other farmers, do yon buy it or crush it for them on terms ? I buy it.
9063. How much do you give for it ? 8s. a ton on the rollers.
9064. How much cane did you crush for them last season? 388 tons.
9065. What labour did you employ to grow your sugar cane ? I had some white and some black. I bad
four blacks last season; and I paid them £20 by the year. I kept them all the year, working them at every-
thing in the place — cutting and in the mill.
9066. How many white men do you employ ? Three ; and in the season I have fifteen or sixteen or
sometimes twenty men cutting cane. I give them from 15s. to ISs. a week and rations.
9067. Do those farmers who grow cane for the raill do so by white labour ? — What labour do they
employ? They work their farms themselves with their own families.
9068. Do you work the cane yourself and with your own family? Yes; what'I can do I do myself.
9069. Who works the mill ? I get a sugar boiler, and look after the mill myself. I also employ an
engineer. I give the sugar hoiler £3 a week and rations, and the engineer £2 a week and rations.
9070. How
THE GENERAL CONDITION OP THE BtTGAB. INDUSTRY IN ©.UEENBLANJ.
273
F. Gooding.
9070. How many men do you employ during the crushing season besides those two? Eleven.
9071. Are all those white men ? There are four blacks in the mill. /'"-^-^-^""■N
9072. How much capital have you represented in the mill? I spent a good amountin the firstplace. l9Har.,l839.
The mill runs up to £1,70«.
9073. What have you paid altogether from the time you started till now? £2,500. I have just got a
racuum pan now.
9074. Does cane growing and purchasing cane from the farmers and crushing it pay you ? Not much : it
just keeps me moving. It pays the working expenses, and I get a little over for myself. When we get
from £18 to £20 it just pays.
9075. What are your working expenses for the year, for the mill and plantation — altogether, including
wages and rations ? About £450 fur the mill and farm .altogether.
907G. Huve you any interest to pay on borrowed capital? I have to pay bank interest on £1,300
mortgage on the mill.
9077. Arc you able to pay the bank interest and working expenses and have a profit? It just about
clears them.
9078. Was the £1,300 the original sum that you borrowed, «r have you reduced that sum ? — Have you
paid any off ? Tes ; I have paid some off.
9079. What was the original amount ? £2,500.
9080. Then do you have corn and maize and everything on the farm ? Yes.
9081. So you do not depend entirely on the sugar ? No ; I make something out of cows and pigs.
9082. How many acres have you under maize ? Fourteen acres. I change about from maize to potatoes.
9083. How mauy bushels do you get to the acre ? Last year I h-ad 100 bushels for one and a-half acres
of white maize. The other was rusted. I got 300 bushels off twelve and a-half acres.
9084. Did you suffer anything from the flood two years ago? I had a great loss. The whole of my cane
rotted at the root, and I made a poor season. We had to plough it out, and then came a very dry time
and we could not replant the cane.
9085. Had you to plough up all your cane and replant ? Tes ; all the cane on the low ground. I had a
small portion of cane on the high ground which was saved.
90m. Then the crop that you crushed last year was affected by the drought.— Was i t a light crop or heavy?
Very light.
9087. Then you suffered in 188/ by the flood and in 18S8 by the drought? Yes.
9088. Are you satisfied to go on planting cane? 1 think I will go on if I can. I intend to extend my
operations in cane growing and plant some fresh land. It wilt pay better than maize. The maize is
subject to rust and also to drought.
90S;>. Do you get any frost ? A little on the island.
9090. Does it affect the cane to any extent ? Not much.
9091. By Mr. Kin</ : Is there mucli cane growing in this neighbourhood ? The farmers are not satisfied
with their pries. The fanners find that cane does not pay, and maize does not pay, but sugar is more
favourable for growing. If they could get 10s. a ton for their cane they would gr«w more.
9092. Is the quantity of land tinder caue increasing or decreasing? — Are the farmers taking to growing
more, or are they growing out of it ? They would grow more if they got a better price for the cane.
9093. Was thei'e more cane grown some years ago than there is now ? Tes ; it was all cane, and only
maize enough for their own use.
9094. If you could not get kanakas would you grow cane with white men ? Tes ; it is no matter. It
would have to be at low wages — from 15s. to ISs. a week. At anything less than £1 a week, we can do
with white men just as well as with blacks. If they want 25s. or 30s. a week, we would not be able to
give it.
9095. By Mr. Cowley : How many of your family help you on the farm ? They are all married, and are
not much help now.
9096. I saw three or four boys working about as I came in to the house ? They are not mine.
9097. Do you pay for them ? No ; they are friends of mine who stay here. They are only little
children.
9098. How much sugar did you make altogether last year ? 46 tons. It is not all dried ; there may be
50 tons yet.
9099. Do you find any trouble in getting white men at 12s. a week ? Tes ; I give 15s. and 16s,, and
some of them 17s. a week in the season. I give 15s. after the season for ploughmen. I have no trouble
in getting them. 1 get as many as I want.
9100. Do those men work well with you? Yes. I get my own countrymen, my neighbours. I do not
give much work to swagsmen.
9101. What hours do you work your men when you are working in the mill ? Prom 7 a.m. till 6 p.m.
Sometimes later, and I pay extr af or it. They have one hour for dinner.
9102. How mucli freight do you pay on sugar to Brisbane? 10s. a ton.
9103- Dot hey take it from the wharf ? Yes.
9104. Do you sell molasses to the distillery ? Yes ; I get 3Jd. per gallon delivered at the distillery four
miles away.
(At Stegelitz Plantation.)
Albert KLEiNDsmnT examined:
9105. Bif the- Chairman : What is the name of your plantation? Stegelitz.
9106. How many acres have you altogether ? About 500.
9107. Hou many acres have you cultivated ? Seventy-three or seventy-four acres. /
9108. How many acres are under sugar cane? Say. sixty acres. 1
9109. How long have you been growing sugar cane ? For the liist fifteen years.
9110. Always ou the same ground ? Pretty well fifteen years on this place. "We have been growing
tane altogether for twenty years.
9111. Have you had cane in evervyear? Yes.
i 9112. Have
274,
MltrPTES OF EVIDENCE TAEEN BEFOBE THE EOTAX COMMISSION TO IHQTJIHE INTO
. . 9112. Have you manured it as you went along ? Tes, part of it every year.
e s ' 9113. How many tons of cane did you cut last year ? Say, 700 tons; that is near as I recollect.
f 9114. AVhat quanti ty of sugar did you make ? About 48 or 50 tons.
19 Mar., 1889. Qns. j)\d you crush cane for any of the surrounding farmers ? Yes.
9116. Did you buy it from them ? Tes.
9117. AVhat did you give for it ? 8s. 6d. last year, delivered at the mill.
9118. How many tons did you purchase at the mill last year ? About 500 tons.
9119. AVhat quantity of sugar did you make out of it? About 38 or 40 tons.
9120. AVhat price did you get for your sugar this season? From £14 to £22 ; that is for seconds, thirds
and fourths. For firsts we got from £20 to £22.
9121. AVhat do you do with your molasses ? It is sold at 3^d. a gallon, delivered at the wharf here for
the distillery.
9122. AVhat amount of capital have you invested in the plantation; in land, buildings, and the mill ?
About £5,000.
9123. AVhat are your average working expenses ? Huring last year they were about £350.
9124. Is the plantation free of debt? No.
9125. AVhat is the liabilitv attached to it ? £1,100.
9126. AVas it at any time more than that ? Tes, it has been up to £2,000.
9127. Then you have been gradually reducing the debt out of your profits? Tes.
9128. AVhat interest have you to pay ? From 8 per cent, to 10 per cent.
9129. AVhen you said that your working expenses were £350 a year, do you include the interest in that?
No, that is without interest.
9130. AVhat labour do you employ ? Europeans.
9131. Have you always been employing Europeans? Yes, with the exception of six South Sea islanders
during one season.
9132. AVhat average wages do you pay the Europeans ? From 16s. to 18s. and rations a week.
9133. Can yOn get as many labourers as you require ? Yes, without any trouble.
9134. Do the Europeans perform their work satisfactorily ? Yes ; we have always had very good hands.
9135. Do you consider that sugar cane growing is paying you? Well it has been pacing with hard
labour ; we have to work very hard for it.
9136. Are you satisfied to continue growing cane ? AVhile we have it, we must.
9137. Is it a better paying crop than any of the others you had originally — maize for instance ? Yes ; in
this district.
9138. AVhat is your average crop per acre of maize ? About 40 bushels.
9139. AVhat profit do you get on that? It varies a great deal. It has been from 2s. 6d. a bushel to
4s. tid.
9140. AVhat labour do the farmers from whom you purchase the sugar cane employ ? Their own. They
work by families.
9141. Are they satisfied to grow cane for you and deliver it for 8s. 6d.? Yes; if they can't get any more.
9142. Do they consider it a better paying crop than maize ? So it seems.
91A3. Have they intimated to you their intention of discontinuing growing sugar cane ? Some of them
have, and some of them promised to largely increase their cane.
9144. Are they under any agreement to grow cane ? No.
9145. Does the soil which you ha, ve been cultivating for so many years show any signs of exhaustion ?
It did before it was manured, but after that it grew pretty well, just as good as it did before.
9146. Have you continuously grown cane in the same soil or changed it ? We always change it. AVe
put in a crop of maize or some other crop before we put cane in again.
9147. AVhat manure do you put on the land? We, as a rule, put on megass, and stockyard manure.
We have tried bone dust.
9148. Then those three varieties of manure have been successful in fertilising the soil ? Yes; but they
are not all equally good.
9149. AVhich is the best ? The stockyard manure.
9150. By Mr. King : Those white labourers that you employ, are they neighbouring farmers or
swagsmen ? Mostly neighbouring selectors, with the exception of one or two outsiders.
9151. Most of them Genntos? Yea, with the exception of two or three in the field.
9152. Have you been increasing your acreage of cane ? Yes.
9153. You are growing more cane now than you were somo time ago ? Yes.
9104. Is the acreage of cane round about here increasing ? No, it has been d ecreasing.
9155. Are there any more mills besides yours in the district ? Yes, there are three besides mine.
9156. Whose are they ? Hick's, Cooper's, and Piddy's.
9157. AVere all these working last season ? Yes.
9158. How is it that the acreage of cane is not increasing if it is such a paying crop ? Because the
price given for cane has been as low as 6a and 6s. 6d. a ton, and it does not pay the farmers to grow it
at that price, so they ploughed out their cane. They are replanting it now.
9159. All your land is under the plough, I suppose? Nearly all. There are about fifteen acres not free
of stumps yet.
9160. Do you grow cane on land which is not under tho plough ? Yes.
9161. How do you send your sugar to market ? By steamer from the wharf here.
9162. .By Mr. Cowley : How many acres did you crush last year ? Forty-five acres.
01113. You got 700 tons of cane? Yes.
9164. AVould it pay you to sell cane at 8s. 6d. a tou delivered at the mill, if you were growing it for the
mill ? Could you make a living out of it ? That is a difficult question to answer. AVe would have no
interest to pay. It would pay if we had not to meet the interest.
9165. Then you can grow ctine paying your white labourers 16s. and 18s. a week, and make it pay ? I
think there would be a littleprofit off 8s. 6d. a ton if I was paying wages to European labourers.
9166. AVould it be worth while going into it as a speculation ? No.
9167. Then if those farmers did not have their families working for them cane growing would not pay at
8e. 6d. a ton ? No.
9168. »o
THE GENEBAL CONDITION OF THE SUOAE XNDU8TET IN QUEENSLAND.
9168. Do you sell your sugar in Brisbane? Tes ; in Brisbane and Melbourne. . ^-
9169. What does it cost to send it to Brisbane ? 8s. aton. Klemdwrndt.
9170. Tou say that your workiug expenses were only £350 last year. Does that include the money for /^*- A -^ > \
purchasing cane? No. . 19M a r.,l 8 89.
9171. How many men do you employ on an average during the year? During the season we employ
from fourteen to fifteen ; out of the season we have from three to five.
9172. "Would it average nine all the year round ? No, not it ; about seven all the year round, as the
crushing season only lasts three months.
9173. How many of yourselves work ? Two besides myself.
9174. That £350 does not cover your wages ? We have other work to do besides that.
9175. Besides the work on the farm ? Tes. There is fencing and fresh land to clear.
9176. But that is all on your land. Ton are not paid for that by other people ? Tes ; our own land.
9177. Is that £350 all that you pay in wages to the men ? Tes ; hardly that. But it would hardlycover
our own labour. We reckon our own in the profits.
9178. This £350 does not include the wages of yourself and your two assistants ? No.
9179. What does it cost you to ration your men? It costs us about 6s. per head per week.
$130. What returns do you get from your other crops? Maize ?
9181. Tea ? About 4# bushcla an acre for c«rUj ani about 2 ttns of hay.
9182. Can you tell us what were the gross returns from your farm last year ? How much money did
you get from your farm last year ? I can hardly tell you that myself. I can tell you the gross return of
the whole thing, including what we crushed for other people. The whole return was 90 tons of sugar, at
an average rate of £17 10s., equal to £1,575. The other produce was mostly consumed by our horses
and men. Sugar is our staple product.
9183. By Mr. King : Tou say that the produce of the farm was consumed by the horses and men? Tes.
918i. Did you charge that to the working expenses ? Tes.
9185. By the Chairman : Have you skilled mechanics during the crushing season in the shape of sugar
boilers and engineers ? I have another brother who is doing the sugar boiling, and au engineer.
9186. Then you save the expense of the one in your working expenses ? No ; we bave to pay my brother
£3 a week, and that is included in the £350. We only pay the £3 during the crushing season.
9187. Then practically you do work the plantation ou the family principle ? Well, we have to pay the
sugar boiler and engineer. There are myself and two brothers working for the family.
9188. Are those men who grow cane for you living and farming on their own freeholds ? Tes.
9189. And have they been on their freeholds for some years ? Tes ; their lands have been freehold since
they started.
9190. Did they select originally ? The majority bought it second-hand.
9191. By Mr. Cowley : These seven men that you employ are they independent of your brothers and
yourself? Tes ; but seven is a high average.
9192. By the Chairman : Are labouring men plentiful ? Tes ; we have a good supply.
9L93. By Mr. Cowley : Arc labouring men plentiful down here, apart from your neighbouring selectors ?
TeB; but our neighbouring selectors we very glad to get the w«rk. There is no occasion for travellers to
come here. The sons of the selectors are the men who w»rk for us. They work for their fathers on the
farm, and come to us during the crushing season.
9194. Do you cut; your own firewood? We get part of it cut by the neighbouring farmers, and cut some
ourselves.
9195. What do you pay for firewood ? 4s. a cord on their farm, and we get it ourselves.
9196. How many horses do you keep ? Pive or six working horses. During the crushing seas«n one or
two farmers' horses are also at work, so that five horses with their assistance keep us going. During the
biggest portion of the year we have six horses.
9197. By the Chairman : Tou state that you plant cane on land that has not been stumped? Tes.
9198. Do you do it with the hoe ? Tes.
9199. Do the labourers you employ offer any objection to that ? No ; they have never objected to it.
92i0. Do you consider that working in the cane field at any time of the year is detrimental to the health
of Europeans ? No more than any other work in the district.
9201. Could Europeans do work in the field iu the district in which you are living as well as kanakas ?
We kave never employed kanakas excepting during one season and they only did cane cutting.
9202. Then the Europeans you have employed for fifteen years bavt; not oifered any objections to work
in the cane field? No.
9203. By Mr. Cowley : In these working expenses doyou include the freight of the sugar to the market ?
No ; simply labour and rations.
9204. Not lime, oil, sugar-bags, or firewood? No; thise are separate items again.
9205. Then the working expenses quoted simply cover rations and wages ? Exactly.
WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH, 1889.
LOGAN DISTRICT.
(At Otmoor, Coomera.)
Phesent :
VV. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLET, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
John Gaiitside examined.
9206. By the Chairman : What experience have you hail in the cultivation of sugar ? Eighteenor nineteen j. outside,
years. >«^-a_— —
9207. In Queenslaud, or other places ? In South Queensland chiefly. 20 liar 1883
9208 What, h the name of the plantation ? Otmoor.
9209. And
276
MINPTES Or EYTDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE BOTAIi COMMISSION TO INQTTIBE INTO
J. Gartside. 9209. And you are the manager of it? Yee : supposed to be.
S~**~*-*~\ 9210. "What is? the total area of the land ? 1,3 6* acres — I am within the mark.
20 Mar., 1889. 9211- How many are now under cultivation, giving the area under different crops? 220 acres under
sugar cane, fifty acres under maize, four acres under sweet potatoes, and one under lucerne.
9212. How many acres of cane were crushed for the plantation last year? 120 acres.
9213. How much sugar was made from the cane cut? 130 tons.
9214. How many tons of cane did you get per acre — give the average ? We get a very low density in the
scrub. About 20 tons per acre.
9215. Did you purchase cane from the neighbouring selectors ? Not last season.
9216. Have you done so previovsly? Yes.
9217. How much did you pay for the cane per ton ? 8s. delivered. It did not pay them to grow it at
that price, so they gave it up.
9218. How many ? Tbree of them only. Three farmers.
9219. How much molasses did you make last year ? 6,000 gallons.
9220. What did vou do with it ? We used s»me for the horses.
9221. What is the approximate amount «f capital invested in the mill ? That is a question I am not
going to answer.
9222. Cannot you tell us ? About £12,0*0-
9223. Of your own knowledge do you know if the mill paid interest on the £l2,*00in 1888. The sugar
is not all sold yet.
9224. What were your working expenses for 1888 ? £1,750. That includes whites and blacks, and
rations and everything.
9225. What labour is employed in working the plantation ? Europeans and kanakas.
9226. Will you kindly state the number ? About seven Europeans during the crushing season, and
about forty-five kauakas. That is near enough, I think.
9227. What were the average wages paid to the kanakas ? To include rations and clothes ?
9228. Wages only? Oh! wagesonly. Some we pay £30 a year to and some engage for £18 a year, so I
put down the average at £22 a year. That is not including rations. We engage the majority of thp
boys for twelve months.
9229. Whether are those indentedor time-expired boys ? A portion of them were indented, and a
portion are time-expired boys.
9230. What rate of wages do you pay the time-expired boys and the boys coming from the islands?
Well, you see we have to pay some of those islanders at the rate of £9 a year, and some of them get
£6 a year. The boys who have been in Queensland before will not re-indent without an advance of
wages, aud they get «£9 ayear. The first boys we pay £6.
9231. Are you able to state what was the amount of wages paid to Europeans and kanakas during
1H88 ? No; you kave got that answer in the £1,750, our working expenses, which includes that.
9232. Have you employed Europeans to do the field work of the plantation ? Yes.
92133. What was the result? Failure.
9234. In what was it a failure ? They cannot stand the heat amongst the cane When the cane gets up
a certain height they are not fit for chipping aud trashing.
9235. What wages have you offered Europeans to do that work ? £1 a week and rations.
9236. Did they declare themselves unfit? Yes. My overseer had to give up work before Christmas, and
I had to do it myself.
9237. What description of labour do you consider most suitable in field work? ELanaka in cane
growing ; no doubt about that.
9238. Is the w hole area under cultivation by sugar under the plough ? A portion of it, about 130
acres are under the plough ; the rest is all stumps.
9239. Do you employ Europeans for ploughing ? Yes.
9210. What wages do you pay your ploughmen ? £1 a week and ratious, wet or dry.
9241. When you have the whole of the land under the plough, will you be able to employ fewer kanakas
and ^more Europeans ? Yes; we would be able to employ them ; but whether it will be done, that is
another question. They cannot do chipping and trashing.
92±2. How many acres of cane do you cultivate for each black boy ? I'ive acres. If he does five acres
amongst land with the stumps still in he does a fair thing.
9243. How many acres do you think a European could do, if able to use the plough and horse-hoe? Do
you mean ploughing with the horse onl y ? You do not mean chipping and hoeing also ?
9244. Yes ? Twelve acres, if he had to do the chipping and trashing, lie could do twenty acres if he
had merely to do the ploughing.
9245. Supposing he was to do all the ploughing with horses, and the chipping and trashing the same as a
kanaka, be could do twelv* acres, you think ? He might.
9246. Do your kanakas suffer in health ? Not a bit.
9247. Have you seen the health of the Europeans affected by working in the field ? Yes; I have had
two or three sick.
9248. What did they suffer from? Heat. They cannot Stand the heat amongst the cane.
9249. Is it bodily ailment? Sometimes they say it is biliousness. There is always something wrong
with them ; they can't stand the heat, and knock off.
9250. Was the plantation originally scrub lan«l ? Yes.
9251. What was the cost per acre for falling and burning off the scrub ? £7 an acre.
9252. What would be the cost of stumping and making it fit for the plough ? £12 an acre.
925tf. Has the cane suffered from any disease ? No.
10254. Does it suffer from frost? Not much here; we are well protected by the Tambourine Mountain
on the west. We are in a pocket and are well protected.
92^5. Did you suffer by the flood in IHS7 ? Yes ; heavily.
9256. Was the whole of your sugar land under water ? The whole of it was.
9257. Did you have to replant ? No ; it was back water and did not wash the cane out, and it soon
subsided. It washed about two miles of fencing away.
9259. Where
THE GENEKAX CONDITION OF THE SUGAS INDUSTRY Df QTJ EENSlanD.
9259. Where was it manufactured ? A portion of it in Glasgow and a portion in the colony. J- Garteide.
9260. What i s t he cost of your annual overhaul and repairs? £l2 for brick work. The machinery «~^— -\
does not want any overhaul. 20 Mar., 1889.
9261. By Mr. King : Supposing that the importation of kauakaa was stopped at the end of 1890 accord-
ing to the existing lajv, would you be able to carry on the plantation with white labour alone? No; I
will not manage it, I will chuck up the billet.
9262. Do you think you could not make it pay? No ; nor any other man in creation. The bank had
better chuck it up. I have had two years' experience of white men. Just whenyou want themmost,
and the whole year's work depends on having them, they stop work and leave you in the lurch.
9263. Where were you working a plantation with white labour ? I was not working, but I had a share
in Black and Muir's Noyea Plantation.
9264. Did you try to work it with white labour ? For two years I tried it.
9265. What was the result? The result was that as soon as they found that they had me they struckf or
higher wages, for 3a. a week more. That was just at the crushing time ; and they would do that always.
9266. Is the cultivation of sugar cane extending round about here? Th« farmers would grow it if they
could get suitable labour. As it is they will not grow it.
9267. is there more cane round about here than there used to be? No.
9268. Is it decreasing? Decreasing at the present time.
9269. AVhat is the name of the plantation that we passed when coming up here ; on the other side of the
Coomera? Mr Howard's Riverside plantation. He bas gone bung. It is not working now.
9270. Then Howa.rd has failed ? We do not know if he has failed, but the mill is closed at the present
time ; it is shut up.
6271. Do you consider that the construction of the Southport line of railway haa induced fanners to give
up sugar and grow •ther crops for the Brisbane market? If you would go and assist our member to get
the river deepened, that is what we want. This is the Upper Co»mera? You will have to builda branch
line or deepen the river before you will get the railway to pay.
9272. But don't you think that the effect of making the railway will be that the people will go out of
sugar and fiud it more profitable to grow other produce for the Brisbane market? No, they would flood
the market and the result would be over-productiou, and then there would be no profit. 1 do not think
they would.
9273. Do you eonsider that if the plantations in this district were able to procure kanakas as easily as
they have done iu the past the sugar industry would revive in this district ? I do think so. Sugar is at
its lowest margin now, and I do not think it will ever be lower.
9274. Do you think that even at the present price of sugar you would be able to continue? Yes; and
increase, too.
9275. By Mr. Cowley : You said that some time ago you crushed cane for the growers ? Yes, about two
years ago.
9276. Are you still prepared to purchase cane ? Yes, at a price.
9277. At what price? 8s. a ton delivered. I only get £17 a. ton for my sugar in Brisbane. I would
give them 8s. a ton for cane, If I got £18 or £19, I would give them Is. a ton more. I would agree to
purchase their cane on a sliding scale.
9278. For every £1 a shilling ? No, I would not rise at the rate of Is. for every £1.
9279. How much would you pay if you got £20 a ton for your sugar ? If I got £20 a ton for my sugar
I would pay 9s. a ton. That is a rise of 6d. a ton.
92ti0. What quantity could you take from the growers ? As much as they liked to grow. We could
crush 60 tons a day.
9281. Could you take 40 tons a day, or 50 tons a day from them ? I do not think so, without neglecting
our own place.
9282. Well, what could y«u take ? Twenty tons a day from outside growers, and that wonld leave me
40 tons to put through for myself.
9283. Whtu you say that one white man can cultivate twelve acres when the stumps are out, do you mean
that he could plough, plant, chip, trash, and cut the cane, and carry it to the mill? I mean that a man
with a pair of horses could plough and use the horse-hoe, and chip and trash, and do the whole of the field
work of twelve acres.
9284. Could he plant the cane and cut it, and cart it to the mill? I am talking of 1888.
9285. Could he do the whole of the work for the twelve acres ? No, I do not think he could.
9286. Then he could do the whole of the cultivation for twelve acres ? Yes. He could do twenty acres
as far as the horse work goes, but he would require a boy to do the chipping and trashing.
9287. Joes any of the £1,750 which you pay aunually for working expenses go out of the country ?
Everything is spent in the district, or in Brisbane; every farthing for kanakas and Europeans, store goods,
and clothing ; none of it is sent away out of the country.
9288. By the Chairman : Can you state the cause which, in your opinion, bas depressed the sugar
industry ? Well, I can't tell you anything, except the low price of sugar. The question of £2 or £3 a
ton means the difference between profit and loss.
9289. What suggestions could you offer for the revival of the industry? None. Whether it is over-
production or not I don't know. There is a ring iu Brisbane and they seem to haveit in their own hands.
9290. By Mr. Cowley .- How long does your crushing last? We do not crush more than three months.
9291. If you had cane how long could you crush ? Six months.
929^. Then you couhi take 3,00# tons of cane in a season ? Yes, if the people would grow it for us at a
price. I do not believ e in crushing more than three or four months because if you do you neglect your
cultivation.
9293. But you could get labour for both ? Yes.
Jobs William: Cornelias Howabd examined
9294. By (he Chairman : You are owner of the River Side plantation ? Yes. j. w. C.
9295. H iovr long have jou been residing there? I should say thirteen years. Howard.
9296. What experience have youhad in the cultivation of sugar? First of all we bought from the ^— • — a—
farmers, anil then I rented af.irinand that, with some land of my own, I cultivated. 20 Mar., 1889,
9297. What
278 MIXTjTES OF EVIDENCE TAEDN BEFORE THE KOTAL CQ1TMI8SION TO HTQUIEE EKTO
J. W, C. 9297. What is the total area of your plantation now ? Now it has been cut up altogether ; hut the tota
Howard, area -j- uru ier cultivation was eighty acres.
( — — n 9298. But what was the total area of your own land? It would be about sixty -six acres.
20Bl E r., 1889. 9299. Of the sixty-six acres, how many were under sugar cane? About thirty acres.
9300. How much sugar cane was on the leased portion ? About sixty acres.
9301. That would be ten acres more than you said ? Yes; but ten acres fell out lately.
9302. How many acres of cane were crushed last season ? About fifty acres.
9303. What weight of cane did you get to the acre? I did not weigh any of my own cane that went to
93oTwhat quantity of sugar did you make? I made 80 tons of sugar. Therewere 172,400 gallons of
juice which produced 80 tons of sugar. That was in 1886. That was my last crushing. I leit nearly
twenty acres of cane standing.
9305. Thenany information that you are giving us will apply entirely to 1886? les.
9306. What amount of capital is invested in your plantation including your mill ? Well, 1 should think
about £8,000. „ _ , ,
9307. H as it ever returned you a profit ? No. I might have had a small profit before the debt
increased, but as things went down the debt increased and profits fell short.
9308. What is the debt on it ? The £8,000 would be about the debt on it, and I have had to pay
interest «n that.
9309. Did the returns from your cultivated and leased land pay interest on that money and all the
working expenses ? No, they did not.
9310. Supposingthatyouhadhadnointeresttopayandnothingto pay but your own working expenses how
would you have come out of it ? I might just have come out.
9311. What were your working expenses in 1886 ? I did not put them down. I have no memorandum
of them.
9312. Can you, from memory, give an approximate amount ? No ; not from memory.
9313. What labour did you employ ? Both white and South Sea.
9314. In what proportion? I should think about equal numbers.
9315. Can you state the numbers ? About forty hands were employed during the crushing season.
9316. That would be about twenty of each ? Tes ; they varied. Sometimes there were very few whites,
and sometimes very few blacks.
9317. What wages did you pay the coloured men ? The standard wages. Sometimes I had to give 15s.
a week, and at times 10s. and 12s.
9318. Were those time-expired boys ? Tes.
9319. What wages did you give to Europeans? They used to get 25s. a week, and sometimes 30s. and
rations ; from £1 up, according to the work.
9320. What do you conside r the best kind of labour for working in the ca.ne field ? South Sea Islanders.
I do not consider them cheaper than white »ien, but they are more reliable. They used to be. I do not
know what they are now.
9321. Have you ever tried Europeans exclusively ? Yes; I did when I first started.
9322. With what result ? I could not get on with them. They wanted too much wages altogether at
that time. But that was the time when we started. We never tried them at cultivation altogether. We
had no field work for them then. We had plenty of work for them in the mill.
9323. Since you commenced to cultivate, have you employed Europeans in fi eld work ? Yes ; always as
ploughmen.
9324. Have you bad any difficulty with them in that respect ? No.
9325. Then, it is only with day labourers? Yes ; in the crushing season the difficulty sets in.
9326. What did the difficulty consist of ? When they got their money they went away and got drunk,
and were not fit for their work again. They were always coming and going. You might occasionally
get a few men to remain right through the season. Several times I had men who carried on all through
the season.
9327. Then, the debt on the plantation is still lying on it? Yes ; to a great extent. It is about £4,000
now.
9328. Are you growing any other produce now ? No ; I cut the land up and sold some portions of it.
9329. And you do not intend to go into cane growing again ? No.
9330. What was the cost of your mill and machinery ? Nearly £2,000, including vacuum pans, &c
9331. Where was it manufactured ? In Glasgow
9332. What is the reason that you are not going into sugar again ? — Is it want of capital? Want of
inclination more than anything else, and want of capital. I have lost enough money already, and I think
I would still continue losing if I went on.
9333. Was any of the ground that you cut up and sold bought by farmers ? No ; none of it is under
cultivation.
9334. By Mr. King : To what do you attribute the fact that your plantation was a failure ? Well, as
regards the sugar and the crops it was not a failure, but I could not make it pay.
9335. What was the reason ? I attribute it to the decline in the price of sugar, and at the same time
that that occurred there was a rise in the price of wa^es, and we had to give more for our coloured labour.
As the price of sugar declined the price or labour rose.
9336. Are you still cultivating any of your ground with any other crops ? Not an inch.
9337. Is sugar growing in the Coomera district increasing or decreasing? Decreasing, I should think.
9338. Is there a ri iucrease in the cultivation »f any other crops ? Yes, 1 expect there is ; because aa the
farmers go out of cane they go into «ther crips.
9339. But is there not an increase in the agricultural settlement of the district; have no more farmers
come on the land, and is there no more ground taken up ? No ; all the available land is taken up. The
district has been selected for a long time.
9340. What crops are~being grown in the district ? Maize, poto.toes, and lucerne chielly.
9341. Are those crops found to pay better than sugar cane ? Farmers like them better. Some farmers
would prefer sugar cane ; they say it is easier to cultivate.
9342. Is
THE GENEBAL COHDITIOK OF THE SUQAB XKDTJSTEY TS QUEEH8LAJTD.
279
9342. Is there a good market for all the produce which is grown in the district ? Tes ; in Brisbane. J. W. C.
9343. I suppose that the constructiou of the Southport Railway will enable farmers to pet their produce Howard,
to the Brisbane market easier? The river not being deepened, punts have been lying eight and
nine days with their cargo on board, in consequence of which half of it was spoiled before it got to 20 Mar -> 1889 -
Brisbane.
9344. Then the opening of the railway will cause sugar growing to go out and the cultivation of other
products to go in ? Tes.
9345. Do you think of going back into sugar ? Not the slightest idea.
9346. Have you sold your mill ? No ; unfortunately I have not. I do not see any chance of selling it.
I have tried to sell portions of it, but have not succeeded in any way.
9347. Have you tried to make it into a central mill, and to get the farmers to grow cane for it? We did
at first, but found that the farmers were not altogether reliable. We had to give a certain amount for a
certain density, anJ sometimes they used to think their cane a good deal better than it was ; so I had to
go into cultivation of sugar cane for my own protection.
9348. What prico did you give for cane ? We used to have to punt it, and it came to about 10s. a ton
delivered on the bank.
9349. Were the farmers satisfied with that ? They were paid according to tho density. Some I could
deal with and others I could not deal with. Some were satisfied and some were not.
9350. Then is there no prospect of the farmers in this district growing sugar cane for a central mill ? I
do not think they would. I would be very sorry for you to take my statements as regards the farmers ;
I am only making them to you as between myself and the farmers ; I can go no further than that. I
have never had au interview with the farmers on the subject at all.
9351. Would you be willing to grow caue ani sell it to a central mill ? No ; I would not grow it at all,
1 do not like agriculture. If I could get anything else to do I would not do it.
9352. 2?y Mr. Cowley: When you erected your factory was it with the intention of making it a central
mill ? Tes. I did not inte?id to grow cane myself.
9353. Then you were compelled to go into sugar growing in consequence of not getting a proper supply
of cane for the mill ? Tes; the expenses were too heavy at 10s. a ton, aud punting extra. We gave them
lis. for 8 density.
9354. How did you rise or fall? We rose Is. a ton to the per cent, of density, and lowered in the same
proportions.
9355. By the Chairman : Have you thought over the present condition of the sugar industry in Queensland?
I have thought a good deal.
9356. What do you think are the causes which have contributed to the present depression in the sugar
industry ? My opinion is that it is owing to an overstocked market.
9357. ] I aveyou thought over any suggestions you can offer by which the industry may be assisted ?
No; I have thought of nothing, for the simple reason that it seems to me that when the crops are failing,
which they are to a certain extent now, there is not so much in the market, and, consequently, the price
rises. But I do not think that the planters ar« any better off, because they have not got the sugar
to sell.
9358. Has the flood of 1887 caused a considerable number of the farmers in this district to discontinue
the growth of cane ? I cannot say. It was a serious loss to me.
9359. Do you know if the farmers who grew cane there have since discontinued doing so ? I do
not know.
9360. Do you think that the discontinuance in the growth of cane commenced before 1887 ? Oh! yes.
9361. When sugar was realising £30 and £35, what was the price of sugar cane? I do not know.
9362. What is the highest price you have paid for cane in this district? It was based on a standard of
8 density, for which we paid 10s. a ton, and it has gone as high as 12s. a ton, and I have given 13s. a ton
for small quantities.
9363. Do you know that in 1886 as high as lis. Gi. was paid for it? I was not aware of it.
9364. Are you aware that when Mr. Jlodgkinson visited this district with the object of ascertaining the
views of the farmers on the central mill question that he was supplied with the prices cane was sold at,
and the first year of the reduction was in 18 S7, and then it came down as low as 6s. 6d. ? No ; I was not
aware cf it. I did not know Mr. Hodgkinson. I was not present at any of his meetings, and I do not
remember his being here at all.
(At Rockholme Plantation, Coomera.)
SAiiTTEi. Grimes examined:
9365. Bit the Cliairman : What is the name of your place ? Rockholme, on the Coomera River. s. Grimes.
936"6. What experience Iiave you had in the cultivation of sugar ? Some twenty -two years' experience in
growing sugar. I first planted cane on September 9th, 1867. 20 Mar. 1889.
9367. Has your experience been entirely confined to Queensland ? Tes.
9368. What is the total area of land you hold here ? 1,550 acres.
93S9. How much is under cultivation ? I suppose about 260 acres of it.
9370. How much is under cane ? About 120 acres.
9371. What are the areas of the other crops ? 52 acres arrowroot, 50 acres maize, sweet potatoes, and
a quantify of turnips, and bananas, and about 40 or 5t acres lying fallow waiting for next season. We are
stumping that part of the estate. Hp to a short time ago we had about 400 or 500 acres of land in
cultivation at OxleT. That is now let on lease, aud I am now carrying on my cultivation at the Coomera.
9372. Sugar is not* grown at Oxley ? No ; not now.
9373. How many acres of cane did you crush last season ? About 80 acres were crushed last year.i "T"
9374. How many tons of cane to the acre did you realise ? I suppose it would run (I made 72 tons of
sugar off the lot) to 16 tons of caueto a ton of sugar. The crop wae late in growing, and the density was
not very high, and it was frosted and that cut down the returns a gooddeal.
9375. Could you state the number of tons of cane altogether ? 1,156 tons of cane. Oil
9376 What price did you get for your sugar ? It averaged .£17 a ton for firsts, seconds, and thirds. ^ '
9377. How
280
MIXtrTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFOEE THE ROTA1 COMMISSION TO INQUIBE INTO
S. Grimes. 9377, |j ow muc h molasses did you have ? I have taken no note of the quantity of molasses. Just what
f — \ is usual.
20Mar.,18S9. 9373. How did you dispose of it ? We consumed it on the plantation. We gave it to the horses, cowb,
and pigs.
937*1 'What is the total amount of capital invested in the plantation ? £12,000 on this estate.
9380. And what rate of interest did that return to you last season ? I could hardly answer that question
put in that way, because a good deal of money has been expended on improvements for next year. It
would be hardly fair to reply to the question put in that way ; it might tend to mislead.
93SI. Was there any profit on your plantation last year outside of your working expenses ? Yes. I
thoughtit would be best to tell you the cost of producing sugar, and my profit can becalculatcdfrom that.
The cost of cultivation is £3 per ton of sugar. The cuttingcosts £2 per ton of sugar. All the cutting is
done by contract at 2s. 6d. a ton. The carting cost 17s. 4d., and the making of the sugar in the mill
£2 8s. a ton. Then bagging, freight, &c, costs 15s. a ton. Then there is the interest on the money
expended on the plantation. 1 calculate that, taking all the plautation works together, they represent
somewhere about £35 an acre for every acre under cane. Take interest on that at 7 per cent. \tould be
£2 9s. That would bring the total cost of sugar up to £11 9s. or £11 10s in round numbers. Of course
those figures would fluctuate somewhat. If I hud a good crop of cauo the cost of cultivation would be
less in proportion. If I had a very- bad season for carting — the ground is boggy — tbe cost of ca.rting
would be considerably increased. Then the cost of working in the mill may be increased by low density
of cane and the cane being badly frosted, so that this price would fluctuate somewhat, but not very
much. But I have given you what would be an average season. *
9382. Then any profit that you made would be the difference between the £11 10s. and the £17 ? Yes.
9383. That is apart from the further improvement of your plantation ? Yes.
93S4. What were your working expenses for 1SSS ? £2,020 This includes labour in clearing, draining,
and other permanent improvements done during the off season.
9385. Does that sum include interest? No ; it does not include interest; it is working expenses alone.
9386. What labour is employed in working the plantation ? Europeans only.
9387. How many of them ? Sometimes I have as many as sixty on the "place during crushing time
when crushing cane and grinding arrowroot are in full s.ving. I can't confine my answer to sugar witliout
the arrowroot, because they are worked together. I have been working the sugar by day, and grinding the
arrowToot by night. Taking the average for the year through it would be from twenty-five to twenty-
seven men.
9387a. What rate of wages do you pay for Europeans ? 15s. a week and rations for ordinary
men. Ploughmen get a little more. I count that the cost of the men with board would be about
24s. a week.
9388. Ot Course you pay skilled workmen, such as engineers and sugar boilers, more. A sugar boiler gets
10s. a day. I employ him during the season. The engineer gets £1 18s. a week and his rations and a
cottage.
9389. Can you get as much labour as you require for the plantation ? Yea. I have never been short of
labour.
9390. Are the Europeans fit and suitable for the work ? Yes. I have found no difficultyat all in getting
them to do the work.
9391. Have they ever complained that the work was unsuited for them? No, I have had no complaints
of that kind. 1 have no difficulty in getting ten hours a day of work from the Europeans. I have had
to vary their hours on ac-eount of the extreme heat of the sun at midday. They have gone out early in
the morning, and taken a rest for about three hours in the middle of the day, and worked again in the
evening.
9392. AYas that a suggestion from the men or was it your own ? I suggested it to (hem, and they offered
no objection to it. That was; during January and February, the two hottest months in the year.
9393. la the health of the men good here? Yc«.
9394. Is the island scrub land or forest ? Panly both.
9395. What has it cost per acre for felling and burning off? A. portion I did by day labour, and I let a
contract for a portion of it at £0 10s. an acre. That is to leave the stumps in.
939G. What does it cost to stump and leavo it lit for the plough ? If it was stumped right off it would
cost £15 or £16 an acre. But it we plant cane on it auil allow it to remain over for four years we can
stump it for £2 an acre by day labour. Say an average of about £2 10s.
9397. Then cane planting amongst stumps will have to be done entirely by hoe? Yes.
9398. The weeding also? After the second year we cau work with a small .American grubber. I have
one.
9399. io Europeans ever offer any objection to hoe work? None whatever.
9100. Are you sufficiently satisfied with European labour to continue the growing of cane with it ? Yes.
9401. Yon have no iwention of abandoning the cultivation of sugar? No.
9402 Do you intend to extend your operations ? Yes ; I put in a fresh area last planting season, and
intend to put in another next year,
9403. What was the cost of your machinery in the sugar mill? It cost £3,800 free on board in Glasgow,
and the erection and additions have brought it up to £5,000.
9401. By Mr. King : Is all your cultivated land under the plough ? Not all of it. The fresh areas have
still t« be worked with the hoe.
940. 1 Was the cane that you crushed stand-over cane, or cane of a year's growth only ? A ratoon crop only.
9406. Do you usually crush cane of a year old, or crush it stand over? The first planted caue I allow to
stand over till the second year, unless it is caught too heavily with the frost, when 1 cut it.
9407. But the ratoons you cut everyyear ? Yes.
9408. What was the average crops of cane last year ? Eighteen tons of cane.
9409. Do you trash your cane ? No.
94l#, Do you consider that the cultivation of cane, including planting and weeding, only costs £3 a
ton? The ordinary weeding docs not cost me £3 a tou : but the first crop of plaut cano is extra
work, and the average coat of first plant cane, and three crops of ratoons would be about £3. First plant
cane does not cost me anything for cultivation the second year if I allow it to stand over: it does not
require weeding at all. 9411. When
THE GEHEEAL COJTDITIOK OF THE 8TJGAJJ IVDPSTET IK QUEENSLAND.
281
9411. When you have cut your eaue you plough between your rows ? Tea ; I plough as close as I can Grime*,
to the cane, and men with a hoe just go in oetween the stools. —
9412. And how often do they have to weed? About twice. 20Mar„i889.
94W3- Can that be done for £:■} a ton ? Yes ; that is what it cost me last year.
94L4. How do you get your sugar to Brisbane ? By cutter.
9415. What does it cost for transit ? 8s. a ton.
9416. What, reduction has to be made on account of commission charges from the price of the sugar ?
The £17 I get for sugar is the net return. I pay the freight. I deliver it at the wharf, Brisbane, and they
take charge of it there. My sugar is sold exactly the sime way as any sugar in the north. It is sent to
the commission agents. There is an impression that our sugar is sold retail over thecounter. There is
not lib. of my sugar sold in that way.
9417. Have your men ever struck for increased wages at crushing time? No.
9418. What kind of labour do you employ ? All kinds. Germans, Englishmen, Irishmen, and Scotchmen.
All kinds excepting coloured labour. They would not consort with Europeans.
9419. By Mr. Cowley .- What was the value of the other crops you grew last year — what did they net
you ? the arrowroot would be £700 and the rest of the crops would be consumed on the place.
9420. What does it cost .you to plant cane per acre ? If I had to plant it on newly-cleared scrub land, it
would cost from 30s. to £2. That is after falling and burning off.
9421. That £3 for cultivation does not include this? Yes, it would include that. But the stand-over
crop, the crop that is two years old, does not cost anything for cultivation the second year. The average
is £3 a year with four ratoon crops and one plant crop.
9422. What does it cost to plant the ploughed land ? Well, it would cost I suppose, about 1.5s. an acre.
9428. Does that include the cost of the plants ? The plants only cost the labour of cutting.
9424. How many times do you plough your land before planting? #nly one ploughing, and then a good
harrowing and drilling.
9425. Can you do all that for 15s. an acre ? Yes.
9420. The ploughing will cost you from 10s. to 15s. per acre getting ready for'planting, and then there
is the drilling, cutting, carting, placing the plants, and covering t them. Does all that only cost 15s. an
acre ? Yes.
9427. Do you include the cost of weeding in the £3 ? Yes.
9428. Do you get your holes made by contract or by day work ? Day work.
9429. How many holes does a man make in a day ? 1 could not tell you.
9-430, Would he make a hundred ? I can't tell. I can give you the cost of the whole of this first patch
of cane. It was £7 an acre for the first planting, that is burning and clearing off and everything.
9431. What is the total amount of capital sunk in this plate, not in machinery alone ? £12,U0#
9432. What interest do you pay on it, or what is a fair interest to allow on it ? 7 per cent. I am
not paying that on it. Fortuuately I have no need to pay interest. I could get money at 7 per cent,
if I wanted it.
91:-!3. And you allow your men to rest for three hours in the middle of the day ? I do.
9434. And if you were crushing ? I have all my crashing fi nished before Christmas.
9435. But is it hot before Christmas ? No ; there is no difficulty before Christmas, and it is only this
year, between .Ta.nuary and February, that I have adopted this system.
9436. Then you did not allow the three hours in the middle of the day before? No ; this has been an
exceptionally hot season.
9437. You say that you do not trash your cane; tell us why ? I don't trash. I find no advantage in
trashing.
9438. Not even in the cost of cutting ? No.
9439. Can you cut a.s cheaply without trashing as with trashing ? The contractors make very little
difference between trashed and uotrashfd cane. That is the cane 1 have now. Some years ago 1 tested
the question of trashing. I set aside a field of cane and divided it into two equal parts, and trashed one
half and let the other half aloDe, and then judged the result as they passed through the mill ; and I found
that while we were losing the value of the trashing — the cost of it— we gained nothing whatever as far as
the result was concerned. I came to the conclusion that trashing made do difference. I was then
growing ribbon cane, which cost us from 30s. to £2 an acre to tr:tsh.
9440. Was there no difference in the density of the juice? Yes ; but there was a short supply of juice
in the trashed cane. There was no difference in the result produced.
9441. How often did you trash that cane ? Twice.
9442. How long before it was cut? Sometime before cutting. The first trashing would be somewhere
about four months before cutting, and the other about two months.
9143. How old was the cane ? — Was it a stctnd-over crop ? The plants the year that we made the test ?
9444. Yes ? It was plant cane — a stand-over crop.
9445. What was the average tonnage of that crop to th« acre ? It is so long ago that I cannot tell you.
I know there was no difference in the sugar obtained.
9446. Do you purchase cane from the fartnrrs ? N«.
9447. Do you wish to buy ? I am not anxious to buy.
9447a. You have not tried to get the farmers to sell? No.
9448 You said that your men had never struck at any time for higher wages ? Not at the time of cane
crushing.
9449. Have they ever done so ? The only occasion that I remember when they struck for higher wages
was when 1 was making a dam and digging reservoirs in connection with the mill.
9450. As a. rule, are the men perfectly contented to do work for 15s. a week ? Yes.
9451. Do they remain with you long? Yes.
9452. They are not constantly changing ? No.
9453. They seem to be thoroughly contented with thfir lot and are able to do the work? Yes. I have
Borne ordinary labourers who have been on the place now for six year*. Some have been here over that
time; some bare been liere ten years. My engineer has just started iu a place of his own, and he was
with me eighteen years.
9454. What
282
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BTEORE THE EOTAI COMHT8SION TO 1NQUTKE INTO
? - 945-1. What do you pay per ton for cutting your cane ? 2s. 6d.
~"\ 9455, What was the cost of cartage ? The cartage for a fair season would be Is. 2d. per ton.
89. 9156. What kind of sugar bags do you use? The large size.
9157. 4-bushel? No.
9458. 70 lb. ? No ; they will go 96 lb.
9459. Are they bags or mats ? B;igs.
9460. What do they cost you per dozen ? 3s. 3d. to 3s. 6d.
9461. What is the largest quantity of sugar you have made here ? 200 tons.
9462. How long ago ? Three years ago.
9463. What did you make during the' intermediate seasons ? We have not planted since, and the crop
has been gradually ploughed out, and other crops put in.
9464. How much sugar did vou make the year after? 150 tons, the nest year 120 tons, and last year
80 tons.
9465. How do you account for the great falling off? The falling oil is in this way. When we have
seen that it was not giving us good returns we have ploughed it out and put in other crops that did better,
and the low price of sugar prevented me from planting afresh until last year. It was after the price
rose that I planted more.
9466. How much did you plant last year? Thirty or forty acres.
9467. Will that crush next year ? I do not think it will.
946S. What is the capacity of your mill ? 20 tons a week of dry sugar.
9469. Bo you intend to plant till you can work it at its full capacity ? Yes.
9470. Why did you give np grevving sugar at Osley? The machinery we had at Oxley was very ordinary
machinery, and we could not make a sample of sugar that would sell. There was no inducement held out
to us by the farmers to put up better machinery, and as laud was getting very valuable out there we
thought it desirable to more further out and get really good machinery, and make sugar fit for the
altered market.
9471. And you are perfectly satisfied with the outlook even at the rate that you are going on now ? I
am not perfectly satisfied. 1 would be satisfi ed if I could reach £20 a ton. A good thing could be made
out of it then,
9472. But are you satisfied with the profits you made last year ? No ; I a:n not satisfied with them.
9473. 2y tlm Chairman : Can you tell us what, in your opinion, are the causes of the present depression
in the sugar industry ? I take the chief cause to be the low price of sugar, in consequence of the bounty
system. That h, the reduction in the price of sugar is one cause. I think that other things have con-
tributed to make the depressiou still worse, by the great want of confidence the capitalists seem to have
in the sugar industry all through.
9474. What do you think has brought about that want of confidence ? Well, they seem to have given
up all hope of one thing, viz., that sugar will rise. The shareholders in those large companies want
dividends. They are ni>! satisfied to allow the pm fit t» be spent in improving their property, and not
receive divid< nds. They are curtailiug expenditure iu every possible way, aud by that means are
increasing the cost of the sugar that is made ou the plantation. In most cases the mills are able to
crush four and five times the amount of cane they have in cultivation. That is what I have seen iu the
North.
9475. By Mr. C*wley : Four or five times? Tes.
9476. By the Chairman : Can you give us any suggestion whereby the industry can be relieved from its
present depression ? I will just make another remark witli reference to the depression. The depression
has been followed by the cry that sugar growers are going to be ruined, because they have not a sufficient
supply of labour. That has a tendency to shake the confidence of capitalists in the sugar industry also
Now, I am not prepared to offer any suggestion as to how that can be altered. At the same time it is
evident that prices are improving, and I think there is a very good prospect before the sugar growers of
Queensland.
9177. Are you in any way disheartened with your present prospects ? No.
9478. By J>Jr. Cowley : But are not the southern mill-owners situated the same way as the northern men
by having mills four and five times larger than they have cane for them to crush r No.
9470. Yourself, for instance. Tou could make 500 tons of sugar, and only make 72 tons ; or, even if you
worked at night, you could make l,00u tons instead of 72 tons ? But 1 cannot work the sugar mill at
night. I work the arrowroot at night and the mill during the day.
9480. But that does not lower the full ca.pacity of the mill ? The capacity of the mill is calculated by
ten hours a day. That is 20 tons a week.
9481. Are you not aware that some of the mills up North make 2,000 tons of sugar in a season ? Some of
them do.
9482. And do you not know that some of them work day and night ? I was not aware of it.
9483. Then when you make those remarks your experience is limited with regard to the way the mills
are worked upN«rtli ? Possibly it may be ; but I judged from what I saw when I was up North, and by
the reports giving the nuwber of dajs "that the mills were w«r king about Mack ay, and by the reports in the
papers that we have seen.
9484. Did they also state the cause why they could not get enough cane for the mill? As far as a good
many of the Mackay plantations are concerned, especially those on the mountain ridges, I saw from the
beginning that they could only just last a few years. They could not grow cane on that land for many
years. It is differeut with levei fields. There are large areas of land under cane in Mackay on the
mountain slopes, in the mountain scrubs.
9185. Then, in making thoss> remarks, you confine yourself to Mackay ? The same remarks would apply
to some of the Cairns scrubs. There is a wasteful system of working plantations. I refer to burning all
the megass and returning nothing to the soil. That is bound to impov erish the soil and the crops willsufier
in time.
9186. But don't you think that where fuel is scarce it is better to burn megass and spend the money
thus saved in artificial manure, as some planters are doing ? They will find that the artificial manure
they get is very expensive.
9487. Are
THE OENEBAT, CONDITION »P THE SCGAH INDtTBTEY QUEENSLAND
9487. Are yon not aware that sugar in Mauritius is grown entirely by artificial manure, ami lias been for & Grimes.
100 years? It may be.
94SS. And that the bulk of the sugar is grown without a plough being put into the land ? But the crops 20 Mar., 1889.
have bceu falling off in Mauritius for the last few years.
Abthub Anthony Eobinson examined :
9489. By the Chairman : What is the name of your plautation ? Hellenavale.
9490. How many years have you been growing sugar ? Since 1870.
9491. Are you growing sugar now ? No ; not much.
9492. What is the total area of the land held by yon ? There are 1,280 acres in the estate. 20 Mw., 1889.
9493. How many acres are under cultivation ? 300.
9494. How many were under cultivation by sugar ? I had 300 under cane at one time.
9495. When was your lust crushing ? I had a few tons last year.
9496. How many did you crush last year ? Forty acres. I made 3fi tons of sugar.
9497. What amount of capital is invested in the estate? About £35,000 since the beginning.
9498. Has it at any time yielded sufficient to pay the interest at all ? Tes ; when the prices were high.
We were making large crops and gettiug £30 per ton for the sugar at that time-
9499. When you say large crops, what do y»u mean ? Between 300 and 400 tons of sugar a year for
two years.
9500. What were your working expenses ? That is a very hard question, because I employed only
kanakas, excepting ploughmeu and engineers. The working expenses were £1,500 a year at least.
9501. What labour did you employ? Islanders mostly.
9502. How many had you ? I had an average of fifty all the year round.
9503. And how many Europeans ? Ab»ut ten altogether.
9504. What was the reason that you had to abandon sugar growing ? Too much money spent in
machinery, the failure of the seasons, and the want of capital, and capital being withdrawn at a critical
time (which was very likely for the best, seeing that the seasons have turned out so bad), were the causes
of my abandoning sugar growing. If you do not look to the future, if you are constantly laying all your
strength on the present, and forgetting the year that is to come, you are doue at once on a sugar
plantation.
9505. What was the cost of your machinery ? About £12,000 altogether, from first to last.
950G. Have you any further intention of going into sugar again ? No.
9507. By Mr. King : Is sugar growing in this district generally decreasing or increasing? Decreasing
very much.
9508. What is the reason for its decreasing? I think the reason is because of the low price of sugar,
and certainly the dry seasons have done more to destroy the industry than anything else. The low prices
have been helped by the extraordinary seasons down here.
9509. Did you try to grow sugar with white labour in the field? No ; except ploughmen. I always had
white ploughmen. 1 had some experience last year of white men in the crushing season.
9510. From your experience as a planter do you think that it would be possible to grow cane profitably
with white labour alone ? I think it might be done here now that labour is so cheap. You might make
a living out of it by employing them by contract — by doing everything by contract — because labour is so
very plentiful. There is no difficulty in procuring labourers about here now.
9511. Would you go in for sugar planting if you hai to work it with white labour alone ? No ; I would
not do it. I would sooner go in for any other ordinary work. I would prefer to go in for hay growing ;
it would not cause so much anxious labour.
9512. By the Chairman : You think that the low price of sugar and the disastrous seasons are responsible
for the depression in the sugar iudustry ? Yes.
9513. BjjMr. King (las not loss of confidence on the part of capitalists something to do with it ? Yes.
Sugar, except in a few favoured parts, is done. I do not think it can be done by white labour. The only
chance in the north of the colony of doing anything is by assisting the planters up North in the direction
of providing them with cheaper labour. It has never been done iu any other part of the world, and I do
not see how it is to be done here. In the West Indies and other tropical countries the white population is
dying out every day. Sugar growing has never been properly carried out in these colonies as it Iras been
elsewhere.
WEDNESDAY, 20 MAWS, 1889.
LOGAN DISTRICT.
(At Southport.)
Present :
W. II. GKOOM, Esq., M.L.A. 1 H. E. KING, Esq.
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
David Young Fcxlabton examined :
9514. By the Chairman : You are the owner of Bundall Plantation ? Yes.
9515. How many aires does it consist of ? 2,500 acres.
95lG. How manV acres have you planted in sugar ? 200 acres.
9517. When dnl'you erusb for the Last time? Last year.
9518. By Mr. King : ISnS or 1887 ? 18SS.
9519. By the Chairman : How many acres did you crush ? 100 acres.
9520. What amount of sugar did you obtain ? 25 tons.
9521. What was the cause of the lowness of the crop? Drought principally
284
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEf'OBE THE EOTAI* COUMTSSION TO ETQUIBE INTO
9522. What labour did you employ ? Mixed — kanaka and white.
9523. Were the islanders indented or time-expired boys ? Both.
\ 9521. Did you make any attempt to grow sugar entirely with white labour? No.
3 - 9525 What was the cause of you abandoniug the growth of sugar ? I could not make it pay expenses.
S52G. Even with coloured labour? Even with coloured labour.
9527. JHave you any intention of returning to the growth of sugar ? None whatever. I think the
failure lately has been due to the change of climate during the last seven years, from a moist to a dry
climate.
952S. Have you in previous years grown su^ar profitably ? I never made a profit, only paid expenses.
It rlid not show a, profit even when we had the high prices.
9529. Bil Mr. King : What is the value of your machinery ? Do you mean cost price ?
9530. What did it cost you erected on the ground ? £3,000.
9531. Is the machinery still on the plantation ? Tes.
95:^2. Do you expect to turn it to some account? Only by selling it all.
9533. Are you cultivating the land in any other way ? Tes ; general farming.
9534. What crops do you grow now 1 Chiefly maize, just at present.
9535. Do you Bud that that pays better than sugar ? Infinitely better.
9536. 1 1 is generally thought that sugar stands the drought better than other crops. Is that your opinion ?
It all depends when it gets the drought, I think. If rain docs not come wh en you have cut the ratoons
they will not start, and winter is on them before they make any headway again.
9537. Perhaps the construction of the railway to Southport has had something to do with the change of
crops. Do you find it more profitable now that you have railway commutation with Brisbane ? Tes ;
that has a great deal to do with it. Freight is only half what it was.
9538. Are there any other plantations in the district? Only Muir's.
9539. Have they abandoned the cultivation of sugar? Tes; two years ago.
9340. Then in your part of the district sugar growiDg is apparently dying out? It has died right out.
95H. And you do not think it is likely to oe renewed, no matter how it is encouraged ? I am sure it will
not. I think it is a mistake in this part of the country altogether.
9542. Why do you say "in this part of the country "? Because we never got the yield they talk about
in other places.
9543. Do you suffer from frost at all ? Not much.
9541. By Mr. Cowley: Did you work your mill as a central factory? No; there was nobody there to
grow cane.
9545. Are you isolated there ? Our cultivation is in the middle of our own place, and the nearest neigh-
bour would be three miles away.
95 What labour are you employing now in general farming ? White. There are two agreement boys
whose time wants a few nonths to finish. It will be white labour entirely.
Chaeles Humphrey Phtllpot examined :
9547- By th e Chairman : Are you the owner of Buribi Plantation ? Part owner.
954s. How many acres does it consist of ? Between 900 and 1,000 acres, of which sixty were under
"\ sugar cnne.
9540. When did you last crush ? Eive years ago, I think.
9550. How mitny acres did you crush than? 1 do not think we crushed more than thirty acres; we left
a lot of it standing.
9551. What quantity of sugar did you turn out? I can't give it exactly. Do you want the average
per acre?
9552. Tes? It is so long ago that I can't think of it. I suppose it would average about li tons to the acre.
9553. What labour did you employ when cultivating sugar cane ? Chiefly white labour. For many years
we did not use anything but white labour. We had only two years of black labour.
9554. Wbat was your reason for abandoning sugar cane ? The extremely low price of sugar.
9555. Tou have now gone into other agriculture? Yes. We have at present turned our machinery into
a saw-mill,
9356. What did it cost you? The sugar mill?
9557. Tes ? That is a difficult question to answer, because we improved, and improved, and improved it.
Without goinf: iuto the thing too closely, I should say that about £5,000 was sunk in the plantation. That
is in cultivation as well as machinery.
9558. Mow much of the £5,000 would your machinery represent? Roughly, I should think£l,500.
9559. Have yon disposed of auy of it since? No.
9560. Were others growing cane round you at the time? Immediately close to us ?
9561. Tes ? No; not at that time.
95G2. Are the farmers round you growing cane, or have they abandoned it ? Tes ; they will have nothing
to do with growing it. It is not grown within three miles of my place.
95l>3. Arid you have no intention of going into sugar again? No.
9564. Hy Mr. King : Did sugar growing pay you at all when you were engaged in it? Did you ever
malt*: it pay ? Taking an average — taking one season with another — it never did.
95G5. What number of men did you employ when you were growing sugar ? Daring the crushing season
twenty. Of course the nunber would vary, sometimes a m;m or two less, and sometimes a man or two
more.
956H. Were they principally white men whom you employed? Tes; we only employed islanders during
the last two years we had sugar, and they were all time-expired boys. We never indented any from the
islands.
9567. What made you employ islanders for the past two years ? Owing to the insufficiency of whit*
labour, and the unreliability of it.
9565. Did you have any difficulty in getting cultivation done by white men? No. Do you mean in
getting the number of men ?
9569. What had you to complain of with the white men ? You could never depend on the white men
d»ingthesamething twice. One daytheywouldwork well, and the next day they would do comparatively
little. 9570. Did
THE GENE HAL CONDITION OJ THE SUGAR JNDUSTEY IN QUEENSLAND.
9570. Did they ever strike with vou ? No. C E.
8571. Did they dislike the work— is that what made them unreliable? They did dislito ft, but not ptuil P°t-
because it was that elasa of labour, but simply because 1hey disliked work of any kind. f \
9572. Then it makes no difference to you whether the Legislature does anything for the sugar growers 20Mar.,1889.
or not, you would not try it down here again ? It would be impossible to try it on a small scale, as there
is too much waste in manipulation.
FRIDAY, 22 WJTtCR, 1889.
(At Brisbane.)
Present :
W. 11. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A. | H. E. KING-, Esq
A. S. COWLEY, Esq., M.L.A.
W. H. GROOM, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair.
Abthtjr Woodwab» examined :
9573. By the Chairman : Are you Polynesian inspector ? I am officer in charge of Pacific Island
Immigration. A.Woodward.
9574. Are you in direct communication with the various inspectors of Polynesians throughout the colony ? — A -""~>v
Yes. 22 Mar., 1889.
9575. Are you Tegulariy furnished with reports from their respective districts? Yes.
957S. How many Polynesians are at present in the colony ? I can give you the number on 31st
December, if that will be sufficient for you. It is an estimate, but it is pretty reliable.
9577. By Mr. Cowley : Could you not give us the actual number in the colony on tflst December? Not
the actual number, but an estimate.
9578. By the Chairman : Supply us with the estimated number? This esti mate is prepared from schedules
prepared by the inspectors of the respective district-! up to 31st December, 1888. The total is 7,580. I
can give you the separate numbers ji each district if you wish. There are of course a large number of
islanders in the colony of whom we have no cognisance. Some men engage and n.ake no agreements.
A great many of them are exempt.
9579. Then those that hold tickets of exemption are not under the control of the inspectors under the
Act ? No, they are not ; but they ought to be under supervision. They have been under the supervision
of the inspectors at one time, but have passed from it, and until they make an agreement they will not
come under it agnin. It is not compulsory on the Polynesians to make an agreement, but the law says
that a planter shall not work them without an agreement. The number, 7,J>80, contains the estimated
number that each inspector had reason to believe were— what the islanders term — " walking about" in his
dislrict.
9580. When the Commission was at Port Douglas, evidence was submitted to the effect that the islanders who
had been employed im Bribri had not been paid their wages for eighteen months previous to the insolvency
of the proprietor. — Have these facts been brought under your knowledge ? Yes.
9581. Have any steps been taken to enforce payment? It was my impression that payment could not
be enforced, because the trustee had no funds to do so with. We have been waiting for the sale of the
estate. I have alt the names of the islanders, and know as far as possible where they all are. Some
have re-engaged in other parts of the colony, but I think I can place all of them.
9582. How did it happen that such a long time was allowed to run on without their wages being paid to
them ? Neglect of the officer whose dutj it was to see that this payment of wages was periodically made.
95S3. But do not those inspectors see that the %vages are paid every six months? The) are instructed
to do so under the Act.
9584. Do they not report non-payment of wagesto you when wages are not paid every six months ? It
is their duty to do soj but if they do not the fact does not come before me at all.
9585. Then you do not know if those inspectors are doing their duty — you do not know if they report every-
thing to you or not? No.
9586. When were you made aware of the fact that the islanders who should have been paid every six
months had not been paid for eighteen moDths? When the plantation went insolvent. 1 blame Major
Funning very muehfor not informing meof the matter. He had the agreements of the boys in his office,
and the proprietors of the plantation should have had notice given them that the money was due.
9587. Are you aware that those islanders are walking about Port Douglas, and refuse to re-engage until
they have been paid what is due to them ? Some of them are, and others have gone to Mackay.
9588. Then the attention of the Government has been officially dra,wu to it? Yes.
9589. But I mea.n has the attention of the Government been drawn to the fact that these inlanders, who
should have been paid every six months, had not been paid for eighteen mtnths ? I hardly follow the
question
9590. Has the attention of the •■ovemmenfc been called to the fact that those islanders were not paid
every six months as thev should have been, or has attention just been drawn t« the fact that they have
not been paid at ail? To the fact that they have not been paid at all.
9.391. Are you not aware that there is an Act of Parliament under which if a mortgagee tabes possession
of a place, he can be forced to pny six months' wages to the servants engaged ou such place ? No.
9592. Have you not put in force that Act ? I was not aware of it. I thought three months was the
time wages could be paid for as preferential debts.
9593. Then, practically, you are unable to give the Commission any evidence at all as to why those men
have not been paid ? 1 can hardly say that. I made an official complaint against Major Fanning for
not reporting non-payment of wages to me when they should have been paid.
9594. But
286 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAJTEN BEFOltE THE HOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
A.Woodward. 9594 B u t the fact of having made an oficial complaint against Major Fanning is no answer to the
^^—^ question why you did not get a portion of the wages due from the mortgagee ? I informed the men who
22Mar.,1889. were d ue the money that I was endeavouring to obtain the money from the trustee of the estate.
9595. But the estate had no funds.— But it is expected that they will have considerable funds when
the plantation is sold? Even if they sell the plantation at a heavy loss on the present value, there
will oe a considerable sum to divide.
959G. Do you' know anything about a colony of Polynesians that are located at North Rockhampton ?
No.
9597. And who have horses and drays, and are competing with white men by cutting and selling fire-
wood ? No ; I am not aware of it.
9598. Has any report of the kind been furnished to you ? No.
9599. And you are in total ignorance of it ? I am.
9600. Are you aware that iu the Bundaberg district there are 300 time-expired boys walking about, and
who have formed a settlement on a town reserve, and who sometimes become a nuisance to the people in
the neighbourhood, and frequently insult females who have to pass that way ? No.
9601. Are you aware of a disturbance which tookplace in January last on the Norton Gold Field, between
white men and kanakas? No.
9602. Did you hear that a gold-mining company had a considerable number of kauakas. working for them
at Norton ? Complaints have been made during the last three years that there were islanders working
at thatgoldfield, and it was brought before the Minister several times.
9603. Did you not hear of the disturbance last January on theNortou Gold Field, between the whites and
the kanakas, in which the whites rose and drove the kanakas by force off the field ? No.
9604. Do the inspectors send y«u reports regularly of what transpires in their districts with regard to
these men ? Only in cases of diffculty thattheywant to have an opinion or decision upon.
9605. How often do they furnish you with reports ? There is n« fixed time for making their reports.
9606. Then how are you to find out whether the Pacific Island inspector discbarges his duty in visiting
the plantations in his district, or not in order to find out if there are any grievances, or if the men are
treated properly ? We have no power of knowing under the present circumstances.
9607 Then, in point of fact, these men could do exactly as they pleased, and you would not be aware of
what tiey were doing? They might.
9608. Bo you u»t think you should receive quarterly reports? Yes ; it would be a very good thing; butit
would be an addition to the many and onerous duties which I have already to perform, and which more
than occupy my time.
9609- But you would not be called on to read all those reports yourself. Tour assistants could read then,
and when necessary call your attention to anything important in them ? That would involve a terrible
amount of additional labour upon me to have to investigate all those reports, because they would contain
a great variety of important matters which would require my individual attention if they were to be of any
value.
9610. But don't you see the position in which you are placed. In January last a number of kanakas
are illegally employed on a goldfield, and this is resented by the white men working there, and
they rise up and forcibly turn the kanakas off the field. This causes a disturbance. That is how it was
reported in the papers here, and yet you, as officer in charge of Hie department, do not know anything
about it. If Parliament were to inquire into this matter, you would be the first •ificer called o n to explain
what you knew of the matter? That gtldfield lies beytnd the limits of the Polynesian district, and the
inspectors have nothing to do with what occurs beyond the bounds of their district.
9611- Are you furnished with reports as to the amount of money placed in the savings bank to the
credit of the islanders by the inspectors? Tes.
9612. Have they any difficulty in obtaining their money from the bank, that you are aware of? No ; I
do not think so. The inspectors get the money from the bank for them.
9613. Have yon not heard that the kanakas complain that they have great difficulty in obtaining money
from the savings bank ? No ; never.
9611. Have y«u heard that many kauakas prefer to lodge their money with storekeepers, and even \sith
Chinamen, rather than place it in the savings bauk owing to the difficulty of withdrawing it ? If they do
it is only a question of preference ; it is not because there is any difficulty in withdrawing their money
from the savings bank. They do so in Brisbane. I know of several storekeepers to whom the kanakas
give their money, but it is only because they prefer doing so.
9615. If an islander dies with au amount of money to his credit in the savings bank, what is done with
it ? It bectmea, according to certain sections of the Act, the property of the Pacific Islanders Fund.
9616. But in the event «f a relative of th« deceased applying fur it, what happens ? Then the case is
inquired into, and if it is a good one the facts are placed before the Miuister and his sanction obtained
for paying the money.
9617. W«uH the Chief Secretary or yourself be the arbitrator in such cases? The Minister. Certain
papers have to be filled up and certain facts ascertained before the sauction can ke obtained.
9618. Ha veyou known cases where a deceased islander's relatives have been refused the money which
he left ? Tes ; very many of these cases come before me.
9<il9. Have you known any very serious case of this kind come before you ? No ; none of any momeut.
962#. Are all deaths reported to you by the inspectors ? It is the law and the rule that they sh»uld be.
9621. I was in formed »f the death of a female kanaka last week on a plantation in the C«oniera dist rict.
Have you been informed of it ? I do not thiuk that any such report has reached me during the last few
days. I am sure I have not received such a report during the last few days. Sometimes there is a little
delay in sending in the.se reports,
9622. In this case she left an infant a fortnight old. I was going to ask you the cause of her death, and
whether she had received proper medical treatment during her confinement ? The rtport of a death is
required by law to be accompanied by a medical certificate, and in cases where such certificate cannot be
obtained, an inquiry is held under the Act of Parliament.
9623. By Mr. King : Is it not the law that any persons employing kanakas except uuder au agreement
entered into before an inspector are liable to a penalty ? Yes; unless the islander is exempt.
9624 Is.
THE GENEBAL CONDITION OP THE SUGAB INDUSTBT IN QUEENSLAND.
287
9624. Is it not a fact that there are numbers of islanders who are constantly taking employment without -^^^^
any agreement being entered into before an officer of the department ? Yes ; the law is very flagrantly —^T—^
violated in that respect. We do the best we can to control it, ;ind send notices of warniugto the cm-
plovers. But the law is flagrantly violated, even by olicials high up in the public service.
9625. Have you taken any steps to prosecute the offenders ? No, I have not. If I once commenced, it
would take up (he whole of my time, which is already over-burdened, and I would require to employ a
staff of detectives.
9620. But are you aware that by this action they are defrauding the last employer of the£5 which he
paid for return passage money ? Tes ; and most unjustly. That is a thing that 1 feel very sorely on.
9027. Do you not consider that it is part of the duty of the inspector to see that the law is properly
carried out ? They do their best, I rea lly believe.
9628. Do any of the agreements which have been made before the inspectors show that any kanakas are
employed ou any goldtields ? No.
9629. Then any kanaka employed on a goklfield must be illegally employed ? Undoubtedly, unless the
kanakas are exempt.
9630. And the employer liable to a penalty under the Act? Yes.
9631. When you heard of those agreements with Conran and Co., did you not give instructions to
prosecute the parties who were employing the kanakas illegally ? I can hardly charge, my memory with
what trnnspired at that time. It is a considerable time ago and must extend back fhr<:e years. But I
would point out that Conran and Co. were beyond the range of any Polynesian inspector's district.
9632. Were they beyond the range of the Polynesian Act ? — Is not anyone in Queensland liable to a
penalty for employing islanders illegally ? Yes.
9033. Ia it not the duty of the department to prosecute in such cases, and to see that the Act is carried
into effect ? No : no actions are entered into without the sanction of the Minister having been obtained
J5r s t.
9634. Have any cases been brought before the Minister of kanakas having been employed without an
agreement, and his instructions acted upon ? Many cases have been brought before the Miuister with a
request for sanetion to prosecute.
9635. With what result ? In some cases there bavejbeen prosecutions, and in other cases warnings have
been given.
9636. Are you aware that in the Cairns district the Polynesians working on the plantations are not
allowed by the Polynesian inspector to have their wages until the end of the three years for which they
are indented ? I beeame aware of it a few days ago, mnch to my surprise.
9637. The action of the inspector was not authorised by the department ? Most unauthorised. I have
written very strongly to him about it.
9638. Has it come under your notice that there are any increased difficulties in getting Polynesians from
the islands ? No ; I do not think there is any difficulty.
9639. It is alleged that one of the reasons tor the v ery high p.issage money charged is the risk attending
the business of bringi7ig thorn here. Are you aware that a good many aliips have come back almost, if not
entirely, empty ? No ; certainly not.
9610. If an accident should happen to a Government agent tlie vessel is bound to return, even if she
should be entirely empty. Is such not the [case ? Yes, if it was such an accident that he could not
perform his duties in consequence thereof.
9041. Then an accident to a Government agent might entail the loss of the whole of the expenses of the
voyage ? It might. It would be the same if an accident happened to the captain or any other important
officer.
9042. Have any suggestions been made to the department for employing extra Government agents so as
to avoid such a eoutingency ? No. In one case two Government agents were sent with a steamer to
facilitate the work of recruiting. The experiment was not a satisfactory one and has not been repeated.
9643. How was it unsatisfactory ? The two Government agents disagreed with each other.
9644. With regard to the money left by deceased islanders, have not tbeir relatives very great difficulty
in obtaining it ? No, not for a just claim.
9645. What do you mean by a just claim? If they are really the persons they represent themselves to
be, and eome sufficiently near within the range of kinship.
9646. Iu dealing with these questions io you take into consideration their tribal customs ? No.
9647. You recognise simply the same law of succession that prevails amongst white men? No; we do
not go so far as that. We define the relationships as husband and wife, parent and child, brother and
sister, and brother and brother. We do not go into such relationships as those »f cousins even.
964S. Have you ever heard of the case of a woman dying and leaving some money, and the department
refusing to allow the money to be spent for the benefit of her child ? I cannot charge my memory with
it, hut I can have the case looked up.
9649. Has the department ever refused payment of a deceased islander's money to his brother on the
ground that there required to be proof that he was the only brother? That might have been the cause of
delay in settlement.
9650. Do you not think t hat this method of dealing with the money of deceased islanders is probably one
reason why they prefer to entrust their money to Chinamen and other storekeepers instead of putting it
in the Savings Bank ? Possibly it may.
9651. Have the inspectors instructions to look sharply after people who supply the kanakas with grog,
and to prevent their being supplied with liquor ? 1 believe t hey do their very best in that respect.
9052. Can you tell us the amount of the Pacific Islanders' Fund at the present time? On the 31st
December, 1888, the amount to the credit of the fund was £11,596 5s. 5d.
9653. Are you aware that in Bundaberg there are two missionaries working amongst the kanakas, giving
them religious instruction, and conducting services for thein in the churches? I have no oflicial
knowledge of it, but I believe that such is the case.
9654. Has any assistance bee n given for the instrnction of the kanakas, or to the missionaries engaged
in attending to them out of the Pacific Islanders' Fund ? No. ■
9655. Don't you think that some portion of that fund ought to be applied to that purpose? I do not
think so.
9656. Well,
288
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE DOTAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO
A. Woodward. Well, according to your own showing, that fund is compospd of money left by the kanakas
t — n themselves. Such being the ( /ase, could it be employe,! more proper ly than in providing for their rehgioua
22 Mar., 1889. instruction ? But that is a proposal I am not prepared to give an official answer to. It is a ma; ter of
private opinion. I do not think that any portion of the fund could be legally set aside for their religious
instruction. ...
9S'<7. Then the department does not in any way assist any of the scliools or establishments or missionaries
working amongst the kanakas ? No.
9658. ft justs lets them rip ? I am not prepared to say that.
9659. By Mr. Cowley : What was the actual number of Polynesians employed in tropical agriculture on
31st December last? I could give you the number under agreement on that day. I have not got it here.
966t. That is what I mean ? But the return would not be of much value, because it has become a very
common practice to make the terms nf the agreement finish on 31st December, so that on 1st January
a large number of them are walking about, waiting to re-engage. This return of 7,530 includes those
men. The return is made on 1st day of January.
9661. And in June? No; only once a year.
9662. You said that you were not aware that you could sue the mortgagee of a plantation for six months'
wages due to the kanakas for the six months prior to his taking possession ? I was not aware of it.
9(563. Now that you are aware of it, do you intend to sue the mortgagee of Bribri plantation to try and
recover the wages due to the men ? I will make inquiries and see wliat can be done.
9664. C-aiuotyou sue the mortgagee without laying the case before the Minister ? I would not take
the responsibility of doing so without instructions. The Crown Law Office would have to be the machinery
that would have to be used.
9665. But can't you put that machinery in motion without obtaining permission ? No.
9666. Are you aware that the owners of Bribri are leasing a large quantity of their land at a good rental
and deriving an income from it ? No ; I have very little knowledge of Bribri.
9667. You are not aware that they have a large number of horses on the plantation which could be
levied on ? I know practically nothing of it.
9668. And you have taken no steps whatever to recover the money for these men ? I can't say that. I
have not put the law in motion to do so.
9669. Are you aware that the Polynesian inspector at Ingham refuses to allow the owners of theVictoria
plantation to use their hospital for treating their kanakas in, and insists on their all being sent in to the
Ingham hospital, thereby overcrowding it to a very great extent ? No.
9670. Have you had any communication on the subject ? No. never.
9671. Is it not customary for an inspector to keep you posted up in everything of importance in regard
to the kanakas in his district ? Certainly. Only matters of importance, not mere matters of detail.
9672. Supposing an employer did not pay the wages to his men? Tes; he would report that.
9673. Have many reports of that nature been made to you lately ? No.
9674. Have there been any cases besides Bribri during the last two years ? No ; no flagrant cases like
Bribri.
9675. Have you had any actions at any time during the past fi ve years against bondsmen— have you sued
bondsmen for return passage money ? Well, I do not think it has ever come to actual process of law, but
the Crown Law Officers have been put in motion.
9676. And was that successful in every case? It generally resulted in the money being paid.
9677. Then the Government have not been put to the expense of returning any islanders ? Yes ; they have
been. I have placed the circumstances before the Minister and been told that there would be no action
taken.
9678. Can you give us the total amount that the Government have had to pay for return passages to the
islands ? That is a difficult question to answer off hand, but the annual printed report up to last June
contains the names of three planters from whom 1 have been unable to obtain the return passage money
that I considered due.
9679. Were the boys originally indented to these planters? Yes.
9680. And were the usual bonds entered into ? Yes.
9681. And what was the reason that the bondsmen were not prosecuted ? Well, I am not in a position
to answer that question.
9682. Can you tell us |how many islanders had to be returned at the expense of the Government?
Three men.
9683. You said three planters ? Yes; threeplanters and three men.
9684. In each case had the boys served their three years with the planters ? Yes. They had been in the
colony some years in addition.
96^5. Then the bondsmen's liability Lad lapsed after the three years? No ; it is a continuous liability.
The boy has either to be returned to his island or £5 paid to the Government.
9686. But should n«t action be taken at the end of the three years? I do not think so ; not necessarily.
9687. These are the only cases that you are aware of ? There are other cases in which passage
money has been due, and should have been paid, but the islanders have not been returned, and therefore
the money has not been paid.
96^8. Are these the only cases in which the Government have had to return the islanders? Yes; for
the twelve months covered by that report.
.9689. Then if there were any other cases they would be embodied in your printed report? They might
not. Possibly some time back amounts eipended in that way may have been charged to the return passage
subdivision, or may have been lost amongst a variety of figures. But of late I thought it best that all
such cases should appear distinct. In the last annual statement three such cases appear.
94i»0. \ou say there is nothing in the Act to prevent an islander placing his money in anyone's hands
besides the inspectors ? The Act; is entirely silent.
9691. You say that they do so from preference ? That is my private opinion.
9692. Can you give any reason as to what induces them to do so from preference? No.
9693. Have you not had correspondence with employers because of their taking the wages of the men for
safe keeping ? Yes.
9694 And
THE GENEBAIi CONDITION OP THE 8UGAB IITDrSXKX IS QFEENSI-AND.
9694. And yet you say that there is nothing in the Act which prevents the Polynesian giving his wages A. Woodward,
into anyone's hands for safe keeping ? Certainly; but I think that an employer should certainly not act
as banker for his islanders. I thiuk it is a most indecent thing. 22 Mar., 1889.
9695. This is simply a matter of private opinion of your own, there is nothing in the Act ? Notlung in
the Act.
9696. Have you not flatly refused to return burial fees to employers unless they made a statement
showing that they were tiot holders of their employes money ? Yes.
9697. Was this done on your own responsibility, as you had no authority under the Act to do so?
Most decidedly, it was done under the authority of the Act in my opiniou.
9698. Then would you withhold the amount of burial fees, if the employer had any moneys belonging to
deceased islanders ? Tes.
9699. Supposing an employer holds the money of other islanders than the deceased islander and does
not hold any money of that islander's, would you then refuse to pay the burial expenses until he had
sent in a statement showing what moneys he held for those islanders? Certainly not.
9700. In the canes of relations applying for a deceased islander's money, are yoti guided entirely by the
report of the local inspector as to the justness of their claim? Tie local inspector has to fill up a printed
form which I think includes all possible useful information on that point, and it is sent down to me and
is verified, and if it is found to be a fair claim it is submitted to the Minister.
9701. Then the decision as to the justness of the claim rests with the Minister, not with you? Yes.
97*2. By Mr. Kinq : Do you submit all these applications to the Minister, or only such as you yourself
approve of? They ar e all submitted, except that I might rejectone that was palpably inaccurate; all that
have the appearance of credibility I submit to the Minister. I certainly place recommendations on them
because 1 have been asked to do so.
9703. By Mr. Cowley : When a local inspector informs you that persons are employing kanakas in con-
travention to tho Act, do you not think it would be wise to prosecute those men without giving them any
warning, as an example to others ? The inspectors are uot authorised to enter upon prosecutions of that
nature.
9704. Then it rests entirely with the Minister, not with you? Yes; the responsibility would rest with
him. An inspector may in any small case take action, but not in any serious case.
9705. But I mean in cases where men are being employed without agreement? The inspector would not
take action without referring the matter to me, and so to the Minister.
97*6. Have you no power to take action yourself ? I would not take the responsibility. I may have the
power under the Act.
9707. Are all police magistrates, by virtue of their office as such, inspectors of Polynesians ? No ; there
are a certain number of police magistrates who have been G-azetted as ex-ojficio inspectors ; about eight
or nine.
9708. Then the police magistrate in the district where the kanakas were employed on a goldfield was not
an inspector under the .Act ? I cannot answer that.
9709. You say that, as far as your knowledge of the matter gons, there is no difficulty in obtaining
Polynesians from the islands. Can you tell us the reason why vessels do not always return with a full
complement of recruits if there is no difficulty i n obtaining them ? A limit of time is frequently placed by
the shipowner, and the vessel has to come back when the limit is reached, whether a full complement has
been obtained or not. That is one reason.
971#. Can you supply the Commission with a list of vessels despatched from Queensland ports for the
islands during 1888, giving the numbers of islanders they are allowed to carry by law, and the number
they have brought back with them ; the number of days occupied on the Voyage, and the reasons for
returning if the full complement has not been obtained ? I think I could give it to you for the year 1888
complete. In 1888 there were sixteen vessels engaged in the trade, and a total tonnage of 2,819 tons,
and accommodation for 1,866 islanders.
9711. I want on account of each trip ? I can have it prepared. [See Appendix^
2712. Very well. Can you give the Commission the number of islanders who have been indented
annually since 1885 ? Yes ; in 1886, 1,5*5 ; in 1887, 1,988 ; in 1888, 2,261.
9713. By the Chairman : That shows that they are increasing ? Yes ; every year.
9714. By Mr. Coide.y : Can you give us the average cost of introducing islanders for the three years ?
N o ; we only know by hearsay.
9715. Can you give us the duration of the voyages? Yes. Some voyages terminate prematurely owing
to various causes, and it would not be fair to include them iu the average. The average length of a
voyage in 18S8 was 124£ days ; it ranged from 70 to 175 days.
9716. Will you give us the names of the ports wherethese vessels are owned ? Yes ; Brisbane, 3 vessels ;
Maryborough, 4 ; Bundaberg, 4; Mackay, 2 ; Sydney, 2; and Scotland, 1. 'That vessel is now wrecked. Dur-
ing L8b8 the Brisbane vessels were eug'agedin bringing islanders for Mai;kay,Townsville, Herbert Eiver, and
Cairns ; those owned in Maryborough were employed in bringing labourers for Mackay, Towns , ille,
the Herbert liiver, and Cairns, and made one trip for Maryborough and Bundaberg conjointly. Those
owned in Bundaberg brought islanders entirely for their own port; those of Mackay for their own port,
and one made a trip for Townsville; those of Sydney for the Herbert and Johnstone Kivers ; and the
Scotch owned vessel was employed bringing islanders for Cairns.
9717. Have there not been cases of vessels naving to return after being a short time out on account of
the death or injury of the Goverument agent ? Yes.
9718. And in these cases the vessels have entailed very serious loss to the owners ? I would suppose so.
9719. You said that even if t hocaptain was to die or be injured it would be the same, the vessel would
have to return ? It would.
972*. Would not the chief officer take charge ? Not unless the chief officer had a captain's certificate.
9721. Is it not customary for the chief officer to hold a master's certificate ? No.
9722. Is it optional for the owner whether he employs a chief officer who holds a master's certificate or
one who does not ? Yes.
9723. The Government take no cognisance of that ? No.
9724- You said that in the case of a steamer two agents were sent, and that that plan did not answer on
account of their disagreeing ? That was one reason,
T 9725. Hid
290
MINUTES OH" EY1DENCE TAKES BEFOEE THE KOXAL COMMISSION TO INQOTBE INTO
A."W»oJwartl. 0725. Did the ships lose anything by that ? I do not think they lost anything by that disagreement.
/— »>~>v-*-n They lost for many reasons over which the Government agents had no control. It would be along matter
22 Mar., 1889. to explain the cause of the non-success of that. trip.
972(5. Are you aware that many islanders go from Queensland to New South Wales and are employed
on plantations on the Tweed River ? Yes ; a good many of them.
9727. In these eases the previous employer cannot recover the return passage money -which he may
previously have paid? Persons claiming for return passage money can only recover it from legal
employers under the Act.
0728. Has uothing been done to make the employers of these boys who have migrated to New South
Wales pay? Nothing.
9729. 1 d the ease of boys who have been in New South Wales for some time, and who have returned to
Queensland, and who wish to be returned to their island, would you pay their passage back under these
circumstances, or pay the money to the previous employor ? If he wished to go home the money in tin
hands of the Government would be utilised in sending him.
97:30. Although he had been employed in New South Wales for one, two, three, or more years ? Tes ;
there is no limit to the time.
97.'U. Do you think that any arrangement could be made by which the money could be obtained frtm the
kanaka m those cases where he has been working out of the colony, and be returned to the previous
employer? I do not thiuk so. I was entirely opposed to the recoupment clause of the Act of 18S4. It
is a most unfair thing to the employer and to the islander. The islander pays his passage over and over
again, practically. Every time he re-eugages he virtually pays his £5 over again, and some islanders have
tried to get rid of this liability by themselves paying the £5 to the employer and thus stopping it. But
the law etnnds so, and we have to can-y it out to the best of our ability ; but I think it is a most iniqui-
tous thing to the islander and the employer. A man may employ an islauderfor only a month, aud it* he
is the last employer before the boy returns he has to pny the £5; — it is very iniquitous.
9732. Would it not be a better arrangement for the second or third employer to pay the passage money
direct to the Polynesian inspector when an agreement \tus made with an islander, and for the inspector
to pay the previous employer ? No ; if that were done the confusion would be complete. There is so
much rliffic ulty in making out the names of these boys tha.t mistakes constantly occur.and there is no end
of difficulty in tracing out and identifying these men, and if it came to each subsequent employer lodging
the return passage money with the Government the confusion would be hopeless.
9733. Only iu a few isolated cases? No; it would be hopeless. The inspector does not band over the
money ; he has to trausmit it here.
9734 If an employer engages a kanaka for six months on the 1st of May, what amount of hospital fees has
he to pay ? £1.
9733. Why is that ? It is according to the Act.
9736. But the Act says £l for twelve months? I beg your pardon,— reference to sec. 6 49 Vic, No.
17, reading from the words " the like sum," will show you that in the case you cite 20s. would be payable.
9737. Don't yon think thst it is very liari on an employer who engages a man for sis months only that
he should have to pay si full twelve months' hospital fees? No, it is fair for all. The previous Act, of
which that is an amendment, arranged that the fees should he pro rain about lOd. a mouth. I cannot
understand anyone objecting to the arrangement under the present Act.
{)7:38. You stated that there is £ll,59G 3s. 5d. to the credit of the Pacific Islanders' Fund. What is the
debit ? There is no debit.
9739. Ts this money held so as to pav from it for the return of the islanders to their homes ? The
balance is the only asset of the " Fund" which is liable for the return of the isLmders now in the colony,
and as far as that is concerned the Pacific Islanders' Fund is insolvent.
9740. What are the imaginary debits ? The imaginary debits would be the amount for the return pas-
sage for which the fund is liable.
974 1. What would that amount to ? £17,935.
5)742 Then if the whole of these islanders were returned there would be a deficit of over £0,000 ? Yes,
the fund would be insolvent to the extent of £6,000.
9743. Arc you of opinion that this amount will ever bo required ? 1 have endeavoured to arrive at an
estimate of what would be required, and I believe that about £2,000 of the amount named would not be
required.
9741. By the Chairman: I understand from the annual statement of accounts that there is also a. sum to
the credit of deceased islanders' estate fund of £21,933 19s. 2d.? Yes.
9743. And is that money absolutely due to deeeasi-xl islanders? It hns accrued from the estate* of
deceaserl islanders. Those sums appear on the credit side of the ledger, but the deceased islanders' estate
!« oney is pretty well balanced by the deficiency upon hospitals ; they absorb that money.
97- Hi. The Polynesian hospitals now absorb a very large amount of that fund in addition to tin; fee of 20s.
a year which is paid for each islander? Yes.
97J7. Then if you did not have the deceased islanders' estate fund, and the return passage fund to work
<iii Parliament would have to be appealed to curry on tlio hospilals ? Yes.
9748. Or the fees would have to be raised? Y'es.
9719. What is the total amount of money in the Savings Bank to the credit of the islanders ? On the
31st December l ast it was £L7,0M, speaking from memory. That money is iu the hands of the various
inspectors — that is, it is under their control.
9750. Would that represent the sums due to deceased islanders ? No ; these are living islanders.
9751. Then when an islander die?, uho draws the money out of the fSa\ing s Bank? "When an islander
dies, the inspector obtains a report of the death from the employer, and the amount of current wages due,
and then he looks up the Savings Bank book, and if there is any tnonov to the credit of the islander he
transmits the book with the death report and the wages to me. Once a month I withdraw these deceased
islanders' savings from the bank, and it is paid into the credit, of the fund.
97;32. What \<as the general mortality among the Polynesians in Queensland during last year ? There
were i'.^.l deaths reported. Possibly we did not get them all reported. In 1S87 there were 520 deaths,
and in 1880, 573, so that the death rate ia getting more favourable. The deaths which occurred during
1888
TUE GENEE.iL CONDITION «F THE SUQAE INDUSTEY IX QUEENSLAND.
1R8S were reported from the following districts :— Brisbane, 88 ; Beenleigh, 17 ; Maryborough, 38; A.Woodwar '
BunHaberg, 19:?; Rockhauipton, 1; Mackay, 1L2; Townsville and the Burdekin, 54; Herbert Kiver ,
(Ingham), 3-3; Johnstone River (G-eraldton), 22; Cairns and Port Douglas, 12. 22 Mar.,]
9753. Have the inspectors reported to you any efforts that are being made in their respective districts for
the relfoi»us instruction of the kanakas? No.
97.54. Then y u are not aware that in other parts besides Bundaberg, eff oi-ts are being made by Christian
men and women to give religious instruction to the South Sea Islanders? I believe in Blackay such is
the case.
9755. Have you not heard of other places ? No.
9756. Then no effort is made on the part of the department in any way to give religious instruction to
them ? No.
9757. Have any applications been made to your department for aid in that respect ? No.
9758. Then, as far as you ate aware, these efforts to give religious and secular instruct ion to the kauakas
are entirely voluntary ? Yes.
9759. Has tho inspector at Ingham reported to you the large number of Polynesians in the hospital
there ? Yes.
9760. Did he ever report to you thai:; there were as many aa eighty-live in one day? I don't recollect it,
9761. T do not moan eighty- five admitted in one day ; f mean eighty-five present at that time in the
hospital ? Oh yes. lu October there were 111 admitted during the month, and in January 163.
9762. Has he ever complained to you that the majority of these patients c.nne from one plantation ?
Yes ; from the Victoria plantation.
9763. Hasi he ever complained to you of the food supplied by that plantation ? Yes.
9704. Have you ordered hiin to see that the required amount of foud be supplied ? Yes ; and I believe
that it is remedied How. The result has been that the islanders have had the time allowed for their mid-
day meal extended from one hour to one hour and a-half, and that in place of sweet potatoes and cold
water 1hey arc supplied with the proper quantities of bread, meat, potatoes, and boiled water.
9765. Has any correspondence passed between the manager of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company
in Sydney in regard to some of the complaints made by Mr. Forster, the inspector at Ingham ? Yes.
976<>. Is Mr. Forster regarded by your department as an efficient officer ? I bcliev e he is a conscientious
officer and endeavours to do his duty.
9767. Are you still of opinion that, as far aa the complaints which have reached the Comjnission with
regard to the disturbance between the whites and blacks on the Norton Gold field are concerned, no
information has reached your department ? No ; not about a disturbance. I might mention that I
believe ^ome correspondence has reached the Colonial Secretary's Office. I was informed that some
had, but I do not know what action was taken in the matter.
9768. Has information reached your department that time-expired islanders i
fully with the white population of the colony ? No.
9769. Theu it may have occurred without the knowledge of the department ?
9770. Do not the local inspectors report occurrences of that kind xo you ? They would report any cases
of any violation of the Act that came under their know ledge j but the law is open to any white man who
feels aggrieved. It is not in a case of this kind, as iu others, necessary for the action to be taken by au
Inspector.
9771. Supposing that a number of time-expired boys were to settle down on the reserve of a township
and unscrupulous persons uere to supply them with liquor, and they were thereby to become a nuisaice,
and insulted respectable females living in tlia locality who had to pass them, would it not be the local
inspector's duty to report such an occurrence to you ? Yes.
9772. Hive you been informed that such an occurrence has happened to the knowledge of the police
magistrate of Bundaberg ? I have uo recollectiou of having the matter reported to me. Did it happen
recent! y ?
9773. Yes? Certainly uot.
9771. By Mr. Cowley: Have you found that the Colonial Sugar Refining Company have expressed their
willingness to do anything they can for the comfort of their islanders ? Yes; I have always found that
they are willing to do so.
9775. Is it not a fact that they serve out rations to the islanders according to the doctor's advice ? That
I cannot state.
9776. Has ic been reported to you that they do not get the rations allowed by law ? Mr. Forster has
made complaints of that uature ; but I have told him that I did not consider it necessary that the meat
should be weighed out to the fractiou of an ounce, provided it was of good quality and the islanders got
sufficient.
9777. So long as they get sufficient vouarc satisfied ? Yes; that is the great thing. There is no use
troubling about the preciso weight of a ration.
9778. Then tho complaints of Mr. Forster originated from himself , and not from any of the islanders
complaining to him ? I think they originated from himself. He never reported to me that the islauders
had complained,
9779. Have you ever issued any instructions to Mr. Forster to the effect that they are not to be allowed
to erect a Polynesiau hospital on the Victoria Plantation? No.
97SO. Then you would be willing, so far as you are concerned, that the islanders on the Victoria Plantation
fhould be treated at their own hospital, except in serious cases which should be sent to the central hospital,
the same as they do at Grooudi on the Johnstone River ? Yes ; provided the medical officer was in
constant attendance.
9731. I mean that iu trivial cases like a cut thumb, or a cut toe or finger, there would be no objection tr
theirbeing treated ou the plantation, subjectto the approval of a qualified medical officer ? Nouewhatever,
as long as the doctor was cognisaut of what was being done.
3 now competing success-
Yes.
EVIDENCE
EVIDENCE FURNISHED IN ANSWER TO PRINTED QUESTIONS
FORWARDED BY THE COMMISSION TO PLANTERS AND
FARMERS.
In order to facilitate the work of the Commission, the following questions were drawn up and
f orwardcd to a 1 1 planters and farmers i n t h e Maekay, Bundaberg, Maryborough, Brisbane, and Logan districts,
to which the answers followiug were given, and for convenience sake are placed in narrative form : —
QUESTIONS.
1. What is yourname (in full) ?
2. What experience have you had in the cultivation or sugar or other tropical produce ?
3. AVhat is the name of the Estate you now own or manage?
4. What is its total area ?
5. How much of it is now under cultivation (givine areas uuder different crops) ?
6. How many acres of cane were crushed from it this last seaso n ?
7. How much sugar was made?
8. How much molasses ?
9. AVhat was done with the molasses ?
10. What amount of capital is invested in the Estate ?
] ]. What rate of interest did it return during 1888 ?
12. What was the working expenses for 18S8 ?
13. What labour was employed, speeif ying number of Europeans, Chinese, Kanakas, Javanese, &c. ?
14i What were the average wages paid to the coloured classes of labour ?
15. AVhat was the total amount of wages paid to Europeans, to Chinese, to Kanakas, and to
.Javanese or others during 1888 ?
16. What description of labour do you consider the most suitable for field work ?
17. Have you employed European labour in field work, and are Europeans able and willing to do
it when horses cannot be worked ?
18. When the limd is perfectly free from stumps, will not; Europeans, working horses and
machinery, bo able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour?
10. How many acres of cane doyou cultivate for each black labourer employed ?
20. Howr many acres could one European work if able to use the plough, horse, hoe, &c, on the
land ?
21. Do the blacks employed in field labour suffer in health ?
22. Does field work affect the health of Europeans?
23. AVhat is the cost per acre of falliug and burning off scrub ?
24. AVhat would be the cost of stumping it to make it fit for plough ?
25. AVhat diseases or vermin is your cane or other crops subject to, and what remedies have been
tried and found effectual ?
26. To what extent was the crop of 1888 affected by disease or vermin ?
27. Af hat was tho cost of your machinery, and where was it manufactured ?
28. AVhat is the cost of the annual overhaul and repairs ?
29. AVhat wages are paid to European labourers outside of agriculture in your district ?
30. AVhat tropical productions other thau sugar do you think can be grown iu your district?
31. AVhat labour would be required to render their growth profitable ?
32. Have you grown any tropical produce besides sugar, aiid if eo, with what result?
33. Can you state the causes which, in your opinion, have depressed the sugar iudustry ?
34. Cau you offer any suggestions by which the industry can be relieved from that depression?
35. Cany #n offer any suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar-
growiug ?
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.
MACKAY DISTRICT.
Alfretj Hajii' Li.otu, " Dumbleton," has 1,180 acres, 25 acres under sugar cane and 5 acres under
maize and garden. L eft off sugar growing in 1S87; average wages paid to kanakas in 1886, £12 per
annum ; I'onsiders white men and Polynesians the most suitable for field work in the proportion of one
while man to four kanakas ; has employedE u r opean labour to ]ii« cost; ttay werenot abletodo field w«rk
and were in fact not willing to do so ; when the land is free from stumps Europeans Can work mac-hinery
with horses and even tho ridges if they are cleared of the. scrub. One kanaka can cultivate sis acresof sugar
laud ; one European, if able to use the plough and hor(;e-hoe, can cultivate eight acres, and if he worked land
that was his own he could cultivate ten acres; the health of the kanakas ison the average good; field work
does not affect the health of Europeans so loug as they are sober ; when they are strong they can retain their
health; no disease or vermiu ison his land now, but when he grew cane it was affected by rats, grubs, and
rust ; thecostof machinery m his mill was £2,000, and was m^de by John Walkerand Co., of Maryborough ;
he cannot s.iy the usual wages paid to European labourers outside o'f agriculture, but st«ckmen receive £10
a year and rations. Of tropical productions he thinks that maize, coffee, millet, fruits, and vegetables —
tropical
294
tropical and sub-tropical— can be grown in the district, provided white and coloured labour is combined.
Considers the depression inthesugar industry to have arisen— lst.from the discouragement of the importation
of coloured labour ; and, 2nd, in consequence of the immense progress in the production of beet-root sugar.
The suggestions he offers for the relief of the depression are — intercolonial treaties and exchange, protection
for Australian products, and encouragement of Polynesian labour. For the promotion of tropical agricul-
ture outside of sugar growing he advocates cheap, reliable labour.
]V It. Lloyd adds—" I venture toanswer these questions although I am doing no cane growing or
sugar mating now, but I was a planter from 1871 to 1887, and was one of the first to take up land
in 1886 and grow maize and cana."
Wmtm Robertson, il Habana," has had some knowledge of sugar growing during the last
eighteen years, and for the last seven years has been personally interested in the cultivation of sugar cane
in Mackay district ; no knowledge of other tropical products ; total area of estate, 1,197 acres, of which
1,170 acres are under cane. 24 acres under sweet potatues, and 3 acres bananas ; 867 acres cultivated by
Habana. firm and 330 by farmers ; about 730 acres crushed last season, of which 450 were cultivated by
Habana, and 33i by farmers ; produced 674 tons sugar, and 166 tons molasses ; molasses at present
stored in tanks; £62,686 invested in estate, which returned no interest during 1888; working expenses
for 1888, £12,131 ; employed 36 Europeans and 220 kanakas, number of Europeans much below th»
average on account of small crop ; average wages paid to coloured labour, £10 16s. per annum and rations ;
total outlay on account of each kanaka, £40 per annum ; total wages paid to Europeans (1888), £2,488,
to kanakas, £2,377 ; considers South Sea Island labour the most suitable for field work ; has not employed
Europeans to any extent in field work ; Europeans may be able, but are certainly not willing, to do field
work when horses cannot be used ; Europeans do not work efficiently as hand labourers in cane fields;
does not think Europeans will be able to do much of the field work now done by black labour when land
is perfectly free from stumps and machinery can be used ; black labour is requirei for hand work,
especially in hilly and stony countiy, which is the nature of scrub land in Mackay district, and where
horses and machinery cannot be used ; cultivates about five acres for each black labourer employed; has uo
data to enable him to'say how many acres one European could cultivate, using plough, horse, and hoe ; blacks
employed in Held work do not suffer in health, they have very good health as a rule; thiuks if Europeans
stick to field work for any length of time it would affect their health, when on wages they rarely try the
experiment ; costs about £4 10s. per acre to fall and burn off scrub ; scrubs as a rule too steep for
ploughing; hand labour must be used; stumps allowed to rot, which most of them do in about three
years ; cane has been free from disease, but vermin in the shape of grubs and rats have done some damage ;
the former disappeared after a time, the latter have been partially destroyed by poisoning; crop of 1888 not
affectedto anygreatextent by disease or vermin ; drought was the cause of theshort crop; cost of machinery
in mill, £17,485 ; manuf act ured in Glasgow, London, and France, £13,885 ; Queensland, £3,600, exclusive
of freight, erection, and buildings ; cost of animal overhaul about £450; wages paid to Europeans in dis-
trict, outside of agriculture, 25s. per week and rations ; considers that coffee, spices, arrowroot, cocoa-
nuts, indigo, also many fibre plants, any tropical fruits, and possibly rice can be grown in district,
but to render their growth profitable South Sea, Island labour, or some other similar class of labour that
would be cheap and reliable, would be required ; has not attempted to grow any other tropical
produce besides sugar, with the exception of sweet potatoes and bananas for plantation use;
considers the three main causes of depression in the sugar industry are — 1st, the uncertainty that
has existed for some time past of getting suitable labour to carry on and extend operations, aod
the heavy cost of importing such suitable labour as could be got, viz., South Sea. Islanders, on
account of restrictions in recruiting and the payment of fees that appear to be excessive ; 2nd, the
low price of sugar during the last five years, crops having in many instances netted less than the
cost of production without speaking of interest on capital. Large estates with great economy may have
made ends meet, but small estates have been forced to close ; 3rd, the absence from many estates of
the most approved modern appliauces for the extraction of the largest percentage possible o f juice, and
for the mauufacture of the sugar economically. Suggests, by way of remedying the depression, allowing
planters suitable labour, reliable arid cheap, to give them a fair opportunity of competing with other
sugar growing countries where labour is plentiful ; planters would then feel justified, as they cannot feel
at present, in procuring the best aid most modern appliances for manufacturing; Queensland could
then take a first position as a sugar-producing country ; also, by extending the central mill system, which
could be done best by placing the small farmer on the same footing as the large planter as regards
labour; the capitalist would then have confidence to step in and erect machinery to take off the crops
of small growers ; these small growers should have cheap and reliable labour just as much as the targe
growers. Says that the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing depends entirely upon the
labour question ; instances the production of coffee ; believes there is sufficient land in the Mackay
district alone suitable for coffee growing now lying idle that if cultivated would produce enough of
the article to supply the Queensland market for years to come, or even the Australian colonies ; believes
that coffee would be grown extensively in the district, if capitalists were allowed suitable labour to
cultivate the areas and gather the crops. Similar remarks would apply to almost any other tropical
agriculture that could be named. Says that the whole matter is in a nutshell ; the agriculturist wants no
special favours from the State, but merely wishes to obtain, at his own cost, labourers suitable for the
industry in which he is engaged, so that he may reasonably look for a fair return of interest on the
capital invested ; the seasons and markets being beyond control, must be chanced. Of course it is under-
stood that the labourers introduced must be law-abiding, and must not be allowed to interfere with other
industries that might be carried on successfully by the employment of other classes of labour.
Mr. Eobehtson makes the following further special remarks upon Habana. estate, not
incorpora.ted in the replies to the questions submitted: —
" The proprietors of Habana have done what they coulcl towards the central mill system by
encouraging farmers to settle upon various parts of the estate, in order that such farmers might^row a
portion of the cane required in the mill. Nine farmers are now either growing or preparing to grow cane
for the mill. Several years' experience has shown that these farmers could not have carried on without
the assistance of coloured labourers, any more than the estate itself could have carried on without thein.
Tlte
295
The total of the white population numbers eighty-sis at the present time, counting men, women, and
children, who arc connected with the estate either uuder engagement, or as farmers looking to the mill to
get their cane crushed. The large extent of hiily scrub lands on ?Iahina, where horses aud machinery
cannot be used, makes it imperative that an adequate supply of cheap aud reliable labour should be
available to carry on the estate at any profit whatever."
Daxiei, Markft, " Avondale," has had eighteen years' experience in cultivation of sugar and other
tropical produce ; has 740 acres, 60 undersugar cane, 4 under sweet potatoes ; sold his cane last year for
plants ; £2,000 invested in his estate ; amount received for crop in 1888, £2:35 ; workiug expenses last year,
£265 ; employod two Europeans and five kanakas ; average wages paid to kanakas, £19 ; total wages paid in
18S8, Europeans, £78, kanakas, £83 ; considers kanakas the inost suitable for field work ; Europeans
will not do Held work except with horses ; all weeding between the cane must be done by hand, and
Europeans will not do it ; cultivates 12 acres of cane for each black labourer employed ; no experience of
what acreage a European could cultivate if able to use plough, hoe, horses, <fcc, must have hand labour as
well as horse, hoe, and plough ; never found blacks suffer in health through field work ; weeding between
the cane will affect the health of Europeans; has no scrub on his property, and therefore does not know
cost of clearing; his cane lias suffered from no disease except the want of water.
Jony McBryde, "Richmond and Inverness," has had eighteen years' experience in growing sugar;
total area of estate 1 ,070 acres, 330 acres under sugar cane (plants, ratoons, and cane being cultivated for
1890 crops) ; crushed 220 acres last season for a yield of 75 tons sugar and 2,500 gallons of molasses ;
uses molasses to feed horses ; in previous seasons it was converted into solid molasses for which there
had been a moderate demand in centra] west distri cts ; last season the quantity was too small there not
beiug more than enough for stock feeding ; about £30,000 invested in estate ; loss for 18S8, £1,300 ;
working expenses for L8S8, £2,568 2s. 0d.; employed thirteen Europeans, one Coolie, and JBft/ two
kanakas; paid first agreement kanakas £G to £9 ; expiree kanakas £12 to £15, and coolie Its. per week;
total wages paid to Europeans in 1888, £860 10s. 5d.; kanakas, £4:U 17s. 2d.; coolie, £1 18s. 4d.; considers
kanaka labour most suitable for field work ; never employed Europeans on weekly wag?s, especially for
field work ; has tried them on contract at weeding, but in every case their work was costly and bad ;
has tried them on contract at cutting and loading, which was more satisfactory ; Europeans are able and
willing to do certain field work, but would be too costly ; when horses cannot be worked Europeans are
generally employed in draining, repairing fences, and other jobs ; Europeans working horses and
machinery do all the work possible both in the cleared forest land and in the scrub lands where
the smaller stumps have rotted ; no machinery is likely to take the place of hand labour
owing to the stony nature of the fields on the north siJ« of the Pioneer ; euitivates from 4 to 7 acres
of cane for each black labourer employed ; with kanaka labour for planting, weeding, and
trashing one ploughman is required for every 40 acres, that is to do all the necessary work
with ploughs, harrows, and cultivators ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, their health
being quite as good when employed in field at when at work in the sugar house ; planting and trashing
would be, 1o some extent, injurious to the health of Europeans, the first owing to the continued stooping
in excessive heat, and in trashing, the excessive noist heat and absence of fresh air; costs from 80s. to
ii)s. an acre for falling scrub, and for cutting up aud burning the small saplings and branches leaving the
larger trees ou the ground, about 40s. an acre; m«de adopted by him after falling is to give contracts
for cordwood at 5s. to Gs 6d. per cord, when the ground is almost cleared ; stumping too costly t* pay ;
the smnll stumps decay in about one year, in about three years the plough can be used by avoiding the
large stumps ; stones are much more in the way than stumps, crops have been subject to grubs in dry
seasons aud are very destructive ; rats destroy a little cane in the scrub land chiefly, the borer is always
to be found but docs not do a great deal of damage ; several varitics of cane are injured by a disease
resembling rust; the dry season of 1888 caused a serious destruction of cane by the grubs, but the
drought was chiefly the cause of the crops only being one-fourth of what might reasonably have been
expected; machinery at Richmond was made in Glasgow, Greenoch, Brisbane, and Mackay aud cost
originally, with buildings about£tO,000; a mill at Inverness, which was manufactured in Brisbane, has not
been in use for some years and is not nowin order for manuf acturingsugar; annual overhaul costs about £120;
wages paid to Europeans outside of agriculture, froin 15s. to 30.S. per week with rations ; from 5s. to 7s. per
day without rations ; considers that rice, coffee, tobacco, andfruits can be grown indistrict,andwithirrigation
all tropical fruits such as would not be injured by thccold, say to 3;! degrees for a few nights in the winter;
on the hills the thermometer rarely falls under42 degrees, but irrigation would there be difficult, if not
impracticable ; to make their growth profitable thinks that kanakas, coolies, or any other description of
labour, the cost of which did not exceed 2s. per day for wages and rations would be required ; considers
the causes of depression in the sugar industry are scarcity and high price of labour, low price of
sugar, a succession of very unfavourable seasons, exhaustion of soil through continuous cropping, and
deterioration of many of the varieties of canes now in cultivation ; suggests by way of relief of the
depression a continunuce of the Pacific Islanders Act ; considers that absolutely necessary if the sugar
industry is to exist in the Mackay district; thinks it should be continued with unloved regulations, so
that the cost «f introduction, capitation, and other fees should bo considerably lessened; experiments
should be undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining what artificial manures would be the most suitable
for tlie soil and climate, and the best mode of applying them ; the experiments should be carried out
under the advice and supervision of a competent agricultural chemist, who would visit the sugar districts
ii rotation (in the first place devoting most of his atteution to the older estates), and who would analyse
soil when required ; further suggests reciprocity with one or more of the other colonies, which would
give immediate relief ; irrigation would be of great benefit, but the water supply for his own and similarly
situated estates would have to be obtained by the formation of reservoirs, or from artesian wells ; would
also greatly benetitthe industry if the agricultural department would obtain plauts from other countries
(using all precautions against bringing in diseased cane) aud distributing them amongst the planters at cost
price ; this could bo doue by the Government, cheaper and better than by individual effort ; says
Government has already established experimental farms which show proof of great value, and that the
foregoiug remarka, with regard to sugar, as to labour, irrigation, &c, would apply equally to other
tropical agricultural products.
AlfDHEW
Aitobew Flohesce, "Inverarie," has been cultivating mixed crops since 1871; has 1,320 acres ;
about GO acres under cultivation — 45 acres cane, 1 acre sweet potatoes, 4 acres sorghum, and small
patches of other crop? ; 56 acres of cane crushed last seasou; soli it to Meadowlands Estate ; commenced
in 1871 with capital of £500; has been cultivating at a loss; working expenses for 188S, £4#0; labour
employed, self, two sons, and six kanakas j average wages paid to coloured Labour, £18; total wages paid to
kanakaain 188.S, £108: considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work; up to within the last five
years has tried to work with white labour, including his two sons, but found it unsuitable for field work ;
as far as his experience has gone finds white labour unsuitable and unreliable ; when land is free from
stumps, father and family may be able by working horses and machinery to do much of the work now
done by black labour, but he prefers kanakas and finds them more profitable ; cultivates 6 acres of cane
for each black labourer employed ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health ; but field work
affects the health of Europeans in a tropical climate; his estate does not consist of scrub land; in 1875
rust attacked his Bourbon cane ; has since used other varieties with variable success ; crop has been
affected by drought ; tropical productions such as arrowroot, coffee, tea, ginger, cinnamon, oliv es, and
indigo can be grown in district, but kanakas, or other reliable and cheap labour, would be required to
render their growth profitable ; has grown maize, arrowroot, ginger, and small patches of olher
tropical plants, hut found none of them reliable in this climate; considers depression of sugar industry
due — 1st, to prospect of labour bein# cut off in 189i ; 2nd, high price of labour ; 3rd, drought ; 4th, low
price of sugar; suggests for the relief of the industry extension of kanaka labour and irrigation;
suggests same for the promotion of other tropical agriculture.
Ixovert Wilbelm Christensen, "Corntwecd," has had seven years' experience of sugar growing >
total area of estate, 420 acres ; loOacresunder sugar cane ; 44 acres crushed last season ; 273 tons of cane
crushed at llomebueh mill ; £600 invested m estate, which returned 1| per cent, interest in 1888 ; £154
working expenses for 1S88, including £1 a week for his own labour; employed 16 Chinese for six weeks
cutting and loading; no labour expended on cultivation; average wages paid to coloured labour, 22s. per week,
cook 24s.; total wages paid to all classes of labour in 18SS, £102, in addition to his own expenses; considers
Polynesians far more suitable than any other class of labourers, white or coloured, for field work; has
tried Europeans repeatedly for field work, but could never get them to stay any time; has no experience
as to whether Europeans with horses and machinery will be able to do much *f the work now done by
black labour when the land b free from stumps ; his own land is mountain scrub, and could not be
worked by horses and machinery; cultivates about 10 acres on an average for each black labourer
employed; no experience of what acreage a European could cultivate if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c.;
blacks do not suffer through field labour, buthas always found that white men suffer severely from thegreat
heat vdiile uorkiug in a stooping position among crops; cost per acre of felling and buruing off scrub, about
£4 10s.; impossible to say what would be the cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough ; the white
grub did a lot of damage to his cane last year; no remedy was tried; about a quarter of the crop was destroyed
by grubs, and between them and the drought his returns for 1S89 will be ml; probably many other tropical
productions besides sugar can be grown in the district ; should think the different fibres, and perhaps
cotton, would ilo well in favourable seasons ; the labour required to make their growth profitable must be
cheap andreliable ; lias grown no othertropical product but sugar ; considers the causes of the degression
in the sugar industry the great fall in the price of sugar and the restrictions placed on the coloured
labour trade; planters must have a supply of cheap and reliable labour to enable them to compete with other
countries in the outside market ; suggests for the promotion of other tropical agriculture outside of sugar
growing the establisbment of nursery farms, distribution of information as to growth and manufacture of
articles of commercial value, and perhaps the advancing of loans to agricultural corporations as to other
local bodieB.
Ni"LS PkteesON, "Marseilles," has had seven years' experience in growing sugar cane; total area
of estate, 144 acres; 80 acres under cultivation — 70 under sugar cane, and 10 under maize; 58 acres were
crushed last season, producing 344 tons of cane, which was sold to the Homebush mill, at 10s. per ton ;
capital iuveBted, £100 ; rate of interest i t returned in 1888, nil ; working expenses for 1888, £352 10s. ;
employs two wliite men and four kanakas; average wages paid to coloured labour, £16 per annum and
rations ; total wages paid in 1888, £130 to Europeans and £64 to kanakas ; considers kanaka labour the
most suitable for field work ; has not employed Europeans in field work; they are not willing to do
weeding and trashing ; his land is perfectly free from stumps, but European labour would not be willing
or suitable to do work that he employs kanakas to do ; cultivated 14* acres for each black labourer
employed on crop of 1SS8 for cultivation, not including cutting and carting; blacks employed in field
work do not suffer in health, but stooping to weed and trashing and cutting cane affects the health of
Europeans ; lias no scrub land ; his crops have beeu subject to the attack of the grub but has tried no
remedy ; crop of 1888 very slightly affected by disease or vermin ; believes the causes of the depression of
thesugarindustry to be the drought and the suppression of coloured labour; suggests as a remedy, irriga-
tion and reliable cheap labour.
Fhedeiuc Willia.st Bolton, Farleigh'' (including "Foulden"),has had nearly live years' experi-
ence in the cultivation of sugar cane; total area of estate, 3,400 acres ; 1,129 acres 2 roods 24 perches under
cane only ; crushed 711 acres of cane last season for a yield of 310 tons white sugar, and about 10,000
gallons of molasses ; molasses consumed by horses, cattle, and about 500 gallons will be refined for golden
syrup ; amount of capital invested in Farleigh (including Fouhlen), £151,699 13s. 7d.; returned no
interest in 1888 on capital invested; working expenses for 1888, £13,057 Is. Id. (including £1,425 for
purchased cane) ; employed 45 Europeans, 153 kanakas, and 35 Javanese on Farleigh (including
Foulden) ; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour, £9 6s. 9d. per annum, including 33
re-cngagement kanakas and 35 Javanese at same rate; 120 three years' agreement kanakas averaged
£6 6s. ; total wages paid in 1888. Europeans, £2,93(> 10s. Id. ; J-avanese, £480 ; and kanakas, £1,276
14s. 6d. ; considers Europeans most suitable for skilled labour and kanakas or suitable coloured labour of
some description ior the unskilled labour ; has employed Europeans only in connection with cane carting,
and found them uusuitable ; plantation consists of forest land and is already free from stumps ; Euro-
peans, horses, and implements are already used to the fullest extent practicable ; cultivates about 5
acres for each black labourer employed, allowing for labour employed in connection with the mill;
in
297
in his opinion, for the entire work of the plantation European labour wouM be impracticable;
blacks employed in field labour certainly do not suffer in health, judging from their appearance on first
arrival and their uppearance on departure ; JB eld work unquestionably affects the health of Kuropeans to
some extent; cost per acre of falling ami burning off scrub £4 15s., to £5 5s., including planting 20s,
and plants 20s ; the small area of scrub at Farleigh is ridgy and as sudi stumping is undesirable ;
cane liUU! been affected by rust, caterpillars, and grubs ; as a remedy for rust has changpd the cane, for
caterpillere has applied a sprinkling of lime round the base of the plftnt, but when m overwhelming
numbers any action has been practically useless, grubs h.-we been largely destroyed by fallowing and
working up the land once or twice during time of fallowing, they have given no trouble in a good season ;
crop of 1888 was affected slightly by grubs, owing to the dry season ; cost of machinery in mill £:30,000,
and was manufactured in Glasgow; annual overhaul is undertaken by the engineer, who is employed by
the year, and does the repairing, Ac; duplicates, such as firebars average £20 per aininm ; wages paid
to Europeans in district, outnideof agriculture, are the average wages of the colony, so far as he knows ;
perhaps several otlior tropical productions besides sugarcane can be grown in district, but i n his opinion
sugar is the most suitable ; to render the growth of other products profitable, coloured labour would
undoubtedly be required ; has only grown sugar ; considers the causes of the depression in the sugar
industry are the greatly increased cost of coloured labour, low prices and bad seasons ; suggests by way
of relief an unlimited supply of cheap coloured labour, reduction in charges on account of kanakas,
legislation with a view to increasing prices by reciprocity, subsidy, &c, taking «ff duty on sugar machinery,
and machinery, implements, and tramways for agricultural purpose?, and a Governmentirrigation scheme ;
can offer no suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing.
Clement Tohptson, "Jingle Farm," has had twelve years experience; total area of estate, 175
acres ; 30 acres under sugar cane, 15 acres of maize, -|- acre of oats | acre of amber cane and sorghum, 2
acres of sweet potatoes, pumpkins and mellons ; has another 75 acres cleared and ready for the plough ;
25 tons only of cane were crushed last season, as the estate had been under grass previous to taking
possession eighteen months ago ; about 2 tons of sugar were made ; the molasses was fed to horses and
cattle. Capital invested, £300; but previous owner invested £1000 in clearing and other improvements ;
loss of about £ LOO in 1888; working excuses for 1888, about £200 ; employed four kanakas and two
Europeans, besides self and partner; average ra.te of wages paid to coloured labour, £15 per annum ;
total wages paid to kanakas in 188H, £09 ; to the two partners, nil. Considers (reliable) white or
kanaka Inborn- the most suitable for field work ; reliability is the great desideratum ; has employed Euro-
peans in field work; they are preferable amongst horses and implements, and able and willing to com-
pete with any other class of labour if we only have the proper farming class. "When the land is free from
stumps, Europeans working horses and machinery will most decidedly be able to do a great deal of the
work now done by black labour ; let tnem havo improved implements, irrigation, practical management,
and white labour; cultivates about 10 acres of cane, exclusive of all other tropical products,
for each black labourer employed; one European, if able to use the plough, hors*, hoe, &c,
could cultivate 25 acrefH ; blacks employed in field labour do not suffer in health, nor do
Kuropeans afier they have been here a couple of years; cost per acre of felling and burning of f scrub
from £5 to £20; cost of stumping it to ma.ke it fit for the plough, about £15; his cane has uot
suffered f rom vermin or disease ; crop of 1888 not affected by vermiu or disease ; cost of machinery about
£150 (English, American, colouial, and local) ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs about £25 ; wages
paid to Europeans, in district, outside of agriculture, from 15s. to 25s. a week ; the tropical productions,
other than sugar, that cm be grown in the district, are, fruit, coffee, rice, maize, amber cane, cotton,
sweet potatoes, ghramors, tobacco, chinchona, and fibre (such as sida retusa, Ret, and ramai) ; the
labour required to reuder their growth profitable would be reliable Europeans or kanakas; considers
Chinese, .1 apanese, or other Asiatic labour neither reliable, cheap, or suitable ; has grown the tropical
productious above enumerated with the best of results ; considers the causes of the depression of the
industry are inferior management, exhausted soil, inferior implements, want of irrigation, no rotation of
crops, and no change of plants ; suggests for the relief of the depression, irrigation, small estates under
efficient management to produce the cane, mills to be the factories only, soils to be manured chemically
and according to their deficiency, with a twelve months' fallow prior to planting with cane with a rotation
system of live years, which would enable the ground to rest for three years under artificial grasses for
pasture for sheep and dairy cattle ; considers that sugar growing will never become of great value to the
grower as long as he depends on it alone for a profit; it should be as an adjunct to farming; tin-re are
plenty of other trnpiciil products that will prove more remunerative than cane growing for the production
of which he suggests the establishment «f agricultural colleges or experimental farms, to teach both
practically and theoretically the cultivation of tropical plants.
Joseph Antonev, " Eton Vale," has had seventeen years' experience in sugar growing ; total area, of
estate 1,001 acres ; .1.84 acres under sugar and 23 under corn ; 100 acres of plant cane crushed last seasou ;
cane sold to the central mill at 10s. per ton ; £0,000 invested i □ the estate ; rate of interest returned
during 1888 — none; working expenses for 1888, £700; employed 10 Europeans occupied in cultivating
lOOacresof cleared land; total wages paid in 1888, £520; considers Polynesian labour the most suitable for
field work r Europeans not able to do Jield work when horses cannot be used ; Europeans will not be able
to do much of the work now done by black labour when the land is free from stumps, and horses and
machinery can be worked ; employs no blai'k labour; one European could work 5 acres if able to use the
plough, horse, and hoe; blacks employed in field labour do not suffer in health ; during his experience ho
has lost one black labourer ; field work effects the health of Europeans, especially in the months of
November, December, January, and February ; his cane has suffered from the white louse, the borer, and
sometimes a blight like that whicb attacks orange trees — caused principally by want of change in plants ;
it has also suffered through bad cultivation ; crop of 1888 affected by disea se or vermin to the extent of
about 10 per cent. ; average rate of wages paid to Europeans outside of agriculture in the district, 20s.
per week ; thinks tropical products such as tobacco, coiton, spices, coffee, cocoa, rice, and fibres, can be
grown in Ihe dislrict; coloured labour would be required to render their growth profitable; cousilers
causes of depression in the sugar industry are drought and want of reliable and cheap labour; suggests by
way of relief of the depression, good markets, reliable cheap labour, andanextensire irrigation system ; also
united
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united action on the part of the planters and others engaged in tropical agriculture; suggests for the
encouragement of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing, the introduction of capital and
experienced men from tropical countries in the same way that the Government import from England
expeeienced engineer-, <&c, when tbey are wanted.
In addition to the foregoing information, the following letter was also addressed to the Commission
by Mr. .Aatoney : —
Eton Yale, February, 1889.
To the Commissioners, Sugar Industry.
Gfkti,eme.\. —
Outside of the thirty-five questions on the printed form I have had the honour of answering, may I be
permitled to l uniisli you with liiy experience of growing su^ar c-aue with white labour ouly. I had taken a large
number of shares in the " Central Mill " here, with a view to give the matter a fair trial, S-jnce August, 1SS7, up
to prescni date I Imve placed ontliis E.tate over twenty white settlers, who are engaged to cultivate up to fifty acres
each. I haw lurnished them with horses, implements, rations, houses, &c.. to the amount of £1.500, and have
spout ready money (£8u0) in surveys mid fencing. with (his result : That, the united amount of acres actually
und r caue is l;lh upon which 1 cannot obtain a suificienfc money advance to procure even rations for the settlers
from present date Up lo tru-hing time; this is rather disheartening. Having obtained the opinion of Sir S. W.
Gritliili, U.M.G.. as to ihe legality of transferring a portion of my .slmres fo the sfLtlers on this estate, T tested the
waiter by transferring tuenly-ttvb shares to n»e of ihem. a man who has had twelve years' experience in the colony
of Mauritius us a ruigai'- grower, and thoroughly understands the irrigation system there used; but the application
made in January, 1«88, was flatly refused by "the directors. Messrs-. Nordioy, Ironside, Kable, and Beldan. The
reason given by the Directors was " that it would not be conducive to the interests of the Central JV1 ill Company to
transftr the shares to die settler." This showed a certain animus towirds myself, and from that date I hare
oeMtl to interest myself in the af airs of the Company, and will not hold myst'lf responsible lor any shares in the
Comtiany. seeing the destructions plaeed in my way by the Directors has partly prevented my going into cane
grow ini» m an extended sc le.
Out; of tlte twenty settlers engaged one died, three have left after about six months' trial — two through
sickness, one through not scemg a payable prospect, the remainder are still struggling on ; the outcome of which,
1 anticipate, will be. on their part a thorou*h disgust at eane growing, although men, women, and children, hare
done their utmost in ihe planting, cleaning, and working their several portions of laud— which they hold rent free.
I liHve lost about £300 in consequence of the men leaving 'Ihe result of my crop, sold to the Central Mill, of
1887 and 1888. from 100 acres, was £!50, and the cost of producing the same was £700— from lan d that had been
previously cleared and ploughed — tin's work hav ing been done by white labour alone. By this you trill see,
gentlemen, tlm t no one an make a success of cane growing by white labour alone. So that the sooner we get a good
supply of Polynesian or other cheap labour for this industry, the better it will be for all concerned, and I doubt
not that an impetus would be git en to this now languishing district.
I hare, <fce ,
J. ANTOKET.
•Tames DosALDsoy, " Sandiford," has had 21 years' experience in sugar planting ani manufac-
turing, mo. «st»t" ihe time on his own estate of " Cassada," now given up; total area of estate, 860 acres;
130 acres under cane, 3 acres under maize, sweet potatoes, and garden, and 30 acres fallow ; 80 acres
crushed at Homebush mill last season, yielding 450 tons of cane; about £2,00(1 invested in estate;
expenses during 188H, £800 ; returns, £240 ; loss, £.5(50; employed 2 Europeans and 9 kanaka overtime
boys; average rate of wages paid to coloured labour, 7s. J0.1. per week; total wages paid to Europeans,
£13.*j; considers that kanaka labour is much better aud more reliable than any other kind for field
work, having had experience of Europeans, aboriginals, Malays, and Chinamen ; in some instances has
found Europeans able to labour in the field, but in nearly every instance unwilling to continue at it ;
has never attempted any hand labour that could be done by machinery now known ; cultivates about
10 acres of cane for each black labourer employed; one European if able to use the plough, horse, and
hoe could vrork 5 acres ; as a rule the kanakas enjoy remarkably good health ; field work almost
invariably injuriously affects the health of Europeans ; cost, per acre of felling and burning scrub, £4 ;
cost of stumping it to makei t fit for the plough, £l an acre if allowed to lie for three years ; his cane
has .Huffered from rust and caterpillars ; for the first ehauge of plants was the remedy applied ; for the
second a line of fire ; his crop of lhSS was reduced to one-third by drought, which induced a plague of
grubs aud white ants; has no machinery »a '• Sandiford "; can gire no reliable information as to rate
of wages paid to Europeans in the district outside of agriculture; any tropical production will grow
in the district if irrigation were adopted ; has found kanakas to be the most reliable labourers ; has
not grown any tropical produce hut sugar to any extent; ; has grown a small qu-antity of almost every-
thing, but long spelts of dry weather have prevented success; believes the causes of deprcssiou in the sugar
industry to be droughl, low prices, and insufficient labour, in fact the sugar industry has been almost
annihilated by the 'no coloured labour" cry ; suggests as a relief for the depression, irrigation and change
to other erop«, tvliich could thou be success fully grown, and also by the Government giving the planters
every facility in (heir power; suggests as a nutans of promoting tropical agriculture other than sugar
growing the establishment of an experimental farm which, if irrigated, would be a step in the right
cnrecUon ; lihte and fruit growing would then assist the small farmers, who will alone be able to get the
best returns from small areas.
Frank .Tajies Steven's, " Coltou Yale," has had five years' practical experience in sugar growing ;
also owns small selected estate of 390 acres iu the " Homebush" area; has 3.3 acres under cultivation — 27
under canp, an acre of garden, and 7 acres fallow ; last season 22 acres crushed at " Homebush " mill,
yielding 2*34 tens of cant; ; keeps no account of quantity of sugar made ; £1 ,40# invested in estate ; gross
returns for 1888, £128 1 k., or 9^- per cent.; working expenses for 18S8, £ls"> lu's., al bwing nothing save
rations for his own and wife's time ; employed an average of U white men the ye ar through, and one
kanaka; married couple during nine months of the year; average wages paid to coloured labour, 6s. per
week besides rations (o«. 9d.) and tobacco ; hospital fees, £1 10s. additional ; total wages paid during LS88,
£72 14s., besides rations — 8s. per week for white men, aud (5s. for black. ; is convinced that kanakas can do
fit-Id work better and with less distress to themselves than the average white man of the elass available for
field work ; new arrivals only are willing to eugage for hand labour in the field, and they «uffer far too
much from the climate to be able to do a payable amount of work ; there must always be a large amount
of work, such as planting, weeding (in drills), trashing, cutting, and loading, winch must be done by hand.
Has
299
Has never seen h. and labour used wheu horse power could be applied ; has never had black labour until
last year owing to the difficulty of procuring it ; should say that oue Europcau could cultivate about 5
acres, iucluding baud labour, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c. ; new arrival blacks may suffer in
health more or less according to the season when employed in field work, but acclimatised hands as a
rule are very healthy ; field work affects Europeans t« a far greater extent thau blacks ; ha3 suffered
severely himself from bowel complaints, though a native of Brisbaue ; attributes that to the great heat
and humidity as he is strictly temperate ; thanks, probably, to the virgin soil, his crops have not suffered
from disease, the woolly aphis being the only vermin that infests the crops to any extent, and that doing
no appreciable damage; grubs, rats, &c, which ravaged some plantations lastyear, passed his by; has no
machinery except farm implements for horse power — -all of local manufacture ; wear and tear and
renewals cost from £8 to £10 yearly ; believes almost any tropical or semi-tropical product might be
grown in the district, subject, of course, to fluctuations of seasons, which appear to be getting mors
uncertaiu year by year ; but as every article of consumption has t« compete with the produce of
countries most favourably circumstanced for its production, a cheap ami reliable labour supply would be
a sine fua ntn to success ; has grown maize, but only got one fair crop iu four, the balance being utter
failures. The causes of the depression in the sugar industry are briefly: — Beet sugar, bad legislation, aud
adverse seasons. The great iucrease iu the production of beet sugar caused a large fall in price, simul-
taneously with the adveut of an avowedly hostile (to coloured labour) party to power, which resulted iu
utter loss of confidence in, and withdrawal of capital from the industry; and, added to these, a succession
of exceptionally bad seasons have produced an amount of depression almost equal to annihilation;
considers the labour question to be the pivot on which the whole question turns, aud while not favouring
the importation of coolies, would afford every facility compatible with honest traCc for the introduction
of kanakas. Improved means of production might do a great deal, and irrigation works would doubtless
prove a boon to those withiu reach of water, but believes money so spent would be wasted uule3s
supported by an adequate supply of reliable labtur. Believes the establishment of nursery farms as
projected by the Government would be a step in the right direction, and thinks these might be supple-
mented by bonuses on the export of articles of kuown commercial value, pajmeut of same to be limited
to, say, five or seven years from date of first export.
George Yoxsoiy, "Kose Yale," has been growing cane for eight years; total area of estate, lf)0
acre*; GO acres under sugar cane; 10 acres crushed last season, the rest beiug frost-bitten; £3,000 invested
in estate, wbicli did not pay working expenses in lsS8; working expenses for 1888 about £300; employs
three Europeans, one kanaka, and three Javanese; pays time-expired kauaka lis. per week and Javanese
£1 a week; total wages paid in 1888, £250; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work;
Europeans are able but not willing to do field work — they say it is blackfellows' work aud not fit for
white men ; would be impossible for horses and machinery to clean betweeu the cane; four kanakas,
one European, and himself were wtrking about 50 acres; one European using plough, horse, hoe,
&c, would not be able to work any land unless he had someone to work between the cane; blacks
employed in field work do not suffer in health; they seem to like it better than any other work; has had
Europeans at field work, but they were sick half their time; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £i per
acre; impossible to stump it at the time it is burnt; litis ploughed about 15 acres of scrub this year, but
it had been felled and cultivated for seven years, and he was able to pull out the stumps with three horses;
cane has suffered from rats, aud uea.rlyall his crop of 1888 was frost-bitten. Causes of the depression in
the sugar industry — waut of cheap and reliable labour, and the small farmer getting a low price for his
cane ; managers will not make any agreement, the farmers are afraid to put in cane, and the mills are
only workiug oue month instead of six, which must be a great loss to the planter, having to start the mill
ouce or twice a week; suggests, byway of relief for the ludustry, cheap kanaka labour— sayf our kanakas
to one white man, and tram or railway to get the cane to the mills, as the farmers have to take whaterer
is offered to them now.
Tuoxas MiiTAit, " Woodbine," has had eight years' experieuce iu sugar cultivation; total area
of estate, 136 acres ; 76 acres under cultivation, 20 acres of sugar cane, 30 acres coru, :3 acres sweet
potatoes, and 22 acre?; fallow ; 45 acres of cane crushed last season ; gr»ws the cane aud sells it ; £1,587
invested in estate; was £100 short of paying expenses iu 1888 ; working expeuses last season, £>3'i ;
employed two Europeans aud two Javanese; paid 10s. per week to Javanese; total wages paid to
Europeans during 1888, £101, and to Javanese, £52 ; considers kanakas the most suitable for fi eld work ;
has employed Europeans, who are not exactly able or williug to do the work ; when the land is perfectly
free from stumps Europeans, workiug horses and machinery, will be able to clo a great deal of the work now
done by black labour; cultivates 25 acres of cane for each black labourer employed ; one Europeau,
using plough, horse, hoe, <fcc, could cultivate 10 acres ; blacksemployed in field labour do not suffer in health,
but Europeans do a little : his cane has been subject to a lot of diseases, but suffering from none at
present; crop of 1S88 suffered greatly from waut of rain; Europeans paid £1 to £2 10. s. per week
outside: of agriculture in the district; thinks the land of the district can grow Indian corn, oats. English
potatoes, sweet potatoes, and all kinds of fruits ; cheap labour of any kind would be required to render
their growth profitable ; is growing some Indian corn and oats, but does not know the result yet. Bad
seasons, cheap sugar, and want of cheap labour are the causes of the depression of the sugar industry.
-Alexander EicnARD MacKe:vz)E, " Marian Mill," has beeu coffee plantiugsix years in Wynaad,
Southern Iudin, and sugar planting three years on the Lower flerbert and nine years iu Mackay ; total
area of estate, 56U acr$g ; 180 acres under cultivatiou, of w hich 150 acres are undei- cane, 30 fallow', and
50 grubbed and cleared and ready to break up; 30 acres of cane were crushed last season, and purchased
cane off about 1,000 acres belonging to neighbouring farmers, which gave 60 touaof cane off the 3t acres,
and 2,800 tons from the farmers' land ; made 5 tons of sugar from the 30 acres, and 19.5 tons from the
purchased cane, together with 50 tons of molasses ; sold some molasses to neighbours for horse feed;
made some iuto " sacureka" for sale, aud has a considerable quantity still ou hand ; £30,000 invested in
estate ; returned no interest for 1888, and has uot paid working expenses for the last three years ; working
expenses from 1st April to 31st December, 1888, £3,70(> Is. 8d., including purchase of cane; employed
ten Europeans, four Chiuamen, and thirty- live k&uakas in 1 he mouth when most haudd were required;
average wages paid to kanakas, £18 7d. (exclusive of hospital fees, passage, and return passage)
with
300
with rations; Chinamen, 20s. a week with rations ; total wages paid in 1888, Europeans, £566 5a. 8d. ;
kanakas, £561 13s. 5d., including hospital fees and return passage; Chinamen, £79 lis. 7d.— that
was for the nine months from 1st April to 31st December. No Javanese or other coloured labourers
were employed; considers kanaka, labour the most suitable for unskilled work, and Europeans for
ploughing and such like skilled work; lias not employed Europeans for the unskilled portion of
field work, bat believes they would be willing and able to do the work if the pay was sufficiently high
to induce them; has no faith in what are called "cheap whites," and does not think Europeans
will be able to do much of the work now done by black labour when the land is perfectly free
from stumps and horses and machinery can be used. Does all that can be done at present with horses
and implements; his land is all free from stumps; employed one kanaka to 10 acres, but that i 9
insufficient; ought to have one kanaka to 5 acres; one European could cultivate about 30 acres
if able to use horse, plough, hoe, &c, but additional labour is requisite to hoc between the stools, plant,
trash, cut, and load the canes ; blacks do not suffer in health from the effects of any work they are called
on to do, and does not know that Europeans suffer either ; no discasehas affected his cane, but it suffers
from neighbours' cattle, frost,and drought ; crop of 1888 was almost entirely destroyed by frost and drought
—principally the latter ; crushing engine and rollers, made by A. and W. Smith of Glasgow, cost £2,000
landed ; Weston centrifugals by Tait, Mirrlees, and Co., Glasgow, cost £350 ; Hake's pump, made m
America, cost £95. All other machinery, including three steamboi'lers, two vacuum pans, clarifiers, subsiders
coolers, futile engine, battery, &c, manufactured in the colony, principally in the two local foundries; total
cost of buildiugs and machinery, about £50,000; annual overhaul and repairs cost about £100, principally
in repairs to brick furu aces; engine driver receives 35s. per week, fireman and fugleman, 30 s. per week, all
other mill hands., 25s., with rations in each case; believes the following articles can be grown in the Mackay
district, viz. : — coif ee, tea, pepper, ginger, nutmegs, and other spices ; rice, castor oil, sunflower, and other
oil plants, tobacco, rhea, and other fibre plants, sorghum, arrowroot, and other starch plants, such as cassava ;
to render their growth profitable white labour could be employed, provided freetrade between the
colonies and protection against cheap labour countries were obtained ; has not grown any other tropical
produce in Queensland, but has been engaged in coffee planting in India for sir years, and saw all the above-
mentioned productions except rhea growing. Considers the cau ses which have depressed the sugar industry
are bad seasons for the last three »r four years, coupled with competition m the Australian markets
with cheap labour countries, such as China, Java, &c. ; als« bounty-fed sugars; suggests for the relief of
the industry the establishment of intercolonial reciprocity and protection against outside competition,
and in the meantime restoring confidence by extending the time during which kanakas can be recruited
until reciprocity is obtained ; also reducing unnecessary expenses in connectiou with their introduction
and employment; suggests for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing:-— Firstly,
reciprocity with the other colonies and protection against outside competition ; secondly, the adoption of
a scheme of advancing money to individual farmers to enable them to purchase and lay down irrigating
plants— principal and interest to be repaid in yearly instalments. State nurseries, now established, would
fce of great advantage.
Eobfht Gemji eli- Smith, "Homebush Plantation," property of the ColonialSugar Company,Ltd., of
Sydney, has had four years' experience in Demerara, one year in Punjaub, India, fourteen months in Fiji, and
six years in Queensland ; total area of estate, i),7f 7 acres ; 3,3oU acres under cultivation of which 2,351 is
under cane, andthe balance fallow ; crushed 2,099 acres of caiic last season, and S45 acres from farmers
for a tutal yield of 1,534 tons of sugar, and 45,u00 gallons of molasses which is used for manure ; employs
13« Europeans, 17 Cingalese ; 110 kanakas ; and 287 Javanese; considers kanakas the most suitable for
field work; has employed Europeans, who are able but not willing, to do it; they strike when they
are known to be most wanted; a machine to cut cane is the only thing he knows of that will reduce
the number of black labourers now employed ; uses steam ploughs, and horses driven by Europeans do all
possible work between the cane rows ; each black labourer can cultivate seven acres all the year round
(manufacturing included) ; oue European could work about 25 acres if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c. ;
but it w juld depend on the quality of the land and the scasous; during the first sis months that kanakas
are in theye«lony they suffer in health by being employ ed in field work, but »ot to any extent afterwards;
fiela work does not affect the health »f Europeans after they have been a year in the colony, but Euro-
peans on "Homebush " do not work between the hours of 11.30 and 1.15 p.m. during the summer
months ; cane has been affected by grubs, caterpillers, and white louse ; for the first, tried lime, kerosene,
and destroying by hand, but made no perceptible difference, plenty of ploughing found most effectual,
but they will only do damage in a very dry season ; for the second tried digging deep narrow drains round
the fields and killing ; about 100 acres of the cane of 1888 was ploughed out, being ruined by grubs ■
does not know of any other tropical productions thut can begrowu to any extent in district, profitably; has
tried maize to the extent of 200 acres, but it was a complete failure ; and sweet potatoes can be bought
cheaper from Clrinese in Mackay than they can be grown ; considers the causes of the depression in the
sugar industry are the bigfallintho price of sugar, the cost of kanakas being nearly doubled, and unfavour-
able seasons ; suggests for the relief of the depression the reduction of the capitation fee to £1, abolish-
ing tbe hospital and fee, aud letting kanakas receive fi rearms and trade ; for other suggestions refers
Commission to the general manager.
Benjamin Langford, " Mayfield," has had sixteenyears' experience in sugar growiug ; totalareaof
estate, 8^0 acres ; 2U acres under cane ; 5 acres under mnize. and 2 acres sweet potatoes ; 17 acres of
cane crushed last season ; £1,000 invested in estate which returned no interest iu 1S88 ; working
expenses for 1888, £25n ; employs one European and two kanakas ; pays kanakas £21 each ; total wages
pair! in 1888, £200; considers kauaki labour the most suitable for field work; has employed Europeans
in field work, but they are very unwilling to do anything beyond ploughing; a plough being a machine,
a ploughman could, of course, keep iown weeds (if taken in time) thut would otherwise have to be hoed ;
each black labourer can cultivate 10 acres, and one European rom 10 to 12 acres ; blacks employed in
field work do not suffer in health, bnt he does not think that any white man could staud hoeing- and
trashing cane in the summer season ; cane has not yet suffered to any extent from disease or vermin, but
corn, as a rule, ia eaten by parrots, crows, and coots ; cane crops of 18^8 suffered from grubs, but not
much; believes coffee, tea, tobacco, and rice can be grown in the district with irrigation, but to render
their
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their growth profitable, some cheap form of labour would be required; has grown maize, which yields a
very poor crop, also sweet potatoes, but was undersold by Chinamen; believes causes of depression of
the sugar industry are, 1st, long drought ; 2nd, dearness of labour ; 3rd, low price of sugar ; 4th, want
of confidence of capitalists in the industry owing to the uncertainty of coloured labour; suggests for
the relief of the industry, 1st, extension of kanaka labour ; 2nd, f rcctrade with Victoria.
Heney John Goodwin Eo*rNS»N, " Te -K«wai," has had the management of sugar plantations
for twelve and a-half years ; has been part owner of a plantation, and has grown cane, as a Selector, for
Homebush Mill ; is now assisting Mr. J. Ewan Javidson in the the management of " Te Kowai " ; prefers
kanakalabour for field work ; has employed Europeans as ploughmen, and for all work done by imple-
ments ; without horses, white men cannot, as a r ule, stand the work during t he extreme heat of summer ;
implements can clean between the cane rows ; but there is still the weeding between the cane rows,
trashing, plautiug, and such work which must be done by hand, and the labour must be cheap and reliable ;
if a European had to plant cane, prepare the land, weed the rows, and trash, does not think he could
.manage single handed more than 10 acres ; that leaves the cutting and carting to be done for him ; finds
the black boys very healthy if well looked after ; but there is no doubt that after a period Europeans do
suffer from the effects of the climate; from observation he considers that working men get prematurely old
in such a climate ; cane has suffered from no disease since 1875 ; change of cane appears the best remedy
for disease ; crop of 1888 suffered from the drought, and was attacked very much by grub ; outside of
agriculture wages of European labourers vary from 12s. to 22s. Gd. per week; thinks Fruits and fibres,
and most tropical productions can be grown in the district, but the difficulty is the market ; to render
their growth profitable cheap reliable labour would be required ; has grown no other tropical production but
sugar cane ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are want of reliable labour,
drought, the low price of sugar, an adverse Government led by Sir Samuel Walker Griffith; suggests
for the relief »f the depression — a reliable source of cheap labour, irrigation, a Government that will
encourage all industries, and especially the sugar and other tropical ones, separation from the southern
portion of the colony, reciprocity with the other colonies — at all events for North Queensland; suggests
fir the promotion «f tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing, a good market and a cheap way of
sending produce to the same, relief from the middlemen, and a good scheme of co-operation for producers
to sell their produce at a payable rate, a good supply of reliable cheap labour and local option as to the
colour of the labour required.
Michael Geoeg Koger, " Wellington Farm," has had three years' practical experience in cane
growing; total area «f estate, 12# acres ; 10 acres under sugar cane and 1 acre* retard; crushed 4 acres of cane
last season, and sold 5 acres for plants ; sold cane to Homebush ; is unable to state the amount of capital
he has invested in estate, but it returned no interest in 1888 ; employed Europeans (self and two sons) ;
considers kanaka labour the most suitable for hoeing, trashing, and cutting ; too much field work between
long sugar cane, and on hot days, will affect the health of Europeans; his cane has suffered from frost ;
wages paid to European labourers, outside of agriculture, 15s. to 22s. 6d. per week ; has grown maize,
but it did not pay at the time ; considers the causes of the depression of the sugar industry are bad
seasons and general depression.
William Bis8et at present leases the Avondale farm ; has biti six years' experience in sugar
cultivation, and twenty-three years' experience of tropical agriculture in Ceylon ; total area of estate, 179
acres ; cultivates 35 acres (24. under sugar cane, 2 under maize, and 1 under potatoes); crushed 14 acres of
cane last season ; has invested £1,300 in estate ; returned no interest in 1888, but a heavy loss ; working
expenses for 1888, £252 2s. 4d.; employed one European all the season, two Malays the rnain part of the
season aud one Cingalee ; average wages paid to coloured labour 2s. per week and rations ; paid in 1888,
Europeans, £72, and coloured labour, £78 ; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for fi eld work,
provided kanakas can be had at reasonable wages, viz.: 5s. a week; has employed Europeans at field
work with most unsatisfactory results ; they will not do tbe work, and their wages and living
are too expensive considering the price obtained for the produce ; when the land is perfectly free from
stumps there will not be much saving of labour, as mostly all work that can be done by
horses is being done at present ; machinery for planting and cutting the cane would
effect a considerable saving of labour ; cultivates 7 acres for each black labourer employed
but it depends on the season and various other causes ; should think one European, if
able to use plough, horse, and hoe, could not cultivate more than It acres, as a great deal of the work
must be done by the hoe, such as cutting the weeds out from the cane stools ; blacks as a rule very
healthy, but during three months of the summer field work affects tie health of Europeans; during
these mtnths they are n«t able to perform a fair day's work; has had no experience of felling and
burning off scrub, but experts estimate the expense at £6 an acre ; the cost of stumping the land to make
it fit for the plough would be very heavy, as the trees would all have to be grubbed ; does not think the
crops would ever cover the extra expense ; rats, bandicoots, wallabies, and a sort of white grub have
affected his crops ; poisoned lime and salt have been tried with success as remedies ; wages paid to
Europeans, outside of agriculture from £1 to 25s. a week and rations, or 23s. and 34s. per week including
rations ; believes the ramee fibre, cotton, aloe fibres, maize, sweet potatoes, and rice can be grown in the
district, but to render their growth profitable, labour not costing more than 10s. a week, rations included,
would be required ; labourers in other tropica! climates do not receive more than 8d. per day, including
rations ; has tried to grow maize and got one fair crop m two years ; has tried ramee fibre, but is unable
yet to give an opinion upon it ; has also grown tobacco, which was a failure ; believes the causes which
have depressed the sugar industry arc bad seasons, low prices, and higi wages ; in many cases the cost of
production far exceeds the market value of the product. It costs the farmer from £l0to £11 per acre to
cultivate and deliver a crop of 18 tons per acre at the mill, for which he receives from 10s. to lis.
per ton, or somewhere abiout £2 an acre ; suggests, by way of relieving the depression, a more economical
method of working the plantations and farms, and a class of labour that will not cost more than 10s. a
week, including rations ; loop railways into tie sugar growing centres and more central mills ; induce-
ment to capitalists to invest money ; reduction of the duty «n sugar machiuery ; reduction of the duty on
sugar going into New South Wales, and an irrigation scheme. In relation to other tropical agriculture,
saya: If fibre growing could get a start, a compttny would be formed to purchase from the farmer; the
same
302
same would apply to rice cultivation], a mill would have to be erected, which would soon be done, hut the
farmer? have no 'money, and are afraid to commence a new industry in case it will not pay. Some scheme
of irrigation is very much needed, and capitalists to lead in the cultivation of the land.
David Cotke, " Balliurosh," has had thirteen ye;irs' experience in sugar cultivation ; total area of
estate, 145 acres ; 4» acres under cultivation (24 acres riuder maize, 5 acres sugar cane. 2 acres potatoes, and
9 acres fallow) ; crushed 2t acres of cane last season; made 8| tons of sugar or 95 tons <>f cane ; has
invested in improvements £800, which has returned no interest ; working expenses f«r 1888, £1GG ;
employed three men (two Europeans and one Javanese); paid coloured labour at the rate of £20 per annum;
total wages paid in 1888, £127 ; considers kanakas most suitable for hoeing, planting, trashing, cuttiug,
loading, and Europeans for ploughing: has employed Europeans at field work, but they are not able or
willing to do it when horses cannot be employed ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans,
working horses and machinery, will he able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour ; one
European could cultivate 10 acres if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c. ; neither blacks or whites suffer in
health through being employed in iield w«rk ; atnmping, and making fit for the plough forest land costs
from £8 to £10 an acre ; cane has suffered from no vermin or disease ; crop of 1888 was injured by fr»st
and drought, and only yielded -1J tons of cane per acre ; wages paid to Europeans, outside of
agriculture in the district, about £1 5s. with board ; has grown no other tropical product besides sugar
cane; considers the causes of the depression in the sugar industry are low prices and drought; suggests
for the relief of the depression, freetrade throughout the eolouies, the taxation of foreign sugars, and the
reduction of the cost of introducing kanakas from the islands ; suggests irrigation as a rneams of promoting
•ther tropical agriculture.
J«n>" Ewas Davidson, "Alexandra," "Tekowai," "Peri," "The Palms,"" Branscombe," and" Ncbia,"
belonging to the Melbourne-^! ackay Sugar Company , of whieh he is managing director : has hadtwenty-three
years' experience in the growth and manufacture of sugar in Queensland; had previously travelled all
over the 'West Indies, and lias visited Egypt, Mauritius, Penang, Honolulu, and Lousiaua, with special
reference to sugar; total area of estates, 8,242 acres ; S,. r j72 acres under sugar cane in 1888 ; only The
Palms and Tekowai estates being worked at present; over 4,200 acres hare been under cane; 2.219
acres were actually cut last season, but much of that was only Jit for horse feed; made 800 tons of
sugar and 36,450 gallons of uiolasses ; used the molasses for horse feed and at the Alexandra distillery ;
capital invested in the estates, £301.500 ; returned no interest in 18*8, but a loss of £16,583 Us. (cash
expenses over net receipts, without interest) ; working expenses for 1S8S, £29,577 12s. Id.; employed eighty
Europeans, 320kanakas, and fromtimeto timeafow Malays, aud sometimes Chinese; wages paii to indented
kanakas, £0perannum; overtime,kanakas,£l2 to £20; Malays, Ss. per week to2s.perday; Chinese, 18s. per
week and find themselves ; total wagespaid in 1888: — Europeans, £S,20D ; coloured labour, £8,530; total,
£1G,739 ; that includes importation, exportation, hospital fees, clothing, &c. ; considers kanakas and Malays
most suitable labour for field work. Europeans are only employed with implements : they arc not willing to
undertake hoeing or manual labour in the field; " Coningsby" and " Nind.aroo" have imported British
labourers under indenture, but they proved a failure and ran away ; all the Melbourne- JIackay Sugar
Company's land is free from stumps, having been grubbed and much of it steam ploughed 15 inches
deep, so that the minimum amount of black labour (one- to 5 acres) is now used ; in full working
order, one coloured labourer is necessary for every 5 acres of cultivation, with the fullest use of
implements and horses ; one European will do the work necessary for the cultivation of 40 acres by
horses only. K he also had to do the h«eing and hand work necessary, he would not manage more than
3 acres; coloured labourers do not suffer fr«m field work ; their health is best when at steady work; they
are not worked in heavy rain; stooping nxder the sun affects the health of Europeans; it ages
men rapidly. Portugese imported and employed at Mauritius suffered from " Albutninaria;" forest
land costs from £G to £15 per acre to clear a»d grub; rust appeared in cane iu 1SS7; the cockchafer
grub is also occasionally bad, and the white louse ('*pou a poehe blanche") infests the leaves ; has
tried as remedy changing the varieties of cane to hardier kinds which do uot yield so much sugar ;
in 1S8S a good many acres had the roots eaten by the cockchafer grub, but the drought and cyclone in
February were the worst diseases. Cost of machinery : "Alexandra" (Fletcher, of Derby, £S,000) ; •' Te-
kowai" (MeCrire, of Glasgow, £15,000) ; " Pal ms" (Mirrlees and Watson, £30,000) ; "'Nebia" {Mirrlees
and "Watson, £6,000) ; "Branscombe" (Mort's Dock, Sydney, £7,000); "Peri" (Mirrlees and Watson,
and Fletcher, Glasgow, £8,000) ; 10 per ceut. on the value of the machinery is the usual annual allowance
for depreciation ; theactual outlay on repairs variesuiuih eachyear; usual wages paid to Europeans, outside
of agriculture, aref rom 17s. to 22s. 6d. pc-rweek : skilled labourers (carpenters and blacksmiths), £2to£2 10s.;
competent engiueer£3, in all cases with i-ations and house accommodation ; the tropical productions other
thansugar that can be grown iu this district are rico: (as longas the present dutylasts) and tobacco; probably
also fibres, if the manufacture is easy; and, with irrigation, fruit, coffee, and tea; no tropical cr»p can be
grown commercially at a profit without cheap, reliable labour ; has grown maize (although very uncertain)
and sweet potatoes; maize runs to wood, and labour is more profitably employed on sugar when capital has
been imeattd in machineiy ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — 1. The
lowest prices of the eentu?y, caused by bounty-fed beetroot competition. 2. lad seasons fr«m 1884 in-
clusive — (1885 was an average season), but 1885 was hopelessly bad, and 18S9 will bebad in consequence.
3. Uncertainty with regard to the future of coloured labour, paralysing all efforts and preventing the intro-
duction of fresh capital for the purchase of improvements for the estates. 4. The regulations of the late
Government re coloured labour raised the cost of such labour and the cost of production £3 a ton vdieu
it could least be afforded ; suggests for the relief of the industry — 1. Apply the principle of local option
to those districts desirous of introducing coloured labour. If the population desire it, put that district
on an equality with other Jritish sugar producing colonies (Mauritius, Ratal, &c). and let it have the
labour it requires under proper Government supervision. 2. Reciprocity with the rest of Australia.
3. Irrigation workB by Government supplying water at a cost not to exceed 5s. per 100,000 gallons. Four
inches of water is the least amount required to irrigate 1 acre. One inch equal to 103 tons per acre ;
100 tons equal to 22,400 gallons ; 400 tons equal to 89,600 gallonB ; waste equal to 10,400 gallons. Each
irrigation, 100,000 gallons, at a cost of 5s. Four irrigations per annum equal to £1. plus the cost of
ditehes,sluiees, levelling, and distribution. 4. Continuation oi Pacific Islanders' Labour Act with
Government
303
Government-recruiting station. .Says, in relation to tho promotion of tropical agriculture outside of
sugar growing, that no tropical products can be grown in Queensland to successiully com pete with other
countries unless they are placed on an equal footing as regards lnbour and price paid for it. Kanakas
cost 2s. Gd. per diem; coolies, in Mauritius, 7d. per diem ; in Natal, 3d. per diem; in Java, -Id. per diem;
in the West Indies, Is. per diem.
^Tilliam AacfiEJi, Jnnr., has managed the " River Estate " for five-and-a-half years ; total area
of estate 2,G24 acres ; 502 acres under plant cane, 498 under ratoon?, 500 acres to plant for 1891 crop ;
total 1,500 acres ; crushed last seas»n 844 acres from the estate and 7 acres from farmers ; mide 450
tons of sugar and about 15,000 gallons of molasses — the low sugars are not yet made, but are included
in the 450 tons ; molasses used for borse feed , £129, G85 13s. Id. invested in estate ; returned no interest
in 1888, and not half the working expenses; working expenses for 1888, £15,000; employed European
and kanaka labour ; average number of Europeaus employed duriug the year, 46, and kanakas 175; pays
kanakas an average of £8 a year ; total wages paid in 1883 —
Wages. Rations.
£ s. d. £ s. d.
Europeans ... ... 3,702 1 10 ... 718
Kanakas ... ... 1,400 ... 1,754
£5,102 1 10 ,.. £2,472
Prefers kanaka labour for field work ; has never tried Europeans for field work, but thinks they are
neither able or willing to do it ; his land is free from slumps, and he is now doing as much with white
labour and horse implements as is practicable; cultivates 8| acres for e:ich black labourer employed ; one
Europeau could cultivate 5 acres if able to use plough, horse, hoc, &e. ; blacks do not suffer through
doing field work; thinks it is the healthiest employment they can have; canuot say whether field work affects
the health of Europeans, but ploughing certainly does not ; the dry season is the only tiling that has
injured his cr»ps ; the crop of 1888 was affected very slightly by the grub, consequent on the dry
weather ; cost of machinery, £19,875 ; buildings, &c. £10,000— total £29,875, manufactured by Mirrlees
Tait, aud Co., A. and W. Smith, Glasgow, and Geo. Fletcher a nd Co., London and Glasgow. The
mill beins almost new, the cost of annual overhaul and repairs would be very light — say £250 ; has
grown no tropical produce besides sugar ; the causes which, iu hiss opinion, have depressed the sugar
industry are — Mainly the uncertain! y connected with the continuance of kanaka labour ; aud secondly,
unfavourable seasons and the low price that has ruled for sugar; suggests for the relief of the industry
the extension of the Polynesian Labour Act ; that would, he believes, draw capital iuto the industry and
so enable it to tide over the present depression, the use of kauaka labour to enable planters to compete
wit h other sugar producing countries, being the security most appreciated by capitalists.
William Steedman, " Pleystowe," has had fifteen years' experience iu the cultivation of sugar;
total area of estate,4,t00 acres, of which GOO acres arc under sugar cane only; crushed 4-50 acres last season ;
made 170 tons of sugar, and ahout 10,000 gallons of molasses, the latter being made into rum; £85,000
invesied in the estate which returned no interest during 1888, but a loss of £8,000; working expenses
for 1888, £10,439 5s. ; employed 24 white men (average), 120 kanakas, and 5 .Javanese ; average
wages paid kanakas (recruits), £8 per annum ; kanakas (overtime), £17 10s., Javauese, £15. Total
wages paid in 188S to all classes, £5,283 10s. 5d. ; being £2,G9G Is. 9d. for Europeans ; £2,512 8s. Sd.
for kanakas, and £75 for Javanese ; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work;
lias not employed Europeans in field work, but his experience proves that Europeans are ueither able or
willing to engage in field work — except of course ploughing; it is possible, but doubtful, that when the
land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great
deal of the work now done by black labour ; cultivates 5 acres for each black labourer employed ; oue
European could cultivate 8 acres if able to use plough, horse, and hoe; blacks employed in field work do
not suffer in health, but Europeans do ; his cane does not suffer from any disease to any great extent,
but has been seriously iujured by drought ; cost of machinery, £'25,000; cost of annual overhaul about
£1,000 ; believes all tropical productions can he grown in the district, but none to pay if sugar does not,
and kauaka labour would be required to render their growth profitable; has grown no other tropical pro-
duce besides sugar ; in his opinion the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — 1st,
uncertainty of procuring kanaka lnbour ; 2nd, competition with other countries that have cheap labour
and can produce at. a Itwer cost ■while they command the same prices ; 3rd, liad seasons f»r the last three
years ; suggests for therelief «f the industry the extension »f the Kanaka Act amd reciprocity with «ther
Australian colonies ; cannot offer any suggestions for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of
Bugar growing. The difficulties »f sugar growers would be exaggerated were other produce grown; all
would have to compete with cheaper labour.
Thomas Shabpe Beldatt, " Eton Range," has had sixteen years' experience in sugar growing ;
total area of estate 910 acres, and Mount Grahn 700 acres ; ha.8 GO acres under cane, 14 under corn, 15
fallow, and 1 acre of potatoes ; crushed 10 acres of cane last season from Eton Range, aud made 5 tons of
sugar ; has invested £600 in Eton Range and £300 in Mount Grahn; working expenses for 1888, £300;
cm ployed European labour; cousiders black labour the most suitable for field work ; Europeans are not
able or willing to do field work when horses cannot be used ; does not think that Europeans, working
horses and machinery, will he able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour when the
land is perfectly free from stumps ; one European if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, on the land, c»ukl
cultivate 5 acres ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, but Europeans do ; cost of
stumping forest laud to make it lit for the plough £(3 an acre with black labour, and £10 with white
labour; cane has suffered from the kangaroos, wa liabies, bandicoots, rats, •possums, grubs, and white
ants, and the crop of 1888 was affected to the extent of 2." per cent. ; considers that sorghum, lucerne,
maize, oaten hay, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and English potatoes can be grown iu the district, but to
rendertheir growth profitable black labour would be required; has growu ina'ize (28 bushels per acre),
and sweet potatoes (5 tons per acre) ; considers the causes of the depression of the sugar industry are
taxation on kanakas, bad season, and opposition; suggests for the relief of the industry, cheap labour.
Michael Flood, " Virginia," North Mackay, has had twelve years' experience in growing sugar,
tobacco, and maize at Mackay ; total area of estate, 1,;872 acres, of which 1,219 acres had fallen into the
hands of the mortgagee in May, 188S through inability to Set a market for cane grown ; £2,#00 worth
of cane was left on his hands contrary to agreement ; at present has 10 acres third ratoons ; is leaving
off cane growing through the uncertainty of the market, low prices, and want of cheap labour ; 1* acres
of cane sold to Habaua estate last sea-son at a price below the cost of cultivation; has been told it went
2 tons to the acre, or 20 tons ; does not know how much molasses it produced ; amount invested in
estate, as per books, is £0,000 ; returned no interest in 18S8 but, on the contrary, a lossof £130 ; by interest
on loan, £1,000 ; rents, rates, &c. ; woi kiug expenses for 1888 were only £98, as he is leaving off all work
in the way of cultivation ; employed white labour ; total wages paid to Europeans in 1888, £57 ; employe
no other labour; considers Polynesians the most suitable for field work, but they are not necessary for
carting or working mth horses generally; for ten years has occasionally employed white men in
field work ; they are not willing, and would not earn more than their rations at it ; would not undertake to
grow cane with white laboureven if the men worked for ratious, but prefers whites for working with horses ;
when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans, working horses and machinery, would be able to
io a great deal of the work now done by black labour; 75 per cent, of black labour is sufficient for all
works; one black labourer could cultivate 8 acres, including cutting, loading, &c.,but not carting; one Euro-
pean, using plough, horse, hoe, Ac, should be able to cultiv ate 15 acres, but he would not be willing to plant
or trash at any price. lias had men who refused to do it at 30s. per week ; blacks employed in field labour
do not suffer in health, and are well and happy when well treated ; field labour does not affect the health
of willing Europeans, but the uuwilling ones say that it docs, and will not plant, weed, or trash cane;
average cost of falling and burning off scrub £3 per acre, by contract; will. cost about the same with
black labour, or perhaps 10s. Ic3s; u»st scrubs being stony, stumping is useless ; if not stony, it is best
planted with the hoe. At the end of five years all Ihe stumps are dead, and could be removed for £1 10s,
per acre ; cane has been affected principally by wallabies and bush rats, but no remedies have been tn'ed ;
the crop of 1888, in scrub land, was affected to the extent of about 3 tons per acre of cane, forest
cane scarcely suffered at all; maize suffered to the extent of about 2 bushels per acre; wages paid to
Europeans in district, outside of agriculture, stockmen, 15s. to 30s. per week; road makers, from 24s. to
28s. per week and found; considers that the following crops can be grown in the district, viz , maize, tobacco,
coffee, tea, cotton, fibre, grapes, ani bananas ; the most profitable crop would be tobacco with the present
protection ; but South Sea Island labour would be required to render their growth profitable; has no
faith in any other labour that has yet been tried in the district ; has grown a small area of tobacco,
which paid well at Is. per lb.; the price went down to 7d. per lb., and he then left off growing; the
causes which, in his opinion, have depressed the sugar industry are bad seasons, the low price of sugar, a
neglect of duty through fear of the South Sea Island labour being stopped, and, above all, bad manage-
ment on most of the large estates where the owners do not personally reside ; knows some estates that
would not pay under the present management if sugar was at £00 a ton; suggests by way of relieving
the depression a limited supply of South Sea Island labour for field work only, and that the trade be
placed in the hands of Government agents, as now the farmer cannot get such labour until the large
planter is supplied, au«l then only the refuse and sickly boys, at a higher price ; under present regulations
kanakas are or no benefit to farmers.
Mr. Flood, further says: I beg to give it as my opinion that the only true way to relieve the
farmers of this district would be by the erection of central mills, worked with a limited supply of black
labour. So long as the farmer is obliged to sell his cane to the present mill owners, black or cheap labour
cannot benefit his position, as the mill owner will in no case give more for the cane than it costs to culti-
vate it ; as, for instance, if by cheap labour a saving of £3 per acre could be made in cultivation, the mill
owner would give juBt £3 per acre less for the cane.
Andrew Henderson, " Beaconsfield," has had twenty-one years' experience in cane growing ;
total area of estate, 800 acres ; 284 acres under sugar cane, and 6 acres under potatoes and maize ; 114
acres were crushed last season, from which 45 tons of sugar were made, and 1,220 gallons of
molasses; molasses used for horse feed; capital invested in estate, £29,000 ; returned no interest during
1888 ; working expenses for 1888, £3,400 ; wages paid to coloured labour, £0, £8, £10, and £18 per
annum ; considers kanakas the most suitable for field work ; has employed European labourers for field
work, but never found them satisfactory ; on several occasions has had to briug them to court for neglect
of work ; they have afterwards absconded, and left the district; that refers to men engaged for six and
twelve months. The estate of " Beaconsfield " will not be free from stumps for many yea.rs to come, and
as yet machinery has not been introduced to take the place of manual labour ; sometime before the
machinery on the estate was ordered a discussion was brought forward in the House proposing to stop
the introduction of island labour after a certain time. Tha.t was objected to by Mr. Griffith and
followers. That then g.-ive confidence that kanaka importation would not be interfered with. During
late years legislation has handicapped the importation of that class of labour, which has made it very
expensive, and likewise having iu view that kanaka importation will cease at the end of 1890. The low
price of sugar and tlie email returns have also contributed to the depression.
James Cassisy, " Kiloluff," has had fourteen years' experience in the cultivation of sugar cane; total
area of estate, 4D acres ; 10 acres under canej'diid 20 acres crushed last season ; 61 tons of cane sold to
the Mcadowlands mill for 12s. a ton delivered ; capital invested in estate, £1,450; returned no interest
in 1888 ; working expenses for 1888, £429 ; employed 5 Europeans and no kanakas ; paid a total cf £200
to Europeans in 1888 ; considers European labour the most suitable for working horses, and kanaka
labour for weeding, trashing, cutting, and loading cane. Europeans arc not willing to do field work,
and are not suitable;; cane cannot be cultivated entirely with horse implements; 5 acres are all one
European can keep in proper cultivation, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c. Field work affects the
health of Europeans in wet weather ; cane has not suffered from disease or vermin, but suffered severely
from drought in 1888. Cousiders rice and coffee can be grown in the district, but cheap and reliable
labour would be required to render their growth profitable ; has grown no other tropical produce but
sugar ; drought and the want »f cheap and reliable labour are the causes which have depressed the sugar
industry ; suggests for the relief of the depression, a sufficient supply of cheap and reliable labour, and,
ia case of drought, irrigation; coffee and rice both require reliable and cheap labour.
"William
3to
William Landells, "G lemnorgan has had eighteen years' experience in cane growing ; started
maize growing first with a poor resul t ; hut by growing cane ab lis. a ton with the help of a European
and two boys, could make a liviug ; total area of estate, 68 acres — 28 freehold and 40 leasehold ; 10
acres under cane and 1 acre under sorghum; 8 acres of cane crushed last season ; sold the cane to Hyne
and Co. ; capital invested in estate, £500 ; returned no interest in 1888, but a loss of £430; working
expenses for 1888, £459 10s. ; employed 3 Europeans for fifty-two weeks ; 1 for ten weeks ; 2 for
twenty-six weeks ; and 1 for ten weeks ; also 1 J avanese for four weeks ; does not know the wages
paid to coloured classes of labour, not being allowed to employ any ; total wages paid to Europeans in
1888, £241 10si., and to Javanese £2; considers Europeans most suitable labour for field work witk
horses, and coloured labour for hoeiug, planting, and trashing; has found European labour a failure ;
when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery will not be able to
do a great deal of the work now done by black labour because they are not reliable; the number of acres
that a European working plough, horse, and hoe could cultivate would depend on the season ; has seen
times when 1 acre could not be kept cleau ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health ; has
employed kanaka boys for fifteen years, and never took one to the hospital, nor had a single death ; field
work affects the health of Europeans, they are always complaining of headache, backache, &c. ; cost of
felling and burning off scrub, from £3 to £5 an acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough
would depend on the quantity of trees; 2s. Gd. per stump is paid ; cane has suffered from dry rot; out
of 15 acres planted, took off 4 acres in 1888 at an average of 8£ tons per acre ; 4 acres of ratoons yielded
5 tons of cane ; considers that rice could be cultivated in the district with irrigation, but coloured
labour wouki be required to render its growth profitable ; ha« grown 4 acres of rice which was a. failure
for want of water; thinks the cause of the depression in the sugar industry is the long and severe
drought; suggests by way of relief — irrigation, suitable labour, the dividing of large estates for central
mills, aud to allow eetitral mill farmers to employ any lalwui' they may consider best; other tr»pieal
agriculture would be affected by the difficulty »f getting labour; all trtpical agriculture requires cheap
reliable labour.
A.lexajS t der DcnvNiE Cartitee, " Ashburton," has had twenty years' experience in sugar growing;
totalareaof estate, 4,800 acres ; 1,740 acres under cultivation; 1,000 acres crushed last season, from which,
360 tons of sugar were made, and 11,000 gallons of molasses ; molasses used for feeding horses ; £200,000
or thereabouts, invested in estate ; proceeds of 1888, £S,000 less than working expenses, which were
£18,592 ; [employed Europeans. 47 ; Chinese, 3 ; kanakas, 220 ; Javanese, 5 ; average wages paid to
col oured classes of labour' os. 4d. per week, with rations, &c. Total wages paid in 1888 — Europeans,
£3, SOD; Chinese, £105 ; kanakas, £1,762 ; Javauose, £73; Europeans at cont ract w»rk, £150— £5 : 95» ;
considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work ; kanakas not employed at work that can be
done by horses or machinery ; one black labourer can usually cultivate 5 acres, but cultivates 8
acres at present ; these labourers are not always employed in cultivating ; does not think that Europeans
would do more work than kanakas at the work that kanakas are now employed at ; ploughing, &c, is at
preseut done by Europeans ; one European might cultivate about 8 acres if he had nothing to do with
cutting, manufacturing, &c; bla.cks employed in field work do not suffer in health ; health of Europeans
does not sulfer when doing the work they are at present employed at ; cost per acre of falling and
burning off scrub about £4 or £5 ; could not estimate accurately the cost of stumping it to make it fit
for the plough ; would be very expensive if stumped before some crops were taken off and the roots
allowed to decay ; caue has been very little troubled with disease or vermin, but grubs have been trouble-
some in dry seasons ; crop of 1888 was a little affected by grubs ; cost of machinery, including erection
about £40,000 ; manufactured in Glasgow ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs about £200 ; could not,
say what other tropical productions could be grown profitably in the district ; has grown no other
tropical produce besides sugar; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are the
low price of sugar, and the great expense of kanaka labour, exclusive of wages ; the depression in 1888
was greatly increased by the exceptionally bad season ; suggests for the relief of the industry a reliable
supply of suitable labour.
Henry Loelo, " Abiugdon Holm," has had sixteen years' experience in sugar growing ; total area
of estate, 160 acres ; 8 acres under cane, under corn, and 4 acres sundries ; crushed 4 acres last season;
does not know the vield of sugar or molasses; £160 invested in estate; returned no interest in 1888;
working expenses for 1888, £190 ; employed three Europeans; total wages paid to Europeans, £150 ;
cousiders Polyuesiau or other coloured labour the most suitable for field work ; necessity compels him to
employ Europeans ; when the land is perfectly tree from stumps Europeans, working horses and
machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now 4oue by black labour ; one European, if able to
use plough, horse, and hoe, can cultivate 6 acres ; Europeans employed in field work do not suffer in
health, except during the months of December, January, and February ; wages paid to Europeans outside
of agriculture in the district, 20s. to 25s. per week ; considers coffee, rice, spices, and cotton can be grown
in the district, but Polvneainn or Indian labour would be required to render their growth profitable ; has
j;rmra no tropical produce besides sugar ; considers! the causes of the depression in the sugar industry
are want of rain, bad cultivation, want of ehange of plants (cane) ; suggests for the relief of the depres-
sion the keeping out of the colony sugars grown in other countries, such as Java, Mauritius, aud
America ; suggests for the promotion of tropical agricult ure, outside of sugar growing, the introduction of
capital coupled with experienced men from India, where tropical produce is widely grown.
Charles Johnst^se Willock, " Koscmount,' 1 has had six years' experience as a plantation
overseer, and four years on his own property; total area, of estate 206 acres; 105 acres under cane, 2
acres nnder sorghum and sweet potatoes, and 9 acres fallow ; 42 acres of cane crushed last season at the
Marian Mill, and 33 acres sold for plants ; cane was sold to the Marian Mill ; £3,450 invested in the
estate, which has not paid interest since purchased in 1885 ; lost heavily last year ; working expenses for
1SS8, £520 ; employed himself, pbnighimin, and wife, and seven kanakas: ; average wages paid to coloured
classes of labour, £16 8s. a year; total wages paid in 1888, £199 ; prefers kanakas for manual labour,
and wbite men for working implements ; at odd times has had Europeans in his employ, aud has done
field work himself when short of coloured labour, but the men could not continue long at the work, as it
waa in the hent of the summer; Europeans are not able, and still more unwilling to do field work; his
w land
306
land is perfectly free from stumps, and Europeans do all the horse cultivation, but the
planting, weeding in the cane rows, trashing, and cutting — in fact, all the manual labour
must be done by cheap coloured labour; each black labourer can cultivate about 10 acres,
but at present he is very short of labour and has only one to 25 acres ; one European
could cultivate 25 acres if able to use plough, horse-hoe, if it was cleared for him (presumably
by coloured labour), provided he had not to cut and deliver to a mill, and even then he would
require help when planting and weeding; blacks only suffer in health through field work when new
chums, and then more from change of diet and climate than from labour; overtime boys, such as he
employs, are practically never ill; field work affects the health of Europeans; considers that no man
could stand more than ten years' work in district ; speaks of robust men using implements and horses, but
doubtB if a European could work alongside kanakas for one summer ; cost per acre of falling and burning
off scrub £4 10s. ; no scrubs, iu Mackay district fit for ploughing. The scrubs all He on the north side
of the river and are too hilly for ploughs; cane has been affected by wallabies and bandicoots, but to no
great extent ; cane was ruined by drought, cyclone, and frost in 1888 ; considers fibre, coffee, rice,
tobacco, fruits, and nearly all spices can be cultivated in district ; but to render their growth profitable,
cheap coloured labour would be required so as to compete with other countries similarly favoured; thinks
the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are the want of chenp coloured labour and the
threatened removal of the present labour, which in itself is far more costly than that used by othei' sugar
producing countries — and the consequent want of confidence by capitalists ; a succession of bad seasons
and the low prices owing to beetroot sugar competition ; suggests for the relief of the depression free-
trade between the colonies, and protection against other sugar producing countries ; also the reduction of
cost of introducing kanakas by removing useless regulations ; suggests for the promotion of tropical
agriculture outside of sugar growing increased facilities for shipping from the port; experimental
farms so as to educate farmers ; a Government system of irrigation ; cheap, reliable labour so as to com-
pete with other countries ; and intercolonial freetrade.
Cokjtwallis Wade Brows, "Penleigh," has grown cane since 1872, and for the last three years
in connection with the Eacecourse Central Mill ; total area of estate, 108 acres ; 12 acres under cane ; 1
acre teosinte ; 1 acre sorghum ; 2 acres various ; 12 acres ready for planting ; 5 acres old ratoons ; 2 acres
only of cane crushed last season, yielding 12 tons ( weight of cane ; has iuvested £1,600 in estate, which
returned no interest in 1888 ; employed 2 Europeans besides himself, with various contract jobs ; total
wages paid in 1888, £150 ; for ploughing, harrowing, <fcc, Europeans are the m«st suitable ; for weeding
and trashing, kanakas are far the best; has employed none but Europeans for three years, but as a rule
they do not care for field work such as trashing and weeding; does not think they are suitable at all.
When land is perfectly free from stumps does not think Europeans working horses, and machinery will be
able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour. The intense heat in the cane, in the
weeding and trashing season is only suitable for black labour, and Europeans will not do it for long. A
European, using plough, horse, hoe, &c, will not be able to cultivate one acre without help at certain times
in weeding, trashing, planting, &c. ; before joining central mill, employed kanakas who were always
healthy; Europeans doing field work get fever aid always complain of the heat and discomfort of trashing
and weeding — ploughing, harrtwing Ac., suits them ; cost of stumping scrub to make it fit forthe plough
about 2s. Gi. or 3s. per tree; cane has not suffered except from dry rot caused by the drought ; most of
the crop of 1888 damaged by drought so as to render it unpayable to crush ; believes that rice, coffee,
tea, maize, ramee grass, and tobacco, can be cultivated in the district, according to elevation and soil ; black
labour for weeding and field work, and whites for ploughing and skilled work would be required to render
their growth profitable; has tried to grow corn, which was a failure, because farm too low ; rice would
pay with irrigation, also potatoes, sorghum, and teosinte for fodder ; for the last three years sorghum
and other crops have failed owing to bad seasons— first floods and then drought. The causes which in his
opinion have depressed the sugar industry are a general fall in prices, cultivation of beet sugar, continued
bad seiusons, insufficiency of labour, both black and white, land being overworked, planting too often from
the same stock, and want of irrigation ; suggests for the relief of the depression — a cheap and effective
supply of kanakas or other black labour to all ; irrigation on such a scale as would benefit all ; using the
centr;d mills for crushing the cane on the large estates as well as that of the small farmers, which would
enable the planters to grow more cane ; the use of tramways for this purpose ; fresh importation of cane
plants and more attention paid in cultivation, manuring, and drainage; also protective duties ; the system
of central mills is thus worked iu Brazil with success ; says, in regard to the promotion of other tropical
agriculture, state nurseries, with a free supply of plauts, if carried out as proposed would in his opinion
assist very much, otherwise it rests with private enterprise.
Thomas Bakes, "Barrie Estate," has had six years' experience in sugarcultivation : total area of
estate, 2,150 acres ; 150 acres under 1st ratoons, and 150 acres under plant cane; but there has been
over 500 acres cultivated; 250 acres crushed last season for a yield of 574 tons of cane, which was sold
to " Homebush" ; mill not worked ; no molasses made in 1888, sold some at 5s. a cask ; £30,000 invested
in estate ; returned no interest in 18S8 ; working expenses for 18S8, £2,,j9S 9s. 9d. ; employed 12
whites and 50 to 60 kanakas up to July; since then 3 or 4 whites ami about 35 kanakas ; kanakas
wages about (id, per day; total wages paid in !nR8, £(3R(.S lis. 7d. ; considers kanaka labour the
most suitable for field work ; Europeans not able or willing to do field work ; horses now do all
the work that is practicable ; each black labourer can cultivate G or 7 acres, and one European 12
acres if able to use plough, horse, and hoe; blacks employed in field work do not suffer iu health,
they improve; Europeans will not do field work; cost of stumping forest laud to make it fit for
the plough, £10 or £12 an acre; cane has been affected by wallabies, grubs, and rust; for grubs
tided the experiment of ploughing out, and for rust new varieties of cane ; crop of 1SS8 affected to a.
great extent by grubs, drought, and cyclon e ; cost of machinery, :»bout £8.000, manufactured at Mary-
borough ; wages paid to Europeans outside of agriculture in district, £1 a week ; many other tropical
productions can be gr»wn in district with cheap labour, none without ; kanaka or coolie labour would be
required to render their growth profitable; has grown no olhor tropical produce besides sugar ; causes
which in his opinion have depressed the sugar imhistry arc adverse* legislation, depreciation*"^ value of
product, drought, unequal competition, aud uncertainty in regard to future supply of labour; suggests for
the
the relief of the depression more favourable legislation in regard to the requisite labour, reciprocity, and
protection from outside producers who produce under more favourable circumstances; suggests for the
promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing abundance of cheap labour.
Alfred Smith, the Mackay Sugar Company's Estate, " Victoria," bas been six years manager
of Victoria Mill, Mackay ; total area of estate about 2,000 acres ; 900 acres under cultivation, viz.,
4M acres under cane aud 500 acres fallow ; 350 acres crushed last season, cane sold to Marian mill; capital
invented in estate, £47,000; returned no interest in 1888; working expenses for 1888, about £3,000;
employed 12 Europeans (average), 26 Chinese, 25 kana.kas, and 1 Cingalee; average wages paid to
coloured classes of labour, 10s. per week ; total wages paid to Europeans and coloured classes in 1888,
about £3,000 ; kanaka labour most suitable for field work ; has employed many Europeans at field work
on different occasions, but they are not suitable or reliable ; as a rule they clear out after the first pay
day ; no scrub laud on the estate ; cultivates 16 acres for each black labourer employed (new land, deeply
steam ploughed, and weeds not bad); blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health after they
bave become acclimatised and get use to the food ; field work affects the health of Europeans, especially
cutting and loading cane ; no disease or vermin in cane ; crops of 1888 not affected by disease or vermin ;
cost ot machinery, about £15,000— manufactured in Sc»tla»d ani the boilers in Mackay; cost of annual
overhaul and repairs, about £;j00 ; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, about
20a per week ; almost any tropical produce could be grown in the district if irrigation was adopted, but
kanaka or other cheap labour would be required to render the growth of other produce profitable. Causes
which have depressed the sugar industry are— 1st, legislation re coloured labour; 2nd, enormous
expense of introducing same ; 3rd, lowness of price ; 4th, unfavourable seasons. Suggests for the
relief of the depression — 1st, introduction of sufficient black labour at a reasonable rate; 2nd,
reciprocity ; 3rd, irrigation.
Et.tza Hendt, " River View Farm." Her late husband bad twelve years' experience in the
district, and she has since carried on tlie farm; total area, 141 acres 2 roods; 5 acres planted, mostly
with f rait trees; 2 acres of cane crushed last season ; £3 ,00* iuvested in estate ; no interest returned,
but a loss ; employed 2 Europeans and 3 kanakas ; average wages paid to coloured labour, £13 a
year aud rations ; kanakas most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans at fieldlabour,but they
are rarely able or willing to do it ; does not think that when the land is perfectly free from stumps
Europeans woriiing horses and machinery will be able to do much of the work now ione by black labour;
formerly cultivated 5 acres to each black labourer employed, n*w none; blacks employed in fieli work
do not suffer in health ; anyone may distinguish between an old-time boy and a new chum by the improved
physique of the former ; does not think field work affeets the health of Europeans ; cost of stumping land
to make it fit for plough, £7 an acre ; crop of 1888 failed through drought principally- — kangaroo rats
were also rather troublesome ; men working for Bivisional Board receive 24s. a week and rations ; almost
everything can be grown in district, but kanaka labour would be required to render the growth or any
produce profitable ; has grown a little fruit such as mangoes, grapes, bananas, &c; causes of the depres-
sion of the industry are — -1st, low price of sugar ; 2nd, want of profitable labour ; 3rd, bad seasons.
Thomas Peauce, chairman of Racecourse Central Mill, considers the causes which have depressed
the sugar industry are :— Competition with bounty paid sugar ; high rate of interest on loans ; in
many instances mismanagement, imperfect machinery, and the want of moder» labour-saving appliances.
Local depression is chiefly from adverse seasons ; three years back had an extremely cold, wet season,
which also affected the following year; this last year, extreme drought. Suggests for the relief of the
depression — Cheap capital as loans, and to be for periods if required, instead of as now annual, or instant
thereby making the borrower subservient to the money market ; reciprocity, or intercolonial free trade ;
irrigation also will be a great factor in the future for promotion of the sugar indust y. Great stress is
also laid on the question of suitable labour. Experience points to the kanaka as the only cheap and
reliable labour. The Cingalese, Javanese, Chinese and Malays all have been tried and found wanting. If
the kanaka could be introduced under the care of the Government, as in some other colonies, and
a recruiting party stationed at some convenient centre on one of the islands, to be used as a depot for
receiving and delivering, and ontlieir arrival here to be allotted as applied for by each cultivator, and to be
used only in cultivation, subject to the following restrictions :— The planter who employs not less than
25 white men at all times during the whole year, skould be allowed 75 or 100 kanakas as might
be considered best, and the same principle carried out with selectors ; the selectors' grown-up sons
being counted on the same ratio as white labourers ; also, that instead of the planter or selector
paying down the passage money beforehand, it shall be optional to spread it over the whole term of
engagement, and to be paid together with the wages at stated intervals. If some such provision could
be entertained, it would greatly restore the confidence of capitalists, and help to foster the sugar industry.
To thoroughly establish the sugar industry in this colouy and make it a paying concern, new and much more
powerful and improved machinery must be erected, and the manufacture separated from the growing of
the sugar. Mills that can make not less than 10,000 tons annually, with branch railways, and portable
trams, thus bringing every grower within 20 miles into communication. In conclusion, railways and
tramways will be the great factors in helping the sugar industry in the near future, being quicker,
cheaper, and more certain — wet or dry the mill can be always supplied.
Alfbed Smith, the Oakden Sugar Company, Limited, has had six years' experience in sugar
growing ; total area of estate, 5,000 ; 000 acres cleared, and rented to the Colonial Sugar Hefining Com-
pany, and 400 cleared but not broken up; capital invested in estate, £52,000 ; returned no interest in
1888 ; considers South Sea Island labour the most suitable for field work ; cost of machinery, £18,000 ;
manufactured by Smith and Compauy, of Glasgow, where it remains stored, the directors see nothing to
encourage them to ship and erect it.
Alfred Smtth, " Greenmount," has had sis. years' experience in sugar growing; total area of
estate 1,000 acres ; 180 acres nuder cultivation ; no cajie crushed last season ; £9,000 invested n estate,
which returned no interest in 1888; no machinery.
BTJNBABEEG
308
BUXDABERG DISTRICT.
Ww.lt.4M Gordon FiittHAi, " Hummock " Plantation, has had over twenty-fi ve years' experi-
ence in sugar cultivation; has visited plantations in South.Afrka and Mauritius ; total area of estate, 820
acres; 600 acres almost entirely sugarcane; ] acre lucerne; about 2 acres sweet potatoes and 2 acres «f
green feed; crushed 300 acres of cane last season ; juice sent to Millaquin; about £1S, 000 invested in
estate ; returned 8 per cent, on estimated value of plantation in 1883 ; working expenses for 1S88,
£6,000 ; employed 9t Polynesians and 15 Europeans ; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour,
about (is. per week ; wages paid in 1SSS, whites, £1,400 ; kanakas, £l,12# ; considers Polynesianlabour the
most suitable for field work ; bas tried whites, but does not believe they can do the work under any
circumstances ; uhen the land is perfectly free from stumps white men using horses and machinery may
do a portion of the work now done by black labour, but will decline to do the bulk of it if they can get any
other employment; cultivates 5 acres for each black labourer employed, with the assistance of Europeans;
all moderately healthy; kanakas improvei n condition when doing field work ; believes field work affects the
health of Europeans, has affected his ; cost per acre of falling and burning off scrub, about ±'5 ; stumping
it to make it fit for the plough would cost £14 an acre if done immediately; cane suffers wry much
through grubs eating plants and stools ; has tried as remedy picking them up after plough and scraper
have gone over the ground, also light dressing of salt in cane furrows ; cane also suffers from wbito
parasite iu sheath of leaf; crop of 1888 suffered severely in some parts, and not at all in others; cost of
machinery, £7,000 ; manufactured in Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £150 to £200 ;
\va<res paid to Europeans outside of agriculture in district, £1 a week and found ; has heai-d «f no other
tropical productions besides sugar fceing grown remuneratively in district; tropical productions require as
a rule tropical labour ; considers the causes which liure depressed the sugar iudustryare — the low pn'ce
of sugar caused by the bounty system, and the threatening attitude of the Government towards suitable
labour; suggests for the relief of the depression — repeal of the bounties; a system of irrigation; inter-
colonial reciprocity and a reasouable prospect of an adequate supply of suitable labour; says in relation
to the promotion of tropical agriculture outsido of sugar growing, that other tropical productions can
certainly be growu with suitable labour, but he is not in a position to name them.
Abraham Pego, tL GJeninore," has had sixteen years' experience in cultivation of sugar on a small
seale for himself; total area of estate, 521 acres ; 40 acres under cultivation; 12 cane, and balance maize ;
4 acres additional cane planted this season ; 6 acres of cane crushed last season, and remainder used for
feed and plants ; cane sold to mill owner at per too ; capital invested in estate is his own time and
labour for many years; cannot say what interest was returned in 1888, and kept no account of work ins
expenses; employed onekanaka besides himself and family, with occasional hired white help ; kauaka getg
£16 a year ; considerers the labour most suitable for field work, the cheapest available ; has tried
Europeans for field work, sometimes they will not do it, but have a try and then roll up and go; when
the land is perpectly free from stumps, Europeans working horse, and machinery will be able to do a great
deal of the work now done by black labour ; number of acres that each black labourer cultivates, varies ;
number of acres that oue European could cultivate, using plough, horse-hoe, also varies according to
season ; in a dry season one man could work 46 acres, but iu .a wet season it would take him all his time
to work It acres ; blacks employedm held work do not suffer in health ; nor do Europeans anymore than
when doing other work ; cost of falling aud burning off alluvial scrub, eosts about £5 an acre ; cost of
stumping it to make it fit for the plough would be about £5; cane has only suffered from wallabies;
bananas and pineapples can be grown in the district ; would require for their cultivation the same labour
as for cane ; has grown bananas and pineapples with very fair results; cause of depression of the sugar
industry — the low price of sugar.
Jons GayTjAUd, " Windsor " Plantation, has hadsix years' experience in Mackay and fourteen years
in "Woongarra 8crub ; total area, of estate 327 acres, of which 150 acres are under cultivation -, 107 acres
cane crushed last season, yielding 207 tons of stiga.r; capital invested in estate, £S,9S0 ; returned
5 per cent, in 1888; employed 25 white men and ">0 kanakas; paid coloured labour 15s. per
week ; total wages paid to Europeans and coloured la hour in 1HSS, £1.850 ; considers South Sea Island
labour the most suitable for field work ; Europeans have been tried but are not suitable for the cane field,
being unwilling to do the necessary work ; wh en the serub lands are fully grubbed and cleared of roots and
stones, Europeans working horses and machinery will be alble to do a great deal of the work now done
by coloured labour ; neither Europeans or blacks suffer in health through field work ; cost of falliuo- and
burning off scrub, £.5 an acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for tliii plough, £2 an acre ; cane has not
suffered from disease or vermin; ma.ehiuery manufactured by Tooth and Co., Maryborough ; cost of
annua l overhaul and repairs, £3o0 ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are
the high price of labour, the low price obtained for sugar, and lihe want of faith iu and unreliability of
labour in the near future, suggests for the relief of the depression es:teusiou of Pacific Island Labourers
Act, which would increase faith.
RrciiAitw Lee, " Sherwood," hnshad tcu years' experience in sugar cultivation; total area of estate,
253 acres; 110 acres under sugar, 8 acres corn, aud 2 acres lucerne and pol atoes ; 50 acres cane sold last
season, ami 4 acres crushed, 8 tous of sugar made; £5,000invested iu •state; returned no interest in 1SS8 ;
working expenses for 1888, £250 5s. 2d. (for rations) ; employed 17 coolies and 1 1 white men while crushing;
total wages paid iu 1888— Europeaus £;Ui2, Europeans (mill hands, one month) £13, Coolies £12:.i total
£478 ; considers Coolies most suitable for field work; has tried Europeans; for iieU work, hut thev will
not chip or trash in tall cane, or if if they did they would want prohibitive waives, an,] say it was black-
fellows' uork ; when land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery will be
able to do a greatdeal of the work now doue by black labour; tliey will plough and scarify and work
with horses ; cultivates fully It acres for each black labourer employed; Europeans can only work \fith
horses in the ca.ne when it is small ; blacks emloyed in field work do not suffer iu health, but Europeans
complain of the heat; cost of felling and burning off scrub vanes ; has had to pay £5 an acre ; cane has
been attacked by a few rats, but no disease ; machinery cost £:J,500 erected ; some bought seeonddiand
iu Brisbane,, and some iu England ; thinks tobacco might be grown in district, but Coolies or children
Would be required to render its growth profitable ; has tried cotton, coffee, and tobacco on a small scale -,
cotton
309
cotton hobs the wrong time of year (in the wet season), coffee bears well, but tobacco would pay best
with cheap labour ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are deterioration of the
soil, dry seasons, and there beiuy; no confidence in the permanence of the labour j suggests for the relief
of the depression irrigation and plenty of Coolie labour.
Benjamin Wockmax, '" Ballinderry," has had over twenty years' experience in sugar growing;
total area of estate, 420 acres; 69 acres under cultivation — 20 a'cres sugar, 30 acres maize, 4 acres
barley, (J acres English potatoes. 1 acre sweet potatoes; 14 neres of cane sold to H. Palmer last season ;
capital invested i n estate, £2,000 ; returned no iuterest i u 1 888 : does not know his working expenses ;
employed 5 kanakas and 3 Europeans ; average wages paid to coloured labour, £30 per annum; totn.1
wages paid to Kurr.poans and kanakas during 1888, £500, including rations; considers kanaka labour the
most suitable for field work ; white labour cannot be depended ou; some Europeans will work aud some
wdl not ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps European* working horses and machinery will be
able to do a grait dual of the work now <loDe by black labour; cultivates 4 acres of cane for each black
labourer employed : one European, it' able to use plough, horne. and hoe, would be able to cultivate 8 or
10 acres, but it would depend ou the seas»n ; Held work does not afteet the health of Europeans or blacks ;
cost per acre of felling and burning-off scrub, £5; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough is £20
an acre; cane has suffered from nothing but want of rain; wages of Europeans in district, outside of
agriculture, from £1 K)s. to £2 : causes of depression in sugar industry, beetroot sugar and long
drought ; suggests for the relief of the depression, irrigation.
Roiieut UiNNiEjmmagerof "Sharon," has had ten years' experience in sugarcultivation; total areaof
estate, 700 acres; 'A00 acres under cultivation— viz., 2,50 under cane, a few acres under lucerne, potatoes,
garden. &c, the balance being prepared for planting ; 240 acres crushed last season, yielding 220 tons of
sugar, and 9,000 gallons of molasses; £15,000 invested in the estate, which returned nointerest in 1888 ;
working expenses for that year about £3,900; employed 17 white men and 70 kanakas; cost of each
kanaka per annum, £30 to £33, including rations, &c ; total wages paid in 18S8 — white men £1,260,
kanakas £2,100 ; considers kanaka labour most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans who
w-ere not willing to do it ; when the la.nd is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans working horses and
machinery, will be able to do much of the work now done by black labour ; cultivates about 4j acres
for each black labourer employed ; one Europeau using plough, horse-hoe, &c, would cultivate 8 to 10 acres;
neither blacks or Europeans employed in field work suffer in health; costof felling and burning-off scrub,£5
an acre; to stump it immediately afterburning would cost £15 to. £20: so far uo disease has affected his cane;
100 acres of cane damaged by frost in 1888 ; cost of machinery, £8,500 — manufactured in Scotland and
Queensland ; cost of annual overhaul andrepairs, £200; wages paid to Europeans outside of agriculture in
district, 30s. per week ; believes cotton and coffee might be grown in the district, but kanaka or other cheap
labour would be required to render their growth profitable; the causes which in his opinion have depressed
the sugar industry are — low price of sugar and increase iu cost of labour, also falling off in the yield per
acre ; suggests for the relief of the depression — a continuance of the kanaka labour and free trade between
the colonies; irrigation might also increase the yield; can offer no suggestions for the promotion of
tropical agriculture outsule of sugar growing.
John H.Hna,, " South Kolan," has had sevenyears' experience in growing cane, but none in sugar
manufacture ; total area of estate, 400 acres ; 170 acres under cane, and 50 under inm'ze ; 60 acres of
cano crushed last season ; 1,300 tons of eane cut and sold to the Bingera Company (Messrs. Gibson and
Howes) ; £4,500 invested iu estate, which returned no interest in 1888 ; working expenses for 1888,
£700 ; employed 8 whites, 10 kanakas, and 8 Chinese duringerushiug season ; paid whites 15s. to £1 per
week, kanakas 10s., Chinese Is. 6d. per ton to cart cane ; kanakas are certainly the best suited for field
labour, and Chinese are very good as long as oneontraet work ; has cultivated very little with Europeans,
but they are willing and able to do the work ; as for cutting cane and loading drays they do not giv e
satisfaction ; 4 kanakas are equal to 6 Europeans in loading drays at day labour, but cannot say how it
would be with contraet work ; all field labour, as far as cultivating goes, ean be done with Europeans;
cultivates about 10 acres for each black labourer employed ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe,
&c.j could cultivate 20 to 30 acres ; has had verylittle sickness among kanakas ; field work does not affect
the health of Europeans ; cost of felling scrub, 35s. to 40s. nn acre ; cost of stumping it, to make it fit
for the plough, about 30s. an acre, provided it is done four or five years after ; knows of no other crop
but maize that could be grown in the district in addition to sugarcane; Europeans should be able to
grow maize profitably ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are low price of
sugar aud proposed stoppage of kanakas ; says in relation to relief of the depression, the first cause will,
no doubt, right itself, but the second will only be got over by cauelields being cut up into 20-acre blocks,
and worked by families ; the population of the colony is not large enough for that at present, but could
be tried on a few plantations.
Hknhy Cathcart Arthur Youyo, partner in " Pairymead, 1 ' has had nine years' experience in the
growth and manufacture of sugar ; total area, of estate, ;3,200 acres ; 1 ,252 acres under cane ; 047 acres
cane crushed last season ; made 4(5ti tons of sugar from cane cut on estate, and 1,0/34 tons from purchased
cane ; molasses run away ; £75,000 invested in estate ; returned 2 per cetii. interest in 1888; working
expenses for 18'iN, £25,(566; employed on average 4S£ Europeans, and 290 Polynesians; paid in wages
during 1888, to Europeans £fi,41o 9s. Id., to Polynesians £2,075 7s. lOd. — these wages were paid in
i to rations being supplied; considers Polynesians the most suitable for field work; has employed
Europeans for horse cultivation, but they would not, in his opiniou, be willing to do the work when horses
could not be worked — they would not do the hand work ; on the estate there are no stumps, the land be-
ing all under the plough, and all work is done by Europeans with horses that can be done. Planting,
trashing where uecessary, cutting, loading, and carting cane cannot be done by white labour owing to their
distaste for the work, and largely increased cost ; cultivated in 1888 4^ acres of cane for
each islander employed ; if the work ou the estate could be done entirely with Europeans, it would take a
mail for every 4 acres of planted cane; blacks do not suffer in heal Ih tliro ugh doing field work, they
improve in condition during their term of agreement ; Europeans do not suffer in health through doiug
field work when working horses, but believes they would suffer if they did the hand work ; local rate for
burning
310
burning and f ellingscrub, about £5 an acre ; cost of stumping to ma.ke it fit for the plough would depend
upon whether it was done immediately after felling or later when stumps have had time to rot ; no disease
has affected cane ; cane lice are numerous, but do not visibly affect returns, trashing has a beneficial
effect in killing the lice ; crop of 1888 was not affected by disease, but very hea.vy losses occur almost
annually through frost; machinery, including buildings and erection, coat over £40,000 — machinery prin-
cipally from Glasgow ; cost •£ annual overhaul and repairs, £1,300 in 1888 ; tobacco cultivation has been tried
withsome success in district; would requirePolynesian labour to produce those articles which comeinto com-
petition with those produced by other countries where coloured labour is required ; has only grown sugar;
considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — 1st, heavy fall in price of sugar caused
by excessive production of beet sugars under foreigu bounty system, and direct competition with China
and other sugar produced by coloured labour ; 2nd, increased cost of introduction of Polynesians, which has
advanced over 10# per cent, in eight years, and difficulty of getting them in sufficient numbers ; 3rd,
fiaralysing effect of the attitude of the country with regard to the introduction of necessary Polynesian
abour which has caused the withdrawal of monetary sip port, and is seriously checking improvements and
extension of the industry ; suggests for the relief of the depression — 1st, extension of the Act providiug
for the recruiting of Polynesians ; 2nd, securing Australasian markets by reciprocity treaties or federa-
tion of the colonies; 3rd,f ormation of irrigation trusts under Government auspices, money being advanced
at low rates of interest by Government for the carrying out of district water supplying schemes ; has no
personal knowledge of the growth of other tropical products than sugar, but believes that great increases
in fruit growing would take place if irrigation schemes were started.
William: David90N, " Pemberton Grange," including what was originally known as "Glenmorris,"
has had eighteen years' experience in growing sugar cane ; 380 acres under cane, 300 acres crushed last
season ; made 325 tons of sugar and 15 tons of molasses ; is holding the molasses with a view of selling
to distillery ; £21,000 invested in estate ; after paying working expenses and interest on mortgage, no
balance was left in 1888; working expenses for 1888, £2,380, including clothing for islanders and whites,
firewood, insurance, stables, fodder, &c, but does not include interest or wages ; employed twenty-fi ve Euro-
peans and eighty kanakes ; sixty- fi ve kanakas were three-year agreement boys at £7 per year, the balance
were free boys at 8s. per week and rations ; total wages paid in 1888 to European and coloured labour
£2,428; considers Polynesians most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans at field work, but
they are not willing or able to do it when horses cannot be worked ; so far as ploughing and planting is
concerned, when the landis perfectly free from stumps Europeans, workinghorsesamdmachinery, will be able
to do a great deal of the work now done by bla-ck labour, but that does not overcome the difficulty of trashing
and cutting ; cultivates 4| acres for each black labourer employed ; one European, if able to use plough,
horse, hoe, &c, on the land, could cultivate from 30 to 40 acres, leaving over one-third of the work to
be still done ; blacks employed in field labour suffer in health in dry seasons ; Europeans cannot stand
the heat and itch among the cane ; cost of felling and burning-»ff scrub, £5 an acre ; cost of stumping it f
to make it fit for the plough, £25 an acre, if done immediately afterfelling, but if left for three or four years
until the stumps are rotten, £5 an acre ; wallabies and scrub rats have done a lot of damage to cane ; cane
suffers also from a species of aphis, especially during dry weather ; wallabies can, of course, be kept out
with wire netting, but not rats ; has not tried anything for the aphis ; hard to say to what extent crop of
1888 was damaged by vermin, but altogether had about half a crop owing to want of rain ; cost of
machinery, £6,000, manufactured at Atlas Works, Sydney, N.S.W. ; cost of annual overhaul a,nd repairs,
£350 ; wages paid to European labourers, outside of agriculture in district, 6s. to 6s. 6d. per day ; haa
never tried any er«ps other than cane, maize, and potatoes ; causes which, in his opinion, have depressed
the sugar industry are— the keen competition in the sugar market, caused by the introduction into Great
Britain of the bounty-fed sugars ; also the cheapness of Chinese labour used in connection with the
manufacture of China sugars ; also the small quantity of rain in Queensland ; says, in relation to the
relief of the depression, that Queensland sugars will never pay as they ought until intercolonial trade in
that line is free. The £5 duty into New South Wales is killing, and the differential duty in Victoria is
not sufficient.
Ludwio Jenben Bbetjsch, " Hillside," formerly " Maryvale,' ' has been 16£ years in the colony,
and nearly the whole of that time has been engaged in agriculture ; first for 18 months at Mackay, as
a labourer, and dining the last 12 years on his own farm ; total area of estate 121 j acres; 20 acres under
cane, 22 acres under maize, all uuder plough, 58 acres let on lease, of which 50 acres are cultivated with
maize and worked with the hoe; crushed 4 acres last seas«o, for which he received £26 after delivering
the cane at the mill ; considers the farm well worth £25 an acre ; has been worked by tw» kanakas at
10s. per week each and tucker ; considers South Sea Island labour the most suitable for field work ; has
employed Europeans in field work and paid as much as 25s. and rations per week, which was one-half
more than the business could afford ; with European labour he would not care to cultivate above 20
acres even if the labour could always be had at 15s. per week ; very few good and reliable European
labourers are available in district ; only about 10 per cent, of them are worth 15s. and rations ; the
good ones become masters or clear out to where there is no competition with Coolies ; when the land is
perfectly free from stumps Europeans, working horses and machinery, will without doubt be able to do a
great deal of the work now done by black labour; cultivates 20 acres for each black labourer employed ;
one European if able to use plough and horse, hoe, &c , and if a good man could work 30 acres, or even more
of cane, but the cane would not be trashed, which he thinks is not necessary ; blacks do not suffer from
field work, but they do suffer to a great extent from want of proper care in the matter of diet, dwellings,
and swampy places of residence; field work docs not affect the health of Europeans where the breeze
can get at them, but it does in high and close fields like matured maize and sugar cane; cost of felling and
burning-off scrub £5 an acre; cost of stumping it to make itfj t for the plough would be too expensiveif done
before three years after it is felled ; four or five years after the scrub is felled stumping can be done very
easily ; cane has not suffered from any disease, but the maize suffers sometimes a little from blight ; not
much, because the land is high and dry ; crop of 1 888 not affected at all by disease or vermin ; wages paid
to European labourers, outside of agriculture in district, from 5s. to 7s, per day without rations ; cannot
state the causes which have depressed the sugar industry, and suggests no remedy.
NlEL9
311
Niels Christian Jensen, " Stonby," has had no experience in the cultivation of sugar or other
tropical produce ; total area of estate 70 acres ; 3 acres under maize, 25 acres grass paddocks, 3 acres
under cane ; 35 acres let on lease, and nearly all under maize ; considers Europeans most suitable for field
work; has employed them, and thinks they a re willing and able to do the work when horses ca.nnot be
used; when the land is perfectly freefrom stumps Europeans, working horses and machinery, will cer-
tainly be able to do a great deal of the work that is done by black labour ; blacks employed in field work
do not suffer in health unless compelled to be out during wet weather ; they no doubt suffer in health
from other causes, such as improper food and residence on swampy ground ; field work does not affect
the health of Europeans ; cost of felling and burning-off scrub £5 an aere ; cost of stumping to make it
fit for plough would depend upon how long it had been felled and burned; cane has suffered from no
disease, but the maize suffers at times from blight ; wages paid to European labourers, outside of agricul-
culture in district, 5s. to 7s. per day without rations ; cannot state the causes which have depressed the
sugar industry, and suggests no remedy.
Lorenz Jacobsen, " Caspian Earm," has been over seventeen years in the colony, and for the
greater part of the time has been engaged in agriculture, first on a sugar plantation at Ulackay, and in
litter years on his own farm ; total area of estate, 134 aeres ; 3£ acres under cane, 18 acres under maize, and
half au acre of bananas ; 50a,cresall under cane, let on lease to Buss and Davidson ; 3? acres of cane crushed
last season for which he received £20, the mill owners cutting and carting ; considers fue farm worth about
£20 an aere; employed two Europeans only at from 12s, t»V5%. per week; considers Europeans the m«st
suitable for field work, but not for cutting cane ; lias e mjil«yed scarcely any •tlier lab»ur, and thinks
Europeans able and willing to do the work when horses cannot be worked ; when the land is perfectly free
from stumps, Europeans working horses and machinery will certainly be able to do much of the work now
done by black labour ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoc, &c, eonld cultivate 20 acres;
blacks do not suffer in health from field labour, but from want of proper care in the matter of food and
k«use accommodation ; field work affects the health of Europeans when the cane has grown so high or
close as to shut out the breeze ; cost of felliug and burning-off scrub £5 per acre ; paid £4 per acre for
stumping scrub two years after it had been felled and burnt ; cane hassuffered from no disease, but maize
sometimes attacked by blight, for which there is no known remedy ; a kind of grub attacks and kills the
bananas; wages paid to European labourers, outside of agriculture in district, 5s. to 7s. per day without
tucker.
VriLiiM George Moore, "Ashton," total area of estate, 640 acres ; 40 acres under cultivation,
viz., 36 under maize, 4 under sweet potatoes, and 2 under lucerne ; crushed 15 acres of cane in 1887, but last
season being very dry turned his cattle into the cane to save their lives ; in 1887 had 30 tons of juice,
yielding 2,240 gallons per ton ; employed Europeans and kanakas ; considers Europeans most suitable
for horse-work and kanakas for hoe-work ; Europeans are able to do field work, but not many are willing ;
very •ften saying, " We don't use these toils at home " When the land is perfectly fiee from stumpa
Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the w«rk now done by black
labour ; one European if able to use plough, h«rse, hoe, Ac, would be able to work about 10 acres ;
Eur opeans do not sui'fer in health through doing fi eld work, and blacks suffer no more than whites ; cost
of felling and burniug-off scrub, £5 an acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, about £5 an
acre ; if stony, about £10; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, about
6s. per clay of eight hours.
Ludcmir Stanicz, " Sea View," has had ten years' experience in the cultivation of sugar cane, and
fifteen years in cultivation of maize ; total area of estate, 211i acres ; 185 aeres under cane, 2 acres under
sweet potatoes, 2 acres under lucerne and oats ; 90 acres crushed last season ; made 98 tons 10 cwt.
8 qrs. sugar ; juice sold to Milla^uin refinery ; eapital invested in estate, £8,145 Its. 6d., which returned
no interest in 1888 ; working expenses for 1888, £1,909 8s. 4d. ; employed 5 Europeans and 31 kanakas ;
paid kanakas £39 and rations ; total wages paid in 1888 to Europeans and coloured labour, £1,580 ;
considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work; has employed European labour in field work,
and found them able but not willing to do the work among the cane when horses cannot be used ; when
the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery will not be able to do a
great deal of the work now done by black labour, excepting ploughing, harrowing, scarifying, &c, which
is now done; cultivates about 6 acres for each black labourer employed; one European, if able to use
plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate 10 or 12 acres partly only ; neither Europeans or blacks
suffer in health when employed in field work ; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £5 an acre ; cost of
stumping, to make it fit for the plough, £5 an acre, and up to £20 an acre, if attempted immediately
after the scrub is burnt; cane has not suffered from disease or vermin; crop of 1888 affected by drought
to the extent of 100 tons of juice ; cost of machinery, £3,300, manufactured iu Maryborough ; cost of
annual overhaul and repairs, £80; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture,
£1 up to £1 5s. per week and found ; considers coffee maybe grown in district if there is a large amount
of capital in hand, so that a man can wait until a return is obtained, but black labour would be required
to render its growth profitable; lias grown no other tropical production but sugar to any extent;
considers the causes of the depression in the sugar industry are — expensive labour required to form a
plantation and grow sugar, the drought which has to be contended with, competition with sugar grown in
countries where there is abundance of cheap labour, exorbitant interest charges ; suggests as remedy for
the depression — ] at, Government to protect sugar industry from ruination ; 2nd, Government to allow
planters to have kanaka labour with less interruption ; 3rd, Goverument to establish agricultural bank
under G overnment control, where planter or farmer in need can borrow money at the rate of 5 per cent,
•r 6 per cent., payable iu 15, 20, or 30 years, by annual payments — principal and interest on security of
property; -litb, Government to pass a Bill of restriction on all money-lenders, as it is on the Continent,
that is that 5 per cent, interest only be charged by them; 5th, irrigation.
.Tohs Crichton Stuart McD»uali, manager,"Kalbar" plantation, has had two years' experience
in the cultivation of sugar cane on the Macle.iy River in New South Wales, and twelve years on the Mary
and Burnett Rivers, Queensland ; total area of estate, 1,006 acres (360 acres scrub and 646 acres forest) ;
330 acres under cultivation, viz., 325 acres nnder sugar, 2^ acres under sweet "potatoes, i acre lucerne, and
2 acres
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2 acres oats and garden ; about 160 acres crushed last season for a yield of 107 tons of sugar and about
500 gallons molasses; -1th sugars not dried yet; expects to sell molasses to distillery ; £15,000 invested
in estate, which did not pay working expenses in 18S9 ; working expenses for 188?, £2,735 12s. 5d;
employed 13 Europeans and an average of 64 kanakas, not including 15 percent, sick; S2 kanakas
employed during the year, but some only for six months anil two for only three weeks ; paid £7 2s.
average wages to S2 kanakas ; total wages paid in 1S8S, Europeans, £652 2s. 6d., and kanakas, £582 7s. ;
considers kanaka, labour the most suitable for ield work ; employed Europeans on the Macleay River,
New South Wales, where white labour was very plentiful (187-1), at 15s. per week and find themselves ;
they were quite able and willing for the work when they had to do it or starve. In Queensland, where
white labour is scarce, and what is imported the wrong sort, they will not do the work. The great differ-
ence is that black labour is reliable and white labour decidedly not ; even when horses are used hand
labour is always required in the rows to clear round the stools, especially in alluvial land, which gets muck
dirtier owing to floods, &c. ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps about half the number of black
labourers would do if Europeans could use horses aud machinery ; cultivates about 5 acres for each black
labourer employed, including mill work, wood getting, &c. ; one European, if able to use plough
horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate 20 to 30 acres, according to the soil, provided other labour was available
for chipping ; 10 to 15 acres, if he has to keep the whole clean ; blacks employed in field work do not
suffer in health, and lield work does not affect the health of Europeans any more than other work ; cost
per acre of felling and burning scrub, from £3 10s. to £5, according to the scrub, and with kanaka.s ;
with Europeans, £5 to £8 ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £25 to £30 an acre when
green ; cane has been affected by a fluffy, pinkish aphis ; no remedy tried except, trasiing high, which
displaces them, and if heavy rain comes kills them, as they have no shelter ; vermin did no visible damage
to crop of lftSS ; cost of machinery, about £0,000, manufactured by John Walker and Co., Mary-
borough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £40 ; wages paid" to European labour in district,
outside of agriculture, from 15s. to 20s. per week ; thinks rice, coffee, cotton, and many other produc-
tions, can be grown in district, but kanaka labour, or its equivalent, would be required to render their
growth profitable ; lias grown a small flat of rice, but owing to dry weather it was a partial failure ; con-
siders the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are— over production of the article in foreign
countries where the labour is much cheaper than in Queensland ; low price and dry weather ; says, in
relation to relief of the depression, that with a supply of preseut labour and fair seasons so as to give the
quantity, can still make the industry a success, and suggests intercolonial freetrade and higher import
duty ; sa.ys in relation to the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing, that with irriga-
tion and reliable labour anything can be grown.
Robert Ckichton M'Donall, " Cuba," has had nineteen years experience in the cultivation of
sugar cane; total area of estate 160 acres ; 71 acres under cane ; 50 acres crushed last seasou ; 35 tons
sugar made, and 1,200 gallons mollasses. Expects to sell latter for distilling purposes ; £3,500 invested
in estate, which returned no interest in 1SS8 ; working expenses, for 1888 (indirectly), about £600 ;
employed 12 Europeans, G Chinese, and 7 kanakas ; wages paid, 30s. per week to Chinese (not found),
and 9s. and found to kanakas ; total wages paid in 18S8, Europeans, £70 10s.; Chinese, £45; kanakas, £81
total, £202 10s. Considers kanakas the most suitable f«r field lahour; Iuib employed Europeans in field
labour; tteyare able to do it, but do not care about the work ; the cost of the labour is prohibitive, that is
for chipping&c, where the land is perfectly free from stumps. — Europeans working horses and machinery
will certainly be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour ; cultivated in 1S88 about
4? acres for each black labourer employed; if a European would do the work, is of opinion he could
work 10 acres of cane, including cutting and carting to the mill a reasonable distance, and using plough,
horse, hoe, &c. ; neither blacks or Europeans employed in field work suffer in health; cost of felling and
buming-off scrub, £5 an acre on a-n average ; to stump it and make fit for the plough directly after
burning-off would be costly ; cane has not suffered from any disease ; cost of machinery £1,700 ;
manufactured in London, Sydney, and Maryborough, (Queensland) ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs
£30; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 5s. per day; has had no
experience of olher tropical productions, but thinks cheap labour would be inquired to render their growth
profitable ; thinks the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are low price of sugar, increased
cost of labour, and falling off in yield per acre of cane ; says in relation to remedy for depression that free-
trade between the colonies would give considerable relief.
Feedeeick William CtLadwell, "Mabbo," NorthJBuudaberg, has had fourteen years' experience
in the cultivation of sugar cane ; total area of estate, 23S acres ; 2t6 acres under cultivation, viz., 192
under sugar, 10 under corn, 2 under potatoes, 2 under lucerne, 32 pasture, cleared and stumped ; crushed
about 150 acres last season for a yield of 60 tons of juice ; capital invested in estate £1 8,400, wiuY:h returned
no interest in 1888, but a large deficit; working expenses for 1888, .£1500; employed 6 Europeans and
30 kanakas; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour £30 ; total wages paid to Europeans and
kanakas in 1888, £1,400; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for lield work ; from his experience
European labour is a failure except for horse driving, horse hoeing, uud ploughing ; when the land is per-
fectly free from stumps Europeans working horse machinery will not be able to do more than has pre-
viously been done ; cultivateiS about six acres for each black labourer employed ; impossibleto cultivate cane
without the hand hoe ; blacks do not suffer in health on account of too work they are employed at ; a
great part of the field work affects the health of Europeans, but never could get Europeans to do the
work sufficiently long to enable him to decide tlie question ; cost of felling and burning-off scrub, £6 an
acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough would depend on the nature of the work, but should
think from £10 to £20 ; has not discovered any disease iu his cane ; cost of machinery, £4,000 ; manufac-
tured by John Walker & Co., Maryborough; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £50; wages paid to
European labourers iu district, outside of agriculture, 3l>s. to48s. per week ; does not know of any other
tropica] production other than sugar that would pay to cultivate ; has grown maize at a great loss ; con-
siders the causes which have depressed the sugar iudustry are: bounty allowed on foreign sugar exported,
and adverse legislation to kanaka labour ; suggests byway of remedy, countervailing duty on foreign
sugar and reciprocity.
Jouy
313
John Henby Edwaed Berthaji, " Sommerville," (Walter Adams, owner) has had eight years
experience in the cultivation of sugar cane ; total area of estate, 240 acres ; 120 acres under cane, and 2
acres under bananas ; 11# acres crushed last season ; made 165 tons of sugar, and 1,800 gallons of
molasses, the latter thrown away ; capital invested in estate, £10,401 Its., which returned no interest in
1K88 ; working expenses for 1888, £2,774; employed 8 Europeans and 30 kanakas; paid on an average
£15 12. per annum to coloured labour; total wages paid in 1888 to Europeans and coloured labour,
£933 13s. ; considers kanaka labour most suitable for field work ; Europeans employed in field work arc
certainly not willing to do it when horses cannot be worked ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps
Europeans workiug horses and machinery will be able to do some of the work now done by black
labour, but not cutting or trashing ; cultivates 4 acres for each black labourer employed ; Europeans, if
able to use plough, horse, and hoe, could cultivate no laud profitably ; blacks employed iD field work do not
suffer in health, but Europeans do ; cost of felling and burniug-off scrub, £5 an acre ; cost of stumping
it to make it fit for the plough, £12 an acre ; cane has not suffered from disease or vermin- — crop of 1888
suffered to a very trifling extent; cost of machinery, £5,219 17s. 6d. ; part made in Glasgow, and
part in Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £100 ; has grown no other tropical
product ions in addition to sugar cane but bananas ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar
industry are : First, Government interference with kanaka labour, causing capitalists to hold aloof ; and
second, beet and bounty-fed sugars in competition"; suggests as remedy for the depression, repealing or
extending the Act re kanaka labour, and endeavouring to bring about reciprocity with the Australasian
colonies ; suggests for the promotion of other tropical agriculture, a system of irrigation.
John Clabk, "Ashgrove Plantation." bas had twenty years' experience in sugar and maize
cultivation ; total area of estate 103 acres freehold, and 260 leasehold ; 150 acres under sugar cane and 10
acres under maize; 130 acres cmshed last season; 223 tons of sugarmade ; £6,000investedin estate ; which
returned 11 per cent, in 1888; working expenses for 1888, £1 ,892 ; employed 5 Europeans and 20 kanakas ;
average wages paid to coloured classes of labour, £10 10s. per year; total wages paid in 1888 — Europeans,
£300 ; kanakas, £210 ; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work ; Europeans not able and
willing to do field work when horses cannot be used; when the land is perfectly free from stumps,
Europeans working horses and machinery will lie able to do a great deal of the work now done by black
labour; cultivates about 8 acres for each black labourer employed; 1 European, if able to use plough,
horse, hoe, Ac, could cultivate about 15 acres ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, but
Europeans do among the cane; cost of felling and buruiDg-oif scrub, £4 10s. an acre; cost of stumping
it to make it fit for the plough, £40 an acre, if done immediately after felling ; cane bas suffered from
grubs ; found no remedy ; about 5»acres of crop of 1888 affected ; cost of machinery £2,000 erected ;
cost of annual •verhaul and repairs, £20 ; wages paid to European labourers, outaide of agriculture, in
district, from 5s. to Ss. per day ; thinks the only crop besides sugar that could be grown in district is
maize, and kanaka labour would be required to render its growth profitable ; has grown 50 bushels of
maize to the acre ; considers the cause of the depression in the sugar industry is uncertainty of labour ;
suggests as remedy for depression, kanaka labour,
Cha e.les Fa tjlknek, " Woodlands," has had seven years' experience in the cultivation of sugar
cane ; total area of estate, 372 acres ; 350 acres under sugar cane ; 5 acres under maize ; 6 acres under
potatoes ; 150 acres crushed last season, yielding 80,000 gallons of juice ; £10,000 invested in estate, which
returned no interest in 1888 ; total working expenses for 1888, £3,488 ; employed 4 to 18 Europeans, 8
Chinese, 52 kanakas ; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour, 14s. per week; wages paid to
Europeans, kanakas, Chinese, &c, during 1888 — Europeans (wages and board) £760 16a,, Chinese
£52 14s. 7d., kanakas (wages) £640, kanakas (passage) £577 7s. Gd. rations and clothing
£740 10s., total £2,771 8s. Id.; considers kanaka labour the most suitable for field work ; has employed
Europeans only as ploughmen ; when the land is perfectly tree from stumps Europeans, working horses
and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour; cultivates 5 acres
for each black labourer employed; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, on the land,
could eultivate 20 acres ; neither Europeans or blucks employed in field work suffer in health ; cost of
felling and buruing-off scrub, £5 an acre ; cost of stumping and stoning it to make it fit for the plough,
£7 to £8 an acre ; c;me baa been attacked by rats ; about one-fourth of the crop of 1888 affected by frost ;
cost of machinery, £3,200, manufactured in Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £150 ;
wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, about 6s. a day; thinks tobacco
might be grown in the district ; has grown no other tropical production besides sugar ; thinks the causes
which have depressed the sugar industry are bounty-feel sugar, duty on sugar in New South Wales, and
over legislation.
Chaklks William Buss asd J osei j h Sweeting Penny, trading under the style of Buss and
Penny, " Ashfield," ; C W. Buss ten years and J. S. Penny five years' experience in sugar cultivation ;
total area of estate, 260 acres ; 185 acres under cane; crushed 160 acres last season ; made 2 15 tons of
sugar and about 10,000 gallons of molasses ; molasses still in stock waiting for distillery to commence
operations ; capital invested in estate, £10,000, which returned no interest in 1888; working expenses for
18S8, £3,300, inclusive of cost of erection of mill ; employed 17 Europeans and 45 kanakas;
average wages paid to coloured classes of labour, £9 a year ; total wages paid in 1888 — -to Euopeans
£1,800, and to kanakas £100; consider kanaka laboiu' decidedly the most suitable for field work ;
consider Europeans quite unsuitable for field work— they require six or eight times the wages of a
kanaka and do no more work, they are also unreliable and the supply is limited ; when the land is
perfectly free from stumps and stones. Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do
a great deal of the work now done by black labour, with tie exception of trashing and cutting, and it is
these two particular operations that the white man has the greatest objection to; cultivates about 4
acres for each black labourer employed ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, would
probably be able to cultivate 10 acres, but he would be unable either to trash or cut the 10 acres ;
blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health ; ordinary field work, such as ploughing and horse
driving, does not affect the health of Europeans; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £5 to £6 an
acre; cost of stumping and stoning it to make it fit for the plough an additional £5 per acre ; cane ha«i
not suffered from disease or vermin ; cost of machineiy, inclusive of mill buildings, £6,000 ; made
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in Sydney, Aberdeen, and Glasgow ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs about £200 ; wages paid to
European labourers, outside of agriculture, in district, 63. to 7s. per day; think toboeco can be grown in
district, but cheap aui reliable labour would be required to render its growth profitable ; havs grown no
other tropical produce besides sugar. Consider the causes which have depressed the sugar industry in
Queensland are — 1st, adverse legislation, harassing restrictions placed on coloured labour, and prospects on
abolition of sane; 2nd, the drought; 3rd, over production and a consequent fall in prices alloverthe worldf
Suggests for the relief of the depression — retention of present cheap labour, or a similar class in its place.
— Indian coolies, for instance ; a, good irrigation scheme, and a reciprocity treaty with Victoria.
"William Mtjerat Cos HrcKaoN, " Bubyanna," has been for eight years manager of sugar
plantations; total area of estate, 1,500 acres; 450 acres under sugar cane; 384 acres of cane
crushed last seasou, vielding 320 tons of sugar and 14,000 gallons of molasses ; molasses at
present in stofk, awaiting erection of distillery ; capital invested in estate, £30,000, which returned no
interest in 1888; working expenses for 1SK8, £5,500; employed 14 whites and 70 kanakas; average
wages paid to coloured classes of labour. £6 per annum to agreement kanakas, and £16 per annum to
overtime kanakas; considers Pacific Island labour the most suitable for field work; two years ago
endeavoured to employ European labour for field work, but after a fair trial had t« give it up and resort
to Chinese ; Europeans will not do the work required for the proper cultivation of cane ; when the land
is perfectly free from stumps, ploughing by Europeaus will then be resorted to in lieu of kanakas with
hoe, but machinery will not clean cane in the row; cultivates b' acres (including the manufacturing aid
mill work) for each black labourer employed ; one European should cultivate 12 acres, with plough, &c.,
but would refuse to do otherneeessary work ; field labour does not affect the health of blacks in the
least, but \ia* no doubl it would affect the health of Europeans if they did the work required of them; cost
per acre of falling and burning off scrub, £-5 ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £L5 to
£20 (the latter on ston y land) ; cane has been affected by ptu blanc ; has tried trashing as a remedy ;
fro.it affected crop of 1888 to a large extent ; cost of machiuery, about £10,000 when erected; principal
portion imported from Glasgow, and part obtained from Maryborough (Queensland) ; cost of annual
overhaul anrl repairs, about £120; wages paid to European labourers outside of agriculture, in
district, from Gs. to Ss. per day ; fruit could be cultivated m district where necessary water could be
obtained, and where frost would not affect it. Considers the causes wliich have depressed the sugar
industry are— 1st, the low prices caused by the rapid expansion of beet sugar industry under the bounty
system ; 2nd, severe competition in these colonies of sugars imported from Java, China, and Mauritius,
grown by cheap black and other alien labour, and which sugars are forced into the markets by the
action of bounties ; 3rd, cost of kanaka labour, which has during the last ten years increased 100 per
cent; 4th, fact of clause 11 of " TJie Pacific Island Labourers Amendment Act »f 1885" not being
repealed ; 5th, repeated droughts. Suggests for the relief of the depression — 1st, reciprocity between the
Australian colonies, and protection against the world ; 2nd, repeal of clause 11 of " The Pacific Island
Labourers Act o/18S5," which would give gieater confidence to those engaged in the industry, and
better security to capitalists for investment; 3rd, better ndmiuistration and removal of harsh and needless
regulations under " The Pacific Islmnd Labourers Amendment Act" especially in regard to the shipping
clauses, and allowing vessels to recruit at islands now prohibited; 4th, legislative action authorising the
lending of large sums of money, and trusts to be formed for the purpose of irrigation in those districts
where a sufficient quantity of water can be obtained, repayment of loans to be made at long dates.
EnwARD Tubs-ek, " Sunnyside" Plantation, has been cultivating sugar for eight years ; total area
of estate 250 acres ; 230 acres under cultivation, and 210 acres under cane; 110 acres crushed last season;
sent the juice to Mitkfuin ; £11,150 invested in estate ; cleared £700 last year after paying all expenses ;
working expenses for 1888, £2000 ; employed 7 Europeans and 45 kanakas ; total wages paid in 1S88 —
European?, £588, and kanakas £1,420, including everything; considers kanaka labour the most suitable
for field work ; Europeans able but not willing to do field work when horses cannot, be used ; when the
land is perfectly free fr»m stumps, European working horses and machinery will be able to do a great
deal of the work now done by black labour ; when he employed 15 kanakas for fi ve years had little sickness
and no deaths amongst them, but since employing double that number has had both ; field work does not
affect the health of Europeans ; cost of felling and burning off scrub, £5 per acre ; cane subject to white
grub in dry weather but not affected if there is sufficient raiu ; cost of machinery £4000 ; wages paid to
European labourers, outside of jigricnlture, in district, 7s. per day ; considers the cause of the depression
of the sugar industry — the dry seasons; suggests irrigation for the relief of the depression and for the
promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing.
!N»akes Bros., "Burnett" and "SpifnghiH" plantations, seventeen years' experience in sugar
cultivation ; total area of estate, 560 acres ; 500 acres under sugar cane ; 300 acres crashed last season;
sold cane to Millaquiu ; £25,000 invested in estate, which returned 10 per cent, interest on account of
stand-over crop; working expenses for 1888, £3,500; employed 70 islanders and 9 Europeans
paid to kanakas in 1888, £2,500, including return passages ; and a total of £3,500 to Europeans and
kanakas in 1888 ; consider kanaka labour the most suitable for field work; have employed Europeans at
field work, but cannot depend upon them ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans
working horses and machinery will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour;
cultivate about 7 acres for each black labourer employed ; number of acres that one European using
plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate would depend on the season — 15 acres iu a fair season; blacks
employed in field work do not suffer much in health ; field work does not afEect the health of Europeans
if they will work ; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £5 per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for
the plough, £15 per acre; cane has been affected by rats, bandicoots, and wallabies; have tried as remedy
shooting and burning ; 25 acres of crop of 1888 afEected by hail storms and frost ; cost of machinery
£11,000; manufactured in Maryborough by John AValker and Co.; cost of annual overhaul auJ
repairs, £250; consider the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are, foreign competition and
possibility of coloured (kanaka) labour being abolished ; suggest for the relief of the depression
reliable labour and increased duty on foreign sugars.
Eichabd Jones, " Tegege," has had eighteen years' experience in the cultivation of both maize and
sugar ; total area of estate 3G0 acres, 250 acres under cane, 8 acres under potatoes, and 5 acres under
lucereue; 200 acres crushed last seas«n, yielding 253 tons of sugar ; ran the molasses into the river ; capital
invested
315
invested in estate £15,850 ; returned 4J per cent, interest in 1888 ; working expenses for 1883 £2,940 ; em-
ployed an average number of 15 Europeans and 54 kauakas; wages paid to coloured labour £1,080, and to
Europeans £1,456; considers kanaka Labour the most suitable for working amongst tlie cane, and white men
for ploughing, scarifying, and harrowing where land has been stumped ; has tried Europeans at field
work, but finds them to be dissatisfied ; they will only stay till they get a few pounds to take them else-
where, especially when they are most wanted, in crushing time ; when the land is perfectly free from
stumps Europeans will be able to work machinCTy amongst the cane ; cultivates 4s& acres of cane for each
black labourer employed ; 1 European, if able to use the plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate 7 acres ;
finds the blacks employed in field work healthy as a rule, but when the cane gets about 4 feet high
Europeans say it is too suffocating to work amongst it ; cost of felling and burning-off scrub £4 10s. to
£5 an acre ; should say cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough would be £20 an acre, but bas
had no experience ; cane has not suffered from any disease ; cost of machinery, £5,250 f .o.b. in Glasgow ;
cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £200 ; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agri-
culture, from 5s. to 7s. per day ; considers tobacco and arrowroot can be grown iu district ; considers the
cause of the depression in the sugar industry is the bonus given by other countries ; suggests for the relief
of the depression, federation of the Australian colonies to prevent beetroot-sugar being imported into
tho country.
James Cbistesen, 11 Kalkie," has been thirteen years farming at " Kalki*;" principal crop, maize ;
has had yearly under cultivation for the past sis years from 10 to 50 acres of cane; total area of estate, 100
acres ; 15 acres under cane, 35 acres under maize, 1 acre under potatoes, 1 acre under lucerne, 1 acre
under bananas, 47 acres pasture ; crushed 20 acres last season ; employed 27 kanakas at Ss. per week ;
total wages paid in 1888, £40 ; has employed Europeans iu field work but cannot afford to pay the wages
they demand ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery
will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour in the early stages of the sugar
crop ; neither Europeans or blacks suffer in health through doing field work ; cost of felling and burning-
of£ scrub, £4 10s. per acre ; almost impossible to stump scrub land until it has been felled at least three
years ; maize has suffered from blight.
Jony Young Walkjse, John McBean "Walker, and Matthew Wilson Walkeb, " The Poplars "
and "Hybla," have had twenty-five years' of observation and inquiry, andsevenyears' experience of sugar-
growing; total area of estates, 87| acres and 140 acres; 60 acres and 120 acres under sugar cane; 40
acres and 80 acres crushed last season ; sent to Millaqum 60 tons and 120 tons juice; prefer Polynesian
labour for cane-trashing and cutting; have employed European labour in field work, but Europeans are
not able or willing to do it when horses cannot be worked ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps,
Europeans working-horses and. machinery will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black
labonr, with the exception of trashing and cutting; cultivate about 8 acres for each black labourer
employed ; an important portion of the necessary work Europeans could not and wonld not do ; blacks
employed in field work do not suffer in health, but field work afFects the health of Europeans ; cost of
f elliug and burning-off scrub, £4 10s. per acre ; cane has not suffered from disease or vermin ; drought
reduced t le return of 1888 by one-third ; cost of machinery, £1,500 ; manufactured at Kirkaldy ;
machinery just erected; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 6s. to 8s.
per day ; lave tried no other crops in addition to sugarcane, except maize; consider the causes which
have rle pressed the sugar industry are a succession bad seasons, and uncertainty as t» the future supply
of subsidiary labour ; suggest f«r the relief «f the depressi«D, irrigation ani legislative security in respect
of the requisite labour.
Augustus Fueling- Babton, " Mon Eepos," six years since be began sugar growing on tho
plantation, and has watched tke action of others in growing both sugar and cotton in the "Wide Bay and
Bimdaberg districts ever since the cultivation was fir*t begu* ; total area of estate, 950 acres ; 450 acres
under cane, and about 30 acres under plough in preparation for cane ; 10 acres under garden, sweet
potatoes, &c. ; total, 490 acres ; about 200 acres cane crushed last season ; all sold to neighbouring mills,
Pairymead, Windsor, Duncraggan, and Mr. Eaulkner's, the last two being only crushing mills ;
cannot supply statistics of results ; £50,000 invested in estate ; in consequence of heavy expenditure in
1888 on alterations and erections while converting single crushing pl.ont int« double crusher, cannot say
what rate of interest was returned on the working expenses ; eutployed 41 Europeans, 9# kanakas, and 9
or 10 Chinese during cutting time; paid to kanakas under three years' engagement, £6 to £9 perannum ;
to overtime re-engaged boys, £15 to £18 per annum ; to ticket boys from 10s. to 15s. a week ; to Chinese;
for cutting cane only, 30s. a week and find themselves ; total wages paid in 1S88 — to Europeans, £3,707
and rations; to Chinese, £60 without rations; to kanakas, inclusive of introduction, food, clothing, &c,
£3,196 ; or a total of £6,963. A considerable proportion of the wages set down for Europeans has been
for mill erection works, and cannot be taken as au annual expenditure, but then, again, if the mill was at
work for sugar making for six months, it would approximate to that ; considers that if the kanaka can be
got at a reasonable rate he is the most suitable class of labour for sugar growingin Queenslaud; his wants
are few, he is tractable, and his labour is in every way suitable and reliable, which white labour can never
be ; has employed Europeans in field work, but only to a limited extent ; has found them willing to take to
it wben hard up for a temporary means of livelihood, but they soon tire of it, and are therefore an
unreliable class of labour, as they will leave the work of the cane fields at any time for any other class
of work ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans, working horses and machinery, will not
be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour, for the following reasons : horses and
machinery will never cut and transport cane without abundant manual labour ; a large staff of hands must
therefore be kept for the cutting season, which, in good years, laits from five to six months, and which
bands would be available during the rest of the year for all the other operations in the field ; cultivates
about 5 -acres for each black labourer employed, but that includes cleariog, stumping, and stoning new
land ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate fr«m 10 to 12 acres if the
land was free from stumps and stones, but "he would require plenty of assistance a,t planting and cutting
time ; at present his landis too full of stumps and stones to be worked by the plough ; blacks do not suffer ; n
health on accouut of the field work, which appears tosuit them admirably ; they sometimes suffer in health
on their first arrival, and they sometimes arrive iu a consumptive condition, when they generally either die
or
316
or recover completely; floes not think that field work affects the health of Europeans any more than any
other outdoor work ; white men generally knock off before they have been long enough at it to suffer
from the heat and want of air in the cane field; cost of falling and burning off scrub depends upon
whether the firewood is saved for the mil] ; if the wood represents a fair value when cut into cord wood,
the cost -would be reduced to almost nothing, but if the wood is not realised upon the usual contract price
is from £4 to £5 per acre, according to the quality of the scrub ; cannot say the no** of stumping it to
make it fit for the plough; never heard of it being done at the beginning ; the usual practice is to plant
between the stumps which disappear in three or four years, as scrub wood generally decays rapidly, say
from £20 to £30 an acre; cane has been affected by pou Have, or louse, which is not considered of mucli
importance ; itincreases in hot, dry weather, and the best remedy is trashing and plenty of ruin ; crop «f
1S8S sufferedfrom insulkiient a.ud unequally distributed rainfall and from frost in some places, but not
to any great extent ; cost of machinery about £20,000, inclusive of freight; manufactured by Mlrrlees.
Tait, and Watsion, Glasgow ; Robert Harvey and Co., Glasgow ; George Fletcher and Co., London ; and
many smalldetailsfromMaryiioroughfoundries; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, inclusive of insurance,
£500 ; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, £ I a week, including food aud
lodging ; considers fruit, cotton, and tobacco can be grown in district, but they are not to be depended
upon without irrigation ; with irrigation, both fruit, such as mangoes and pineapples, and tohacco could
be growTi to perfection in the rich soil of the "Woongarra Scrub ; also tea and coffee on the slopes of the
Hummock; on a small scale these articles could be grown by farmers and their families on small holdings,
but on a large scale some reliable class of labour other than European would be required tr> render their
growth profitable; has grown fruit of various kinds with very frood results, but f»i- this the market
might soon be overdone ; also enccanuts, but not yet in bearing. The causes which, in his opinion, have
depressed the sugar industry are — 1st, the uncertainty of the coutinuance of a reliable and sufficient
labour supply ; 2nd, the drought ; 3rd, the low price of sugar; -1th, a vexatious system of harassing the
planter or other employer of Polynesians both before, duriug, and after their introduction into the
country ; 5th, the prohibition against the use of kanakas for any labour other than sugar growing. The
planters now have much trouble in keeping themselves supplied with corn for their horses, and have a far
higher price to pay for it than they would h:ive if the farmer was allowed the use of kanakas the same
as themselves, and as a planter he thinks it unfair that the farmer who supplies him with corn should be
handicapped by having to pay a higher price for labour than he pays himself; suggests as a means by
which the industry can be relieved from the depression, and for tie promotion of tropical agriculture
outside of sugar growing : 1st, irrigation ; and 2nd, a continuance of cheap and reliable labour, confined to
certain districts if necessary.
Hans Bock, parish of South Kolan ; total area of estate, 84 acres; 72 acres under cultivation)
34 acres of which are under cane lately planted, the rest under make, except a small patch of sweet,
potatoes ; £1,050 invested iu estate, which did not pay working expenses in 1888 ; working expenses for
1888, £150, of which about £60 was paid for stumping ; employed chiefly white men; average wages
paid to coloured classes of labour, 12s. a week and found ; total wages paid to all cla.-sscs in 1SSS, about
£150 ; thinks white labour the most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans in field work and
they are able and willing to do it when horses cannot be worked ; one European, working horses and
machinery, will do as much work as ten kanakas; his European ploughman worked from April up to the
end of the year and cultivated 72 acres; blacks employed in iield work suffer in health sometimes; does
not thj.nfc that field work affects the health of Europeans ; cos t per acre of felling and burning-off scrub,
£4 to £5 ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough from £1 10s. to £2 per acre ; maize has
suffered from blight ; second crop of 1888 was totally destroyed ; considers the cause of the depression
of the sugar industry is drought ; says, in relation to relief of the depression, "By all means let us have
irrigation, and there will be no more depression of the industry."
Kenneth Gkiffitfs Buchanan, representing the firm of Buchanan and Denny, " Oakwood
Plantation;" total area, of estate — Oakwood 585 acTes, Camp Island 40 acres, total 625 acres : 340 acres
under cane ; ISO acres cane crushed last season for a yield of 416,759 gal I cms of juice, sent to Millaquin
refinery, and which produced 183 tons 7 cwt. 3 qrs. (5 lbs. of sugar; £l7,000invested in estate, which failed
to pay expenses in 18SS ; working expenses for 1888, ab»ut £1,980 ; employed a monthly average of 13
Europeans, and 44 Polynesians ; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour — three-year agreement
islanders, £6 to £9 per annum ; time-expired islander.*, £1.3 10s. to £21 per annum; total wages paid in
1888 — Europeans, £543 12s. with rations ; Europeans £96 3s. without ration s ; Polynesians, £395 with
rations ; t»ta], £t,034 15s. Considers Polynesiaus the most suitable for field work, as they are the most
reliable ; has employed Europeans in field work for ploughing and horse-hoeing, and has done most of his
cane carting with them; thinks it would be impossible to get the men to stick to the field work for any
length of time, as, although ploughmen will remain with him for years, the horse drivers, such as they
are, never care for the work for any tune, and is constantly called upon to look for fresh bauds during
the season ; wages for horse drivers 20s. per week with rations ; his experience of working unstumped
laud is very limited, having only about 40 acres to work, but as far as he has seen, thiuks that new scrub
lands with stumps has far less weeding to be done in it than lauds under the plough, and the European
ploughing between the cane is often very apt to take grass in on his plough from the headlands, which is
really difficult to eradicate; ctiltivates ti to 7 acres for each black labourer employed; one European,
working plough, horse, hoe, &c, might possibly cultivate 5 acres; blacks employed in field work do not
sufferin health ; islanders at the expiration of their agreement seem healthier and stronger than on arrival ;
field work does not affect the health of Europeans, but they require a spell from time to time ; stumped
the whole of his land on commencing work, by contracts varying from £3 to £7 per acre ; can* has been
affected by a white louse which seems harmless ; whole crop of 1 888 ua* badly frosted : has expended
£4,700 on a crushing plant manufactured by Mirrlees, Watson, and Co., of Glasgow; cost of annual overhaul
and repairs very triflng; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, carpenters,
7s. to 10s. per diem with rations, engineers 7s. to 10s. per diem with rations ; tobacco has been tried in
some parts of the d.ist ict, though cannot say with any satisfaction, the seasons and labour being against
it; Polynesian lakour would be required to render its growth profitable; considers causes which have
depressed the sugar industry are — fall of price in sugar; poor crops, in consequence of droughts and
frosts j
317
frosts ; and the uncertain feeling with which financial institutions, and outside capitalisfesview the industry
with regard to the labour question ; suggests for the relief of the depression, intercolonial freetrade, a
system of irrigation which ou^ht to be assisted by the Government, and a field for recruitin* labour which
would be cheap aud certain and free from strikes ; no tropical, or in fact any, agriculture could be carried
on without a more certain raiafall than has been known io the distinct of late years.
j4ngtj8 Gibson? (Gibson ar.d Howes), " linsera," manages estate ; has been cultivating tropical and
other produce since 1563, caie principally since 1567 (or twenty-two years' experience in cane cultivation) ;
area of estate 2 : S58 acres; 1,150 aeres under cane, 6 under sweet potatoes, G under garden and orchard,
and G acres under maize— total area cultivated 1,168 acres; 7G6 acres crushed last season ; 100 acres crushed
for farmers last season ; made 1,«70 tons sugar aud about 50,000 callous molasses, some of -which was
pumped over the laud, the balance being stored in tanks (unsaleable) ; £78,000 capital invested in fllie
estate, which returned 8|- per cent, in 1*SH, and 5 per cent, for deprecation ; working expenses for 188S,
£18,378 lis. 8d.; employed 08 Europeans, 8 Chinese, 200 kanakas; average wages paid kanakas £LL
7s. id. cash, miscellaneous payments on account kanakas £16 14s. Id. per head, total cost per head per
annum £28 Is, 2d.; total wages paid to all classes, 1888 — £12,600 lis. Id. ; unhesitatingly says that
kanakas on agreement are the most suitable labour for Geld work; but that Chinamen on contract are
first-class workers ; has employed all classes of European labour in field work and finds that a few can
and will do all Kinds of work in the field, but that two-thirds will not give a fair day's labour, a.nd
they say " white men should not be expected to do it," and they will not; when the land is perfectly
free from stumps, Europeans, working with horses? aud machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the
work now done by black labour ; cultivates from 5 to 6 acres for each black labourer employed, including
cutting and loading cane on the truck and drays for the mill ; one European couli go over a good bit of
land with the horse and hoe, but would not stoop to do the chipping and trashing in the cane, that work
would require to he done by a kanaka, so comld not say how many acres one European could cultivate if able
to use the htrse, plough, and hoe on the land; his experience is that kanakas, as a rule, improve in
physique during the three years employed io the field ; when Europeans have to labour like kanakas in
the field their health is affected ; falling and burning off scrub costs £5 an acre, but his scrub is light ; if
stumped would cost £15 an acre ; after five years' standing and working it would cost £3 to stump land
aud render it fit for the plough ; his cane has suffered from vermin, wallabies, rats, &c, from unoccu-
pied land, grasshoppers, cane louse (more especially in dry weather) ; for the latter, trashing has been
tried, and wire netting fences have been tried for wallabies, and have been more or less effectual ; frost
was his greatest enemy in 1855, and by it they lust a third of their crop; this was caused principally by
the flood of the previous year ; machinery and buildings cost£40,000, and was manufactured in England aud
Scotland ; the tramways, waggons, and implements cost £5,000 ; annual overhaul and repairs costs about
£2,000 ; cannot say what wages are paid outside of agriculture in the Bundaberg district, but there are
a large number of timber-gelters ; thinks that bananas, grape vines, pineapples, oranges, maize, sweet
potatoes, and many other tropical plants coulrl be grown in the district, and with the exception of maize
could he grown profitably with European labour, and these labourers would work; lias grown sweet
potatoes, and has had a return of 30 tons per acre ; considers causes w hich have depressed tlie sugar industry
are, costliness in preparing plantation aud erection of machinery, which is usually one-third over estimate ;
time involved before any return is received on capital spent; want of sufficient knowledge on part of
employer and employed, both in the mill and on the land; severe frosts, droughts, and floods ; extra cost of
island labour through harsh enactments, causiug want of confidence ou part of money-lenders, and
hence limited funds ; excessive competition with cheap labour — made sugar of Mauritius, China, Fiji,
Java, &c, caused by heavy bounty-fed article in hooie markets ; heavy charges of commission agents,
&c, for sale of sugar. Suggests tor tkc relief of the depression — 1st, united action by the Australasian
Governments upon the Imperial Government, pointing out how unfair it is to encourage the bounty
system, with a request to put a stop to it at once ; 2nd, Australian treaty by free trade among the colonies
and protection against the world, but for the present reciprocity with Victoria and South Australia, by
interchange of products which would conduce to advancement of each colony ; 3rd, Government aid for a
system of irrigation ; 4th, extension of kanaka labour for a further term, or until the fiscal arrangements
of the colonies are so modified that a price can be obtained for the commodity that shall enable the
industry to give a r eturn on capital, which will create renewed confidence in its stability. Suggests for
the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing— 1st, system of irrigation ; 2ud, find
markets for products grown, by introduction of jam (and other products) and tobacco factories; 3rd,
competent men employed by Government to lecture in the different ceutres of agriculture.
Ja'Mf.s Pwngi.e, " Bonna," has had eight years' experience of sugar cultivation; total
area, of estate 2,485 acres ; 200 acres under sugar cane, 2 acres under lucerne, and 1 acre
under sweet potatoes ; 196 acres crushed last season for a yield of 270 tons of sugar ; molasses
used for horse feed and some run to waste ; £11,197 invested in estate, which just paid
working expenses and interest in 1555 ; working expenses for 158S — wages and rations £2.489
14s. 6d., and interest, repairs, &c., £1,472 19s. ; employed -10 kanakas, 17 Europeans during crush-
ing and 8 during off season ; p;ud kanakas under original agreement £6 a year ; under yearly agreements
£18; total wages paid in 1988 — to Europeans £964 Ss. Id., and to kanakas £926 19s. 7d. ; Polynesians
most suitable for field work ; has never employed Europeans in field work, except in conjunction with
horses; when land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery can certainly
do a great deal of the work now done by black Ir.bour, but they cannot do it all ; there is always a lot of
hoe work after the horses have done their best, as well as trashiug and cutting ; cultivates 5 acres for each,
black labourer employed; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, on land could cultivate 30
to 35 acres in favourable season ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health except in very dry
or very cold weather ; has had no sickness amongst Europeans employed in field work; cost of falliug
and burning off scrub £5 to £7 per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fi t for plough varieswith descrip-
tion of timber, and whether stumps are allowed three or four years to rot — should say from £5 to £15
per acre; no disease in cane ; cost of machinery, £5,M0, manufactured chiefly at Union foundry, Mary-
borough, aid pai't imported ; cost «f annual •verhaul and repairs under £10t a year ; wages paid to Euro-
pean labourers in district — sugar boilers £:^, engine drivers 50s., fireman 30s. per week ; considers
causes
318
causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — the serious fall in market value of sugar and uncer-
tainty about the labour question; suggests for the relief of the iudustry— intercolonial freetrade, which
would no doubt help considerably, and a clear and unmistakable settlement of the labour question.
Anne Greatuea*, " Hopewell " plantation, has had nineteen years' experience in sugar cultivation;
total area of estate, 205 acres ; 192 acre under cane, 3 acres under sweet potatoes, and the rest grass ;
172 acres can« crushed last season, yielding 525 tons of sugar; molasses pumped away; £12,000 invested
in the estate, which returned 5 per cent, interest in 1888 ; working expenses for 18SS, £6,221 10s. 9d.;
employed 12 Europeans and 55 kauakas ; average wages paid to kanakas, £20 per annum; total wages
paid in 1888 to all classes of labour, £2,374 18s. 3d ; kanakas .ire the most suitable for field work ; when
they are well treated they are always willing to work ; has employed Europeaus in the field, but from
experience finds they are not able to do the work of trashiug or working in the cane ; they will do
nothing with the exception of the plough and horse-hoe work ; cultivates 4 acres to each black labourer
employed ; one European would work 10 acres of cane with plough, horse, and hoe for about three
months of the year ; he will not stop any longer in the cane as he usually says it is too hot ; blacks
employed in field work do not suffer in health ; they suffer from dysentery and asthma; Europeans
employed in field work generally seem unable to stand the excessive heat ; cost per acre of felling and
bnrning-ofE scrub, £5 ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £2 10s. per acre four years
after the scrub is felled and cultivated ; cane has suffered from rats and baudicots ; has tried no remedies ;
cost of machinery, £8,250 ; manufactured by N. Tooth and Co., and Macnnie ; cost of annual overhaul
and repairs, about £400 ; thinks coffee, tobacco, cotton, aud banana* can be grown in district; considers
the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are the uncertainty of reliable labour, and the low
prices of sugar, owing to the heavy duties in neighbouring colonies ; suggests for the relief of the
depression, suitable and reliable labour; thinks sugar cane the only crop suited to the district, and if it
fails the district will fail also.
James Cran, " Duncraggan," has been engaged for fifteen years in the cultivation of sugar cane
in Queensland ; total area of estate, 1,287 acres; 1,100 acres under cane, and 10 to 12 acres under sweet
potatoes ; 700 acres of cane crushed last season ; cane juice representing 800 tons of sugar, and 200 tons
purchased from neighbours ; no molasses; £50.000 invested in estate, which returned 9 per cent, in
1888 ; working expenses for 1888, £7050 ; employed 160 kanakas, 50 Chinese, and 3S Europeans ;
Chinese on contract earned £1 10s. per week ; kanakas received lis. 4d. per week, and Europeans 28s-
per week, including rations; total wages paid in 1888— to Europeans £1,450 (not iucluding rations), to
Chinese £H28 8s. Id , and kauakas £1,000, not including cost of introduction, rations, clothing, &c,
which wouldbring the amount up to £4,600 ; kanaka labour, without a doubt, is the most suitable for
field work, being more reliable and less likely to interfere with European labour ; has tried Europeans
at field work without success, excepting so far as the actual horso work is concerned ; they will not do
the tr,inhing, cutting, &c, and say it is only fit for black fellows; they frequently leave at a moment's
notice, and if forcedby agreement to remain will make employer glad to ask them to go ; vdieu the laud
is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of
tl» work now dono by black labour; they can do a good deal of cultivation between the rows, but there
will alwayn be a great deal of hard work, even in the cleaning of the cane, which is after all only a small
matter compared with other work ; cultivates 7 acres for each blank labourer employed ; one European,
if able to use plough, horse, hoe, <fec, might cultivato 20 acres, but that merely means the cultivation
between the cane rows, which is very little compared with other work ; blacks employed in field work do
not suffer in health ; working in the cane affects the health of Europeans ; cost per acre of falling and
burning off scrub, from £1 to £5 per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough from £10 to
£15 per acre, immediately after felling, but from 4 to 5 years after, the cost is reduced to say £1 10s. per
acre or less; cine has not suffered from disease much, but a great lot of young cane, and in fact ratoons
are attacked by a large white grub, which Irills the plants ; has had men following the plough to kill the
grubs, but it was a very expensive remedy and only fairly successful; about 25 acres of crop of 1888-
ruined; cost of machinery, £20.500; double crushing plant manufactured by Geo- Fletcher and Co.,
London and Derby ; small single crusher by Tooth and Co., Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul
and repairs about £150 ; thinks tobacco is the only tropical productiou other than sugar that can be
grown successfully iu district, and kanaka or some equally reliable labour would be required to render
its growth profitable ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — -competition
with bounty-fed sugars, high rate of wages paid, and irregular and iusuffhaent rainfall ; suggests for the
relief of the depression— 1st, the repeal of the Act passed to prohibit introduction of kanakas after 1890,
so that suitable labour might be assured, and protection against the outside world; says white labour
will nev er do plantation work — has no hesitation in stating that, after experience of sixteen years and
very many attempts to adapt that labour to the uork; the district is eminently suitable for sugar
growing if a cheap aud reliable labour is at hand.
MARYEOROUiH DISTRICT.
.Tames Chan, " l indah," has had sixteen yem-s' experience of sugar cull ivation in Queensland; total
area of estate, 1,200 acres ; 2S0 acres under cane, 9 aer«s under sweet potatoes, 10 or 12 acres under oats ;
180 acres cane crushed last season ; juice, representing 150 tons; no molasses as juice is sent to central
factory, Yengiu ie ; £21,000 invested in estate, wlu'ch returned a loss in 1888; working expenses for 1888,
£t,000; employed 50 kanakas and from 18 to 20 Europeans; average wages paid to kanakas, £a0 per
annum, including cost of introduction ; total wages paid in 1888— to Europeans £912 and rations, to
kanakas, £2,100 ; prefers kanaka, labour for field work ; has employed Europeans in field work; they will
do the horse work but not the chipping, trashing and cutting ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps
does not see that Europeans, workiug horses and machinery, will be able to do more work, except cleaniug
between the rows, than they do now ; cultivates about ti acres for each black labourer employed ; one
European, if able to use plough, horse, h«c, <tc, might work 15 acres, hut that would only be the simple
cleaning between the rows (and this is done by white labour as all the land i.s under plough) ; there would
still be llie chipping, trashing, cutting, &c., to be done, all of which ia done by kanakain bis six acres,
and this work u Idle mcu will not do ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, but fi eld work
affects
319
affects tbe health of Europeaus ; cost of falliug aud burning off scrub, from £i to £5 au acre ; cost of
stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £10 to £12 per ncre if done immediately after felling, but in
four or fire years most of the stumps decay and the cost is theu small; cane has uot beeu aif ected by
disease since rust swept the fields some vears back ; cost of machinery, £9,000 ■ one mill manufactured
by Johu Walker aud Co, and the other "by (xco. J'letcher and Co.; cost of auuual overhaul aud repairs,
£120; tbinks bauanas, piueapples, maugoes, &c, cau be grown in the district, but the local demaud is
limited and shipping does uot pay ; to reuder their growth profitable, cheap aud reliable labour would be
required— kanakas if coat of introduction was reduced; considers causes of depression of the sugar
iudustiy arc — high cost of labour, irregular rainfall, and competition with bounty fed sugavs ; suggests
for the relief of the deprcssu'ou— the repeal of the Act prohibiting the iutroductiou of kauakasafter 1800,
aud means devised by which that labour cau be introduced at less cost with a regular supply, protection,
against bouuty fed sugars, aud irrigation ; kuows of no labour so suitable for carryiug on the iudustry,
aud oue which interferes less with white labour than kanakas ; evary kauaka iutroduced to work ou sugar
plantations makes work for European labour.
Robert McG-tnGAir, "Whalhalla," has had ten years' experieuce in the cultivation of sugar cane;
in 1888 leased Walhalla Plantation, but owing to employmeut o f Europeaus and to depressed state of the
sugar industry was forced to cease operatioos ; closing also caused by a Europeau setting tire to the cane
through smoking iu the field; £5,000invested iu estate, which returned noiuterestiu!888; workinge^peusee
for 188S about £700; employed 25 Europeaus and 12 kanakas ; paid coloured labour 7s. ttd. per week ;
prefers kanakas for field labour as they are the only reliable labourers ; has employed Europeans in field
work, but they are neither able or willing to do it; when the land is perfectly free from stumps
Europeaus, workiug horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work uow douo by black,
labour, if they hav» machiuery that will trash and chip aud cut the caue ; cultivates about 7 acres
for each black laboureremployed ; oue Europeau, if able to use plough, horse, aud hoe, would work uot more
thau 7 acres, as a good deal would have to be doue by baud; blacks employed in field work sometimes
suffer iu health ; field work affects the health of Europeans ; wheu with Messrs. Crau Eros, has seen
white meu, uuder agreement, who could uot do the work ; they dropped down in the field from the
heat of the sun, and their work was only slummed in comparison with the work done by kanakas ; wages
paid to Europeau labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 15s to 20s. per week ; thinks that the
bounty-made sugar (G-ermau) has beeu the chief cause of the depressed state of the iudustry ; also
uncertaiuty of labour .aud bad seasons.
.Tames Chan, " The Island," has had sixteen years' experience in sugar cultivation iu Queeusland ;
total area of estate, 253 acres ; 230 acres under caue, 2 acres under bauauas, and ;> acres uuder sweet
potatoes; 200 acres crushed last seasou; juice, representing 230 tous, sold to central factory (Yeugarie);
£12,#00, iuvested iu estate; which barely paid expenses in 1888; working expeuses for 1888, £3,000;
employed 20 Europeaus aud 45 kanakas ; wages paid to kanakas, £30 per auuum, includiug rations, cost
of introduction, &c, ; total wages paid in 18HS— to Europeaus £900, to kanakas £1,600, iucludiug
rations ; cousiders kauakas the most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans in field work ; they
will do the horse work, but say other work is ouly fit for black fellows ; they are thoroughly uureliable,
and leave at a moment's notice; wheu the laud is perfectly free from slumps Europeaus, working horses
and machinery, may do a great deal of the work uow doue by black labour; iu fact they do now the
cleaning betweeu the rows, but that represents a very small portion of the work iu the caue field ;
cultivates about; G acres for each black labourer employed, but they do the whole of the horse work, with whit*
ploughmen, &c, on the plantatiou ; one Europeau, if able to use horse, plough, hoe, &c, could work 15 to 18
ncrfs, but that would ouly meau the plough work, aud would leave the heaviest of the work, such as trashing,
culling, Sec, to be done, which he has ofteu tried to get Europeans to do but without success; blacks
employed iu field work do not suffer in health ; field work affects the health of Europeaus, trashiu* and
eveu cutting, which is nearly alwajs done in hot weather, certainly injures their health ; cost per acre of
falling and burning off scrub, £4 to £5 per acre ; cost of stumping it t» make it fit for the plough would
probably cost £12 per acre more, unless time is gireu (say live years) to let stumps decay, wheu the cost
is small; no disease in caue since the rust year, wheu all cane in district was killed; cost of machiuery,
£:i,600; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £100; thinks bauauas, piueapples, and maugoes cau be
grown in district ; kanaka or other reliable aud cheap labour would be required to reuder their growth
profitable; lias not grown any other tropical productions besides sugar to any extent, but merely for home
coufiumptiou ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar iudustry are — competitiou with bounty
fed sugars, high cost of labour, uncertain supply of labour, aud irregular seasous ; suggests for the relief
of the depression — the repeal of the Act prohibiiiug the iutroductiou of kanakas, aud meaus devised by
which that labour can be introduced at less cost thau at preseut with a regular supply, protectiou agaiust
bouuty-fed sugars, and irrigation ; says that iu his experieuce, exteuding over sixteen years as a sugar
grower, has never found labour so suitable for carrying ou the industry as kanakas, because they iuterfere
so little with European labour, and every kauaka who is introduced to work on sugar plautat ions makes
work for Europeau labour.
Jotj.v Mitchell, " Iiudah," has been for seven years overseer on estate ; 200 acres uuder caue,
2 acres uuder garden, 14 acres under oats, and 10 acres under maize ; 90 acres caue crusher! last sea.sou ;
sugar manufactured at Yengarie ; employed 40 kanakas and 5 Europeaus ; average wages paid to
coloured labour £7 per anuum ; thinks kanaka labour the most suitable for field work ; Europeaus quite able
to do field work, but consider it beneath ihein ; when tho laud is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans,
workinghorses andmachiuery, will be able to do a greatdeal ofthe work now doue by black labour, provided
the land is not too much brokeu aud seasous favourable to a steady growth ; cultivates about 5 acres for
each black labourer employed, but more could be cultivated with uo frost, floods or drought; oue Euro-
pean, if iihleto use plough, horse, hoe, Ac, could cultiv.ito 12 to 20 acres, on good level laud, keepiugit
clean aud doing the uecessary amount of ploughing; blacks employed in field work do not suffer iu health
if free from disease, aud if theylnave good food aud water; field work affects the health of Europeans,
because they smoke aud drink water, &e, to excess ; rust has affected cane slightly owing to impoverished
condition of laud ; crop of l.SSS only harmed by flood ami by exflra quantity oi' uut grass ; machiuery
manufactured iu Eallarat aud Eugtand; cost of auuual overhaul aud repairs about £50; wages paid to
European.
320
European labourers, outside of agriculture, in district, Os. per diem, but many are working at much less ;
district is suitable for fruitgrowing; kanaka labour would be required to render its growth profitable;
has grown good crops of grapes, pineapples, oranges, &c. ; considers the causes which hare depressed the
sugar industry are— land always under one crop, drought, floods, and difficulties unforeseen, such as hare
arisen through ignorance of legislators ; suggests for the relief of the depression — irrigation, aud an
immediate decision as to description of labour, with assistance in procuring machinery to assist in field
work ; says that tropical agriculture, outside of sugar growing, can be assisted by growers being able to
dispose of all varieties of fruit at a profitable price.
John Gautie has had twenty-one years' experience of sugar cultivation ; considers white and
kanaka labour the most suitable for fi eld work ; has employed Europeans in field work, and they are able
and willing 10 do it when horses cannot be used ; Europeans can do all labour with the exception of
trashiug; cultivates 3-j acres for each black labourer employed; one European, if able to use plough,
horse, hoe, &c, e«u Id cultivate from 20 to 30 acres; field work does not affect the health of blacks,
although fever patients have been received into hospital from plantations ; cane has suffered from a. sort
of fleshy or liorny parasite, which settles round cane joints, and which trashing cures ; wages paid to
European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 5s. Gd. to Ss. a day ; considers grapes,
bauanas, and all vegetables can be grown in district ; white labour would be required to render their
growth profitable ; lias grown profitably sweet potatoes, vegetables, ami artificial grasses; causes which,
iu [us opinion, have depressed the sugar industry are : 1st, sudden fall in price of sugar from £22 to
£14 per ton ; 2nd, the continual replanting of laud with the same crop ; 3rd, trying to make land give
produce uitbout ever giviug the land anything to assist its productive properties ; 4th, the continuous in-
breediug of cane ; 5th, the great rise that has taken plaeo in the price of kanaka labour during the past
four years; 6th. trying to cultivate more land than the capital or labour is capable of doing ; suggests
for the relief of the depression, the free impoi-t of all Australiau grown sugar into all Australian
colonies ; finds that vineyards give the best return for capital and labour expended in district, and if
farmers could be induced to take up land (even if on red volcanic soil) when by erecting windmills or
cheap water pumps they would be assured of water, has not the slightest hesitation in asserting they
would be repaid fifty-fold,
Perct Biddies, " Bryrum," has had fifteen years experience in sugar cultivation ; total area of
estate, 380 acres ; 70 acres under sugar cane, 40 acres under corn, 60 acres under other crops ; 20 acres cane
crushed last seas on"; 12 tons sugar made, and 1,500 gallons of molasses ; sold molasses ; £4,500 invested
in estate, which did not pay interest in 1888 ; working expenses for 1S88, £487 17s.; employed 8 South
Sea Islanders, 4 Europeans, and 6 extra hands during crushing; average wages paid to coloured classes
of labour, 10s. per week; total wages paid in 1888 to all classes, £3157 10s. Considers South Sea
Islanders the most suitable for field work ; has employed European labour on field work, but there is no
reliance to be placed on it ; Europeans are able but not willing to do the work ; when the land is
perfectly free from stumps Europeans working horses and machinery will certainly be able to do a great
deal of the work now done by blaek labour ; cultivates 8 acres for each black labourer employed ; one
European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, <fec, would cultivate about 10 acres ; does not think that field
labour affects the health of either whites or blacks ; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £4 to £5 an
acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £15 to £20 an acre ; frost is the only thing that
has affected the cane ; lost two-thirds of crop of 1888 by frost ; cost of machinery, £1,500; manufactured
in Glasgow and Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £18 10s. for the last eight years ;
wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 4s. Gd. to 6s. 6d. per day ; thinks
tobacco, cotton, arrowroot, bananas, and oranges, can be grown in district; reliable labour would be
required to render their growth profitable; has grown bananas, oranges, arrowroot, and tobacco, in a
small way ; they will all pay interest on money invested ; cousiders the causes which have depressed the
sugarindustry are : 1st, the fall in price; 2nd, the deterioration of the land ; 3rd, the uncertainty of
labour; 4th, the great difficulties placed in the way of investors in sugar obtainiug the only reliable labour
that has presented itself — viz., South Sea Island labour ; suggests for the relief of the depression freetrade
in the eolouies ; is of opinion that tobacco would pay well, but il wants some inducement for people to
«tart growing it ; the great majority of cultivators are too poor to try it in a large way ; believes a good
plan would be for the Government to take in hand and work Government district farms all »ver the
colony.
ItOBF.nT Hfcxsr Aktili, "Antigua," has been for tweuty -seven years in the Bundaberg district, and
for four years m anaging the estate; total area 1,600 acres; 300 acres under cane; crops of last season allowed
to stand over; annual working expenses, about £4,000 ; when working, employed about 60 kanakas, and
from 15 to 20 white men ; paid to coloured labour, £6 aud £9 per annum, and' to overtime boys, 10s. per
week ; last year nearly all hands were discharged, aud the crop allowed to stand over ; after taking the
crop off this coming season the plantation will be closed ; amount usually pays to white men is about
£750 per annum, and to kanakas, £100 per annum ; no other coloured labour has been employed ; for
hoeing, cane cutling, trashing, <fcc, prefer kanakas next to Chinese; has only occasionally employed white
men in field work, and never found them willing to stay more tliau a few weeks; they will not work
during December, January, and February ; a man with a horse-hoe will do twelve times the amount of
weeding that a kanaka will, but trashing, cutting, loading, and planting will always have to be done by
hand : now that so lillle iirc*'«ocl is used, and so much scarifying unci ploughing done, kanaka labour is
reduced to a minimum, and the number required for crushing filled up bv white or any other labour
available ; cultivates 5 to 6 acres for each black labourer employed ; during the first years' work blacks
employed in Held work arc subject to dysentery during tho hot weather ; Europeans also suffer from
d/ar-rhoca and dysentery in hot weather; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £5 per acre ; cost of
s umping to make it fit for the plough, £;3 10s. per acre if d one three years after being felled, cane bas
been affected by piuk lice, but not to any great extent ; rats and bandicoots gnaw the cane, and cats aud
carpet snakes keep them dowu ; costof machinery, probably about £10,000 ; made by Mirrlees, Tait, and
Vatson ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £100 ; wages paid to European labourers in district,
outside of agriculture, from 15s. to 20s. per week, and found ; has grown aud manufactured tobacco in
district for three years, kut found the climate not suitable ; considers the causes of the depression of the
Eugar
321
sugar industry are : large production of beet sugar ; competition with countries growing sugar with cheap
labour ; continued droughts ; and increase in cost of kanaka labour ; says in relation to the relief of the
depression : droughts may be partially overcome by irrigation, in which the Government may be induced
to help by lending money and striking a water rate in those localities where irrigation is feasible; the
bounties are practically being abolished, which will cause a slight revival in price in the world's market ;
if kanaka labour be cn couraged and the cost per annum lessened, by making the agreement for five years
instead of three, and at the end of that term the kanaka be compelled to re-engage or return to his
island, there is still hope of the industry re-establishing itself; while the doubt still remains as to the
action which the Government will take on the abolition of black labour next year, all capital will be
withheld, and the plantations irrevocably abandoned ; any action taken must be immediate, and of such
a nature as to restore the confidence of capitalists.
Peter Rccdaewson, " Alford," has had twenty-five years' experience in sugar cultivation;
total area of estate, 500 acres ; 130 acres under cultivation ; 80 acres cane crushed last season ;
GO tons of juice sent to the refinery : £10,000 invested in estate ; which returned no interest
in 1888, owing to drought, froFt:, &c, ; working expenses for ls8 -i, £1,300 ; employed 30 kanakas
and 5 white men ; average wages paid to coloured classes of labour, £22 per annum ; total wages
paid in 1888 — overseer, £78; two ploughmen, £(J5 each; blacksmith, £78; kanakas, at £2-2 each;
t»tal, £010; considers Polynesian labour the most suitable for Eeld work; has employed Euro-
peans in field work, but finds great difficulty in getting them to take kindly to it, or to do any
disagreeable work in the sugar house ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans, work-
ing horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black labour, but never-
theless must keep a full staff of Polynesians, as could not depend on white labour, either for trashing or
the more important work of getting the crop off; cultivates between 4 and 5 acres for each black
labourer employed; one European could plough and cultivate between 30 .and 10 acres, but a great deal
of hand and hoe work w on Id be required after that; neither blacks or whites Buffer in health through
doing field work ; cost of falling and burning off scrub, £4 to £d per acre ; cost of stumping it to make
it fit for the plough, from £6 to £8, according to theageof the stumps ; cane has suffered from no disease;
suffered severely from frost in 1888 ; cost of machinery, £1,500, manufactured iu Maryborough; cost of
annual overhaul and repairs, about £30 ; wages paid to carpenters and blacksmiths in district, outside of
agriculture, about 30s. a week and found; thinks maize, grapes, pineapples, oranges, and sweet
potatoes can be grown in the district ; considers the cause of the depressi on in the sugar industry is — the
large quantity of refined and marketable sugar introduced from Java and China. This sugar a few years
ago was sent home unrefined. Mauritius also sends a large quant ity of sugar here now, owing to tie
depressed state of the sugar market in England, caused by the immense quantities of beetroot sugar
from the Continent ; droughts and bad seasons have also injured the industry ; suggests for the relief of
the depression some system of reciprocity with the •thcr colonies ; the extension of kanaka labour, the
reduction in price of introducing thorn, and facilities given by the Government t o irrigate in localities
where it ran be 'done to advantage ; thinks tropical agriculture could be greatly assisted if the Govern-
ment were to establish an experimental farm somewhere on the coast in the northern district, where
cocoanuts, sea-island cotton, and rice could be tried ; if cocoanuts can be grown to advantage, their culti-
vation will eventually become a great industry in the North, as little labour is required for the manu-
facture of the oil.
Ricitard Henry Maund Haii, "Aurora," has been overseer, vacuum pan boiler, manager, and
owner from June, 1875 ; total area of estate, 800 acres ; G8 acres under cane, 18 acres under maize, 1^
acres jetania, l£ acres potatoes, 1 acre garden, 6 acres fallow ; total, 95 acres ; 53 acres cane crushed
last season ; 25 tons sugar manufactured at Yeugarie; £6,000 invested in estate, which returned a loss
in 1888; working expenses for 1888, about £561 ; employed permanently, 2 European married couples
and H Polynesians; during crushing season employed 7 Europeans and 3 kanakas extra ; wages paid to
coloured labour under on'ginal agreement — £6, £9, and £12 per annum, and to overtimeboys 10s. to 12s.
per week; total wages paid in 1888— Europeans, £187 9s. 9d. ; kanakas, £103 17s. 6d.; total, £291 7s. 3d.;
considers Polynesian labour the most suitable.f or field work; has employed Europeans in field work; they
are certainly able to do the work, but it being monotonous and irksome, they remain at it only so long as
necessity compels them; all his land is stumped; would employ one labourer to 8 acres when land is under
plough, probably requiring extra labour at certain times; has 1 ploughman with 2 horses to every 35 acres;
blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health ; has had to remove them from wet lauds during
wet months ; new arrivals (Europeans) suffer from dysentery and sunstroke when employed in field work;
they cannot stand work in heavy cane during the wet months ; cost of falling scrub, £2 to £2 15j. per
acre, and of burning off, 10s. to 30s. per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, about
20s. per acre after the laud has been five years under cane, but has known some to cost £16 per acre;
cane has not suffered from vermiu or disease; cost of machinery, £1,800, manufactured by To»th and
Co., Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs inconsiderable ; thinks fibres might be gr«wn iu
district, but Polynesian or Asiatic labour would be required to render their growth profitable; considers
causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — competition with continental bounty-fed beet sugar ;
increased cost of labour ; impending cessation of black labour ; unfavourable seasons of 1885, 1886, 18S7,
and 1888 ; general want of confideuL*e felt by banks, capitalists, and planters, owing to the Government's
breach of faith with those engaged iu the industry ; suggests for the relief of the depression — repeal of
Act threatening cessation of recruiting, withdrawal of harassing regulations} re recruiting, and revision of
Polynesian Act. These may tend to restore confidence, but is of opinion that it will require many years
of judicious legislation to do so completely ; suggests, by way of promoting tropical agriculture outside
of sugar growing, ensuring to those desirous of embarking therein a supply of reliable labour.
John Civvuke, " Eaton Vale" has had twenty years' experience in sugar growing; total area of
estate, 430 acres ; 200 acres under cane and 3t acres under maize ; crushed 150 acres last season ; juice
sent to refinery (900 gallons per acre) ; £10,000 invested in estate, which returned no interest in 188d ;
working expenses for 1888, £1,500 ; employed 10 Europeaus and 23 kanakas; wages paid to coloured
classes of labour, £8 per head and rations ; tot.il wages paid to all classes in 1888, £7§0 ; considers
Polynesian labour the most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans in field work, but they
X will
322
will not do it; ^hen th(S land is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans. worWiig feowes and machinery,
will be able to do a great deal of the uoik now done by black labour ; cultivates about 8 acres with
hoi ses for each black labourer employed ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, but
Europeans will not stop long enough to try it; cost of felling and burning-off scrub, about £5 an acre;
cost of stumping it to make it in for the plough, £40 an acre if done immediately after burning; cane
has not suffered from disease since the rust of'l875 ; crop of 1^88 affected by frost ; does not k now cost
of machinery, part Colonial and part British munufactnre; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about
£100; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, from 15s. to 2us. per week ;
thinks bananas can be grown in district ; considers the causes which have depressed the; sugar industry
are— low prices, bad seasons, and the doctor not strict enough in passing the boys on their arrival ; suggests
irrigation as a remedy for the depression.
William Ciiaei.es "Wils»2s, " Birbirim," has been sugar planting for seven years on the Mary
River ; total area of estate, 870 acres; 150 acres under cultivation, of which 40 acres are under cane,
and the remainder under Tad»ii!; ciops, but Mill be planted will cane vdien the wilder is over; about
20 acres cmshed last season ; his land is heavy alluvial sail, subject to flood ; had a crop of 150 acres cf
cane destroyed in the February flood of 1887," which he estimated at the time would have returned 2«'i0
tons of sugar for that year ; since the flood, has replanted the place about three times, but there ha ve
been such a succession of droughts that it never came away, and has been ploughed out again ; capital
invested in estate, about £19,009 ; returned a loss of about £800 ia 1888 ; working expenses for 1888,
about £1,400 ; employed on an average fifteen kanakas and six Europeans ; wages paid to kanak as, 7s.
per week ; total wages paid to all clashes in 1888, about £700 ; considers; kanaka labour most decidedly
the best for field w«rk ; has tried Europeans at field work on several occasions ; has found them willing
and able to work until they hart earned a few shillings, when, in nearly every iustance, they have throwu it
up and said the w»rk was only fit for niggers ; when the land is perfectly free from stumps Europeans,
workiug horses and machinery, will certainly be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black
labour, but unfortunately cane cannot be cut and trashed by machinery, or drays loaded ; considers those
three things the largest part of work on sugar plantation ; cultivates, as a rule, about 7 acres of
cane for each black labourer employed ; one Europeau, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate
15 acres of laud where weeds are not very troublesome, but only up to trashing time when he would
have to get help; neither blacks or whites suffer in health through being employed in field work; cost of
felling and burning-off scrub, about £3 10s. an acre; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough,
£5 an acre, but has paid as high as £8 and as low as £2 an acre ; cane has n«t beeu affected by vermin
or disease ; cost of machinery, about £5,000, manufactured partly in Maryborough, and partly in Glas.
gow ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £100 ; thinks tobacco and rice could be grown in
district, but coloured labour would be required to render their growth profitable ; has tried tobacco in a
small way with success ; there is a lot of light work required in growing it, and the labour would have to
be cheap; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — the fall in price of sugar
and the uncertainty of cheap and reliable labour (European labour is not reliable) ; suggests, for the relief
of the depression, an unlimited supply of cheap and reliable labour, or else a substitution of machinery
(which is reliable) for cheap labour. If anyone could make machinery to cut cane, which he d«es not
think possible, it would do away with a lot «f labour at crushing time.
ArtCHiBALD Eletchki?, "Myrtle Grove," has had seven years' esperienee on sugar plantations in
Trinidad, and sixteen years in Queensland, in both mill and field ; total area of estate, 75 acres ; 75 acres
under cultivation, viz., 30 acres under cane, 10 acres under m;iize, 29 acres cane land thrown out, and 6
acres paddock ; no cane crushed last season, it being too severely frosted ; capital invested, £2,800, which
returned a lass in IS8S; working expenses for 18S8, £370; employed 2 Europeans and 7 kanakas;
paid ca) on rei labour 7s. per week aid rations ; tat al wages paid in 18*1— to Europeans £143,and to
kanakas £127 ; considers Polynesiau labour the most suitable for field work ; has employed Europeans in
field woirk, but they will notstop at it for any time; his land is free from stumps, and therefore less
kanakas are emplo yed than formerly ; one kanaka is required for every 5 acres ; one European plough-
man to every :i0 acres ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, and Europeans do not
stop at it long enough to try ; cost of falling scrub, £2 10s. ah acre; cost of burning-off, from 5s. to 10s.
an acre ; has never known new scrub to be stumped ; cane has not suffered from vermin or disease ;
machinery bought second-hand, and cost £U50, manufactured in Glasgow ; thinks tobacco might be grown
in district, but kanaka labour would be required to render its growth profitable; has grown no other
tropical produce besides sugar, except cotton in Trinidad; not suitable for this elimade, as it ripens during
the wet months ; considers causes which have depressed the sugar industry are — low price, high cost of
labour, aui bad seasons; suggests for the relief of the industry, repeal of Act stopping kanakas coming
to the colony ; suggests, for promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing, experi-
mental farms in every ditstrict-
James Stjswart, " Eosemount," has been engaged iu sugar cultivation for twenty years, aud in maize
<rr«wng for twenty-four years ; total area of estate, about 900 acres ; about 100 acres under cultivation,
viz., fcOacres under sugar, 10 acres under maize, 2 acres mixed crops, and the rest fallow ; crushed last
season about 70 acres cane for a yield of about 35 tons of sugar ; about £4,000 invested in estate, which
returned no interest in 1888 ; working expenses for I.88S, £0M ; employed 4 Europeans aud 15 Poly-
nesians ; paid coloured labour £25 per annum ; total wages paid to all classes in 1888, £17. j ; prefers Poly-
nesians for Held work, because they stand the climate ^ell and are reliable during the crush of work ; has
employed Europeans in field work and finds them unreliable; when the land is perfectly free from stumps,
Europeans, working horses and machiuery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black
labour, but not all ; cultivates about acres for each black labourer employed ; one European if able t<>
use plough, horse r hoe, <fcc, would cultivate about (i acres ; kanaka boys who come to the colony in health,
improve in condition ; field work does not affect the health of Europeans; cost per a*reof felliug and
burning-off scrub, £4 to £4 10s. ; cost of Rtumping it to make it fit for the plough, £3 to £Si per acre ;
caue has suffered from n o disease, but winter crop of maize is invariably injured by blight ; cost
of machinery, £1,100, manufactured iu Maryborough ; cost of annua! overhaul and repairs £40 or £50 ;
wages paid to European labourers outside of agriculture in district, 6s. to 7s. per diem ; maize, grapes,
and
323
and bananas are grown in district, "but not very successfully; Polynesian labour would be required to
render tnfelT growth profitable; has grown maize aod potatoes for home consumption; considers the
causes winch have depressed the sugar industry are — drought, continental competition, and the increased
cost of recruiting Polynesian labour.
RicifAiii) Fraser Ci.xhke, " ilona," lias been farwiug for twenty-five years on the Mary River ;
total area of estate, 800 acres ; SO acres under cultivation, viz., 70 acres uuder cane, 1 acre under sweet
potatoes, and 9 acres under corn; crushed 60 acres hist season, for a yield of 42 tons 8 cwt. «f sugar ;
£G,r>00 invested in estate, which returned no interest in 1888; working expenses for 1S88, £70# ;
employed 3 Europeans and 1 1 kanakas ; wages paid to kanakas £25 per annum. ; total wages paid to all
clasftesin 18X5. £310; prefers kanakas for field work as they are quiet and easily managed, strong and willing
and sugar cultivation does not affect their health ; has not employed Europeans in field work ; they are,
abl« tii do it, but are unwilling lo go into a cane field to work ; when the land is perfectly free from
stumps. Europeans working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now done
by black labour, but he could not do with less black labour than ho employs at present for chipping,
trashing, &c. when Die cane gets too far advanced to work it; wilh horses; cultivates 5 acres for each
black labourer employed ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate 5 acres
provided he cultivated it well, reaped it, <fcc; blacks employer! .in field w.wk do uot suffer in health, pro-
vided they are in good health when they lea ve their islands ; field work affects the health of Europeans;
cost of felling and burning-off scrub, about£± 10s. per acre; cost of stumping i tto makeit fitfortheplough
would depend upon the age of the stumps and it' the land was heavily timbered or uot ; cane is perfectly
healthy and free from all disease ; cost of machinery, £2,000, including tanks, pipes, &c. manufactured
at Yukaii .Foundry, Maryborough, Queeusland ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £12 ay ear;
wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, about 30s. per week and ration?;
thinks bauiinas, grapes, corn, and pineapples can be grown in district, but cheap lahour would be required
to render their growtJi profitable ; kanaka labour most suitable ; has grown corn, but it did not pay ;
considers the principal causes of the depression in the sugar industry are the bounty system at home, the
high cost of labour and the uneertaihseasons.
Pftkb O'Kellt, "JFerney." has beeuengaged in sugarcultivation for'twenty-tvo years, and in maize
growing for twenty-five years ; total area of estate, (530 acres ; 100 acres mixed cultivation, viz., 84 acres
under sugar cane, 8 acres under maize, 2 acres mixed crop*, and acres fallow ; 84 acres of cane crushed
last season, for ayield of 61 tons of sugar, or its equivalent in cane Juice, which was sent to refinery at
"Yengarie"; £7,500 actually invested in estate, which returned no interest in 1888, owing to drought
;md frosts ; working expenses for 1888, £837 6s. ; employed 3 Europeans and 18 kanakas ; paid kanakas
£21 each per annum, which includes all expenses; total wages paid in 1888— to Europeans, £185, to
knnakas, £378, total, £5(13 ; planta tion hands get board and lodging as well ; prefers the kanaka for field
1 work ; he is strong, tractable, reliable, able to stand tin? climate, and has no ambition above the hoe, or
to compete with I he white population in the towns ; Europeaus are unwilling to work among the cane ;
knowing their unwillingness he would not ask them to do it, but llioyare able cn«ugh in the latitude of
Maryborough ; when the land is perfectly- free from stumps hluropeiuis working hordes and machinery
will be able to do a great dial of the work now done by black labour; but, making due allowance for
that, could not do with fewer kanakas than he ban at present ; cultivates about 5 acres for each black
labourer employed ; thinks niie Europeau if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, could cultivate ab»ut 5
acres ; but that means that he would also attend to the reaping, crushing, planting, and all other work
connected with it ; blacks employed in field work improve in health, except those who are diseased on
arrival ; field work does not affect the health of Europeans in the laiitude of Maryborough, except,
perhaps, among the cane when it is high and trashing bas to be done ; ("ost per acre of felling and
burning-off scrub, £3 10s. to £4 an acre ; cost of stumpiog it and mailing it fit for the plough would depend
upon whether the stumps are decayed or not; perhrips £L0 an acre would be a fair price ; cane is free
from disease ; maize suffers from the blight; oo remedy for it; what is called the winter or second
crop is now eutirely destroyed by the disease ; maize crop of 188S almost ruined, except that which was
planted before the month of October; the cane L rop of IS8S was not at all diseased ; cost of machinery,
£1,(300 ; manufactured in Maryborough ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £45 a year — for
breakages, principally ; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, 6s. a day
without keep ; for 8 ye,irs paid £78 a year and board to a carpenterwho erected buildings and fences ;mau.y
fruits will <jrou- in district as well as maize ; but, ow ing to the uncertaiuty of the rainfall, maize is
uucertain ; kanakas would be required for maize growing, and a few kanakas are very handy about a
Farm ; considers the chief causes of the depression in tin- sugar industry are, 1st, the bounty on European
beet sugar ; 2nd, the dearness of black labour owing to the legal restrictions put upon it about five
y r ears ag« ; 3rd, the drought ; suggests for the relief of the depression, 1 st, reciprocity treaty with the
colony of Victoria, which eould absorb all the annual surplus sugar; 2nd, a freer mode of recruiting
islanders, who do uot receive thai, sort of trade which they no much prize — viz., firearms and
ammunition— but have to gt't money and other valuables instead, all of which means higher expense to
Ihe ship and I ho planter ; 'did, a system of irrigation ; says in relation to the promotion of tropical
agriculture, outside of sugar growing, that grape vines thrive well in district; maize, as a crop, is very
uncertain, owing to the uncertainly of ram, which is indispensable to i t, particularly at the ' 'cobbing "
1 ime : of all the crops known to him sugar is by far the in ost ceitnin ; this is owing to the tact that it
has no particular season for matuiing; it will coine to maturity in ten to twelve months from planting,
under favourable circumstances, but may be allowed to stand over for two years with advantage.
Wiu-iam Yates, " Tulano," has had nineteen years experience in Queensland, and IS'ew South
W ales ; total area of estate about 800 acres ; 120 acres under cultivation ; no cane crushed last season ;
juice always goes to Yengarie refinery ; £4,000 invested iu Estate which returned no interest inlSSS; no
work done in 1888, as the mill was burnt down ; p. ys coloured classes of labour 7a. per week with rations ;
prefers kauakas tor field work — they are reliable, strong, willing, tractable, do not clamour for the eight
hour system, and have no ambition to compete with the white population in towns ; has employed
Europeaus in field work ; they are able enough to do the work (except perhaps, neu chums) but they are
quite unwilling and will not work if tbey can get otbtr employment where the hours are shorter and the
324
work itself less irksome and laborious ; when the laud is perfectly free from stumps Europeans working
horses and machinery will lie able to tlo a great deal of the work now done by black labour, but as the
crushing, planting, and cultivation hare to he done atthe sametime,a larj^e staff of karuikas has to be kept
throughout the year, so as to have them when wanted ; cultivates 120acres for each black laboureremployed;
in cane cultivaf ton, a white man can do no more on an average ihan a kanaka ; blacks employed in field
labour do not suffer in healtb ; thev greatly improve in health andstrength on the food and treatment they
receive; field work does n»t affect tfie health of Europeans, except when the cane is tall and the weather
hot, then it onl y affects new chums ; cost per acre of felling and buriiing-off scrub from £3 10s. to £4;
cost per acre of stumping it, to make it fit for the plough, about £10 per acre, when the stumps are
partially decayed; cane is free from disease, but maize is very liable to blight, and the winter crop is
sometimes ruined ; maize crop of 18S8 was in some cases a failure, owing to the blight ; machinery
manufactured by J. AValker amtl Co. ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, about £i0 ; wages paid to
European labourers in district, outside of agriculture, Os. 6(1. per day, without board ; thinks grape
vines, bananas, and maize can be grown in district ; orauges do not, as a rule, thrive well ; to render
their growth prolitable, kanakas and white men would be required — the former are invaluable as helps
on a farm ; maize to be a certainty would require irrigation ; causes which, in his opinion, have depressed
the sugar industry arc, 1st, the sudden fall in the price of sugar, caused by the biunty on beet sugar;
2nd, (lie unnecessary restrictions put upon the recruiting of islanders; :3rd, the disastrous droughts
that have prevailed of late. Sugar has fallen in price 33 per cent, since 1884, and the fall has occurred
through the market for Mauritius sugar having been choked by bouuty-f ed sugar ; says that the depres-
sion could be relieved by an arrangement with the other colonies, particularly Victoria, to admit
Queensland sugar on a preferential scale of duty, so that it should get a preference over foreign sugar —
that could easily be done by a reciprocity treaty : says in relation to the promotion of tropical agriculture
outside of sugar growing, that of all the products grown or attempted to be grown in the district,
sugar is by far the most profitable. This arises from the fact that it thrives well, is the hardiest for
the variable climate, and when brought to market yields the largest margin of profit ; the only draw-
back to its successful cultivation is the fear of the present labour supply being cut off. even remotely.
COOK DISTRICT.
Archibald James Tbaill, "Tilfle" Plantation, ""property of the Weary Say Sugar Company;
Limited; has had eight years' experience in sugar cultivation in the district and on the Herbert Biver,
total area of estate, 0,000 acres ; 586 acres under cant- ; crushe d 314 acres last season for a yield of 525
tons of sugar ; molasses run away in drain ; probably £100,000 invested in estate by the two companies
who have owned it; returned no interest in 1888; rough estimate of working expenses for 1888, £8,000;
employed 30 Eur»p€'ans, 110 Chinese, and 132 Malays nud Javanese ; paid eolturei labour 2s. Id. per
diem; Malays fed by estate, and Chinese feed themselves; total wages paid in 1SS8 to Europeans,
£1,793; to Malays, £2,400 ; to Chinese, £1,856 ; total £6,049 ; prefers kanaka labour for field work;
has employed Europeans in field work and found them au niter failure ; when the land is perfectly free
from stumps, Europeans working h«rses ani machinery will bb able to do much of the work now done by
black labour; cultivates 44 acres for each black labourer employed ; Chinese were only employed in cane
cutting; does not think that 1 European using plough, horse, hoe, &c, could efficiently lo»k after more
than 10 to 12 acres by liimself ; blacks employed in field work do not suffer in health, but Europeans do;
cost of felling and burning-off scrub, £7 10s. per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fi t for the plough
£80 per acre; cane has been affected by cockatoos to a small extent; machinery manufactured by
Mirrlees, Watson, and Co., aui probably cost, £12,000 ; wages paid to European labourers, outside of
agriculture in district, £3 10s. to £4 per week for miners ; thinks ramee, cotton, tea, coffee, tobacco,
citric fruits, and maize can be grown in district, but Coolie labour would be required to render their
growth profitable ; has grown no other tropical productions besides sugar cane ; considers the causes
which have depressed the sugar industry are — insufficiency of suitable eoloured labour, and heavy rates
of pay for all skilled labour ; political animosity and the generally depressed tone of sugar business
throughout the world ; suggests for the relief of the depression — total abolition of tax on all machinery;
Coolie labour or kauakas at greatly reduced cost; intereolonial freetrade for sugar; lesser wages to
European labour; lesser freights; and hist, but not least, lesser charges on the part of extortiouate
middlemen ; says in relation to the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing — as the
Government are sonding a travelling dairy round amoug the farmers, why not extend the priucipleto the
preparation of tobacco, tea, coffee, ramee, dried fruits, &c. ; 90 per cent, of the agricultural resources of
the colony are strangled by ignorance and overcharges.
LOGAN DISTRICT.
WnJtEijM Nog, " Noc's Farm ;" total urea of estate, 4-7 acres ; 20 acres under cultivation — viz., 10
acres under sugar catic, 8 acres under corn, 1 acre under sweet potatoes, half an acre under English
potatoes, and Lull' an acre under arr«wroot, onions, beet, etc.; cut H> acres of oune last season; It
tenia sold ; the remainder partly used for cattle and pigs ; £00(1 invested in estate ; farm worked by himself
ami family, and therefore has been at no expense tor labour ; considers white labour the most suitable for
field work; when the land is perfectly free from sHimps, Europeans working horses and machinery will beable
to do a great deal of the work now doue by black labour; moderate work will do no harm to Europeans,
but hard work will injure their health ; cost of felling and burning-off scrub, £5 10s. per acre; cost of
stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £12 per aere ; considers the low price of sugar has caused the
depression of the sugar industry ;-says that a higher price for the sugar would relieve the depression.
Christian Frederick Willhelm Kku«er, " Gramzow," has had twelve years' experience in the
cultivation of sugar cane ; total area of estate, 10 acres; none under sugar cane ; 6 .acres under maize ;
oats and patotoes half an acre each ; employed 2 Eu roppans ; paid 15s. a week and rations ; thinks white
lab»ur the most suitable for field work ; ha* employed Europeans in field work aud thinks them willing and
able to do it when horses cannot be used ; when the laud is perfectly free from stumps, Europeaus
Working horses aud machinery will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by Europeans ; one
able
325
able bodied European would work 10 acres if able to use plough, horse, hoe, Ac.; field wort doea not
affect the health of Europeans of sober habits ; cost per acre of felling and burning-off scrub, £4 to
£4 108. ; cost of ptumping it to make it fit for the plough would vary according to the nu-uber and size
of stumps— say £10 to £12 per acre for green stumps and £o to £6 per acre for dry stumps ; cane
suffered slightly from effects of grub ; maize suffered from rust in the autumn ; does uot know of any
remedy ; machinery manufactured in Scotland; wages paid to European labourers in district, outside of
agriculture, Rs. per diem ; thinks cotton, arrowroot, and bananas can bo grown in the district; labour of
white men, womeu, and childreu would be required to render their growth profitable ; bas grown cotton
successfully ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are production of beetroot
sugar in Europe aided by Government bouuties. Sugrjests for the relief of the depression — 1st, abolition
of bounties ; 2nd, protection of the local article ; 3rd, improved machinery ; 4th, a steady market ; 5th,
good seasons ; 6th, plenty of capital ; 7th, reliable labour.
William 1 Tesry CouXdert, " Ageston," has had about twelve years' experience in the cultiva
tion of sugar cane ; total area of estate about 1,300 acres; about acres under cultivation, viz., 3 acres
under sweet potatoes, and 2 acres under lucerne ; no cane has btfen crushed or grown since the season
of 1885-6; £30,0(10 invested in estate, which returned no interest in 1888; working expenses for 1888,
£1,455, expended in distilling molasses and in cattle breeding; employed 6 Europeans; total wages
paid to Europeans iu 1888, about £l#0; considers black, i.e., kanaka labour, the in«st suitable for field
wo rlt ; lias had no experieuce of other coloured labo ur; bas not employed E uropcans iu field work, except
with hor.se implemeuts ; does not think Europeans would work with the hoe except under self-interested
conditions ; his land was stumped before being cultivated, and white labour employed with horses, when
possible ; much work has to be d»ue by hand which i* not adapted to Europeans; number of acres one
European could work if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c, would depend on his industry; health of
blacks has not suffered specially through being employed in field work ; field work such as Europeans are
accustomed to perform does not affect their heal til ; cost per acre of stumping scrub to make it fit for
the plough, about £10 per acre; cost of machinery, £6,000. nianufactu red in the colony ; thinks pine-
apples, bananas, mangoes, and guavas can be grown in district, and European labour would be required
to render their growth profitable ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are frost,
and artificial restrictions as t» labour and price; suggests for the relief of tbe depression — free trade
among nations, or intercolonial freetrade, with a tax on foreign sugar ; coloured labour in such districts
and ufc such places as may be proclaimed by Government ; heavy fines for its employment outside ; the
number for each place to be certified to as required for the honn-ft.de pui poses of the industry by a district
Government officer ; restrictions, as in the ease of Chinese, to prevent settlement on expiraiion of agree-
ment ; suggests for the promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing — the Department of
Agriculture to communicate with local agricultural societies with a vie%v of establishing experimental
farina in suitable districts, and offer £2 f«r each £1 locally subs cribid ; particular attention to be given
tt the cultivation of fruits suitable for canning on the .American principle, and tiie canning itself to be
conducted on the latest and most approved method, should the cultivation prove successful; irrigation.
]Jav iu Anou'EUa Lous, ''Ebenezer" Plantation, has had eight years' experience in the cultivation
of sugar cane ; total area of estate, 791 acres ; 90 acres tinder sugar Cine, SOacres under corn, 2 acres under
lucerne, 1 acre under potatoes, balance grass paddock ; 10 acres of cane all killed by frost last season;
made 12 tons of sugar and 2,000 gallons of molasses ; molasses used for distillation of rum ;
£8,000 invested in estate, which returned no interostin 1*88 ; working expenses for 1888. £500 ; employed
an average of 10 white men per day ; employed no coloured labour ; total wages paid in 1888, £300 ;
considers South Sea Islanders the most suitable for field work ; haw employed Europeans in field work but
they will not work in the hot weather, and will not do the work unless very hard up for a job; when the
land is perfectly free from stumps, Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great
deal of the work now done by black labour ; one European, if able to use plough, horse, hoe, &c., on the
land could cultivate 10 acres ; field work affects the health of Europeans ; the heat, knocks them up ; cost
of felling and burning-off scrub, £4 per acre ; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, akout £3
an acre ; lias never noticed any disease iu the cane, but corn has been affected by blight ; corn suffered
badly from drought in 1888 ; cost of machinery, £2,000 ; manufactured by Smith, Forrester, and Company
Briebauc ; cost of anum 1 overhaul and repairs, about £30 a year ; thinks arrowroot, cotton, tobaicco, and
all tropical fruits can be grown in district, but black labour would be required to render their growth
profitable ; considers the causes which have depressed the sugar industry are, low price of sugar and cost
of labour ; suggests for the relief of the depression, cheap 1 hour and protection.
Mccuael BriiraE " P» ruse's Earm," has had little or no experieace in the cultivation of sugar;
total urcn of estate, 70 acres , 2| uctl>s under cultivation — viz , $ acre .sugar cane; t acre corn; i acre
English potiitwcs ; J aero sweet potatoes; $ acre green stuff ; i ncfP cabbages, beans, onims, &c. ; £LG0
invested m estate, which returned 20 per cent, interest iu 1888 ; employs uo labour but his own family ;
considers wliite labour the most suitable for field work ; when the laud is perfectly free from stumps,
Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the work now done by black
labour ; moderate work will not affect the health of the Europeans ; but over work will break down their
licalth ; cost per acre of felling and burning-oii scrub, £5; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the
plough, £10 per acre; crop of sweet potatoes partly eaten in 1S8S bv some roo ing animal; has grown no
ol lier tropical produce besides sugar cane; considers the low price of sugar han caused the depi'e3sion of the
sugar industry ; if a higher price could be obtained all farmers would grow cane in preference to other
crops.
William Pum), Ll Norwell," has had twenty years' experience as a farmer, and ten years' experi-
ence in sugar cull i vat ion ; total area of estate, 072 acres ; about 42 acres under cultivation— viz., 28 under
cane ami 12 under maize ; 25 acres cane crushed last season for a jield of 9 tons sugar, and 10,00 >
gallons molasses; molasses still on hand; £1,673 invested in e-tate, which returned no interest iu 18SS ;
working expense* f»r 1888, £350: employed 5 Europeans besides the junior members of his family ,
employed no coloured labour ; total wages paid in 1S88, £250 and ratious; considers a mixture of Euro-
peans and kanakas nouhl be most suitable for field work; has employed Europeans in field work;
they are able to do it but ofteu leave at the most busy time ; when the land is perfectly free
fr»m
from stumps, Europeans, working horses and machinery, will be able to do a great deal of the,
work liosv done by black labour ; one European, if able to Use plough, horse, hoe, &c. y on he land
could work about 10 acres; field work does not affect the health of Europeans; his laud is
all forest; cost of stumping it to make it fit for the plough, £S to £10 per acre; cane has
not suffered from any particular disease, but has been affected by frost aud floods combined ;
the whole crop of 1888 was very poor ; thinks the flood rotted the roots of the cane ; then the
sevf-refrost cut it all down; can gene rally reckon upon getting a ton of sugar or more per acre ; cost of
machinery £700, manufactured in Brisbane ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, from £10 to £50 ; wages
paid to European labourers in district, outside of agriculture. 5s. (id. to Gs. per day ; thinks no other tropical
production but sugar can be cultivated in district with success ; has grown cotton, tobacco, arrowroot, and
rice, but not successfully ; has grown maize and sweet potatoes successfully ; considers the causes which
have depressed the sugar industry are — the extraordinary low price of su^ar that has been ruling lately,
and the compulsory waste at the small mills ; says in relation to the relief of the depression that if the
Government would send n practical sugar boiler and chemist to the small mills, at least, that would put the
owners in a better way of woi-king and so prevent a lot of waste ; the small mills should also be allowed
to distil their molasses and other refuse from the mill, such as skimmings, &c. ; there is as much waste in
these things as would go a long way towards paying for the extra labour required during crushing time ;
would also suggest that some of the duty be taken off colonial rum. Has uo suggestions to make for the
promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing.
BRISBANE DISTRICT.
Joaici'it Chapman Dixon , " Tagilla," Buderim Mountain, has bad twelve years' experience in
the cultivation of sugar cane; total area of estate, 865 acres; 107 acres under cane, and 20 acres under
bananas ; G7 acres crushed last season, for a yield of 90 tons sugar and about 3.500 gallons molasses ;
molasses mostly on hand ; has sold 9 tons in a concentrated form in boxes for cattle feed at £5 per ton;
£8,000 invested in estate, which just about paid expenses, including 8 per cent, on £6,000 overdraft;
working expenses for 1888, £1,420 ; employed 25 Europeans and 2G kanakas— these were not on all the
time; paid re-agreement kanakas £18 a year, and free kanakas 10s. to 15s. per week ; total wages paid
in 1888— to Europeans £445 4s. 9d., to kanakas £33i— total £783 4s. 9d. ; white men averaged 4s. Gd.
per day not found, kanakas 8s. Gd. per week and found ; thinks kanakas much the best for field work —
tliry are easily managed aud reliable and will work better when employer is awav: einployed white meu
only for two years at field work; did not find them very satisfactory; they are able to do the work when
horses cannot be used, but not very willing ; when the hud i.<? perfectly free from stumps, Europeans,
working horses and machinery will, without doubt, be able to do a great deal of the work
now done by blaek labour; white meu are best with horses and can save a large amount of hand
work, but for cutting and loading cane and chipping prefers blacks; cultivates Gi acres for each black
labourer employed; cannot say how many acres one European could work if able to use pltugh, horse,
hoe, &c, on the land; has not tried them in that way; kanakas assist to keep the land clean in the
rows ; neither biacks nor whites suffer in health through being employed in field work ; cost of falling
and burning off' scrub, £6 per acre ; to stump it right off would be very expensive ; after cropping, say
in 3 years, most of the stumps are rotteu ; then £4 anacrft would be sullicicnt; cane has beenalirctedby
rats but no disease ; has tried no remedy ; cost of machiner y, £4,1)00, manufactured in Glasgow by Mirrlees,
Tart, and Watson ; cost of annual overhaul and repairs, £50; wages paid to Europeans labourers, outside
of agriculture, in district, Gs. per day on roads, 7s. to Ss. on railway, timber getters, 30s. per week;
thinks bananas, coffee, sweet potatoes, pineapples, and mangoes, can be grown iu district; has 20 acres of
bananas which pay well ; they can only grow where there is no frost ; has tried coffee to a small extent,
but thinks it would require cheap labour to make it pay ; considers the cause of the depression of the
sugar industiy is over productiou and consequently low prices ; suggests for the relief of the depression,
fair trade in sugar by doing away with the bounty on beet sugar, good machinery, good cultivation, and
cheap labour; without the latter would certainly have had to give in long ago ; says in relation to the
promotion of tropical agriculture outside of sugar growing, that bananas Bre largely grown in district
and successfully ; the market is limited and prices low ; 1)4. to 2d. a dozen is the price obtained, and
then suffers great loss by shipment ; oranges do well and are profitable ; coffee growing would be
successful if each small farmer went in for a patch of 1 acre-; on a large scale kanakas or coolies would
be wanted ; the mangoe also could be grown for the South ; something might be done with fibres if the
right thing could be got hold of, such as China grasses aud musa tcxiliti ; the latter is getting dearer every
year.
William Sckvlz, Toombul, is not growing or manufacturing sugar on account of it not paying
when grown on a small scale ; has sold machinery and given it up.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX So. 1.
■ Special Liwses held ii
No,
DatliigCrom
121
1880.
Junel2 ,
171
1882.
Sept. 1 ..
178
Nov. 1 ...
1883.
180
Jan. 1 ..
1.91
March 1 . -
l't2
April 1 ..
1884.
208
220
March 18
do. ...
220
Feb. 1
250
1885.
July 20 .
251
259
May' 29
14
Aug. 1
1885.
May8
1884.
Aug. 1
1885.
Nov. 1 .
1886.
April 1 .
July 17
Aug. — .
1885.
334
do.
33.-.
do.
do.
337
do.
338
July 1
1887.
329
Jan. 1
317
June 1
851
July 1
271
3C0
1887.
•ct. 4
1887.
352
July 1
ass
do.
354
July 26
1888.
377
Dec. 18
For wbat Purpose
granted
Locality.
Annual Bunt.
Queensland National
Bank
Swallow and Derham
Bums, Philp, & Co. ...
Sawmill ...
2l years
On the bank of Trinity Inlet
a. it. r.
r> t
Wharf and tram
Wharf
7 do.
5 a.,.
do
do
7
250 feet
5
30
Robert Philp ..
Bums, Philp, &Co. ...
R. A. Kingsford
a*
do
7 do.
7 1u
Kdithvulo, Trinity Inlet ...
Un the bank .if Trinity Iulet
172 feet
200 feet
30
5
Charles Smith
Louis Severin
Charles O'Luan
William Walsh
do
do
do
do
7 do.
7 do.
7 do.
7 do.
Edithvalo, Trinity Inlet
On the bank of Trinity Inlet
do
do
1 3 23
3 2 39
2 2
3*0 feet
r, o o
21
16
84
Alexander Grant
do.
Ah Sam
do
do
Garden
10 do.
10 do.
Yearly,
notice
without
compen-
^do".
do. ...
do. ...
do. ...
do
do.
Gordon's Creek, Mulgrave rd.
5 1 11
4 2
5
4 10
Ah Sow
Ah Wey
Ah Yow
Ah Hoy
do
do.
do. ...
do
do
do
do
do
4 3
4 3
4 3
u
4 15
4 15
4 15 O
a
Lum Fatt
Hoy Chew
Lum Sin"
Ah Wong
Ah Kaiu
do
do
do
do
do
do
do.'
do.
do. .
do.
do. ...
do. .
do
do
do, ...
Barron River, near Meston's
5
;->
5
5 1)
5
5
5
5
Ah Chong
do
do
do. ...
do. ...
On town boundary, Mulgrave
road
<»
5
5
Martin & Sons
Sawmill
21 years
Barron Kiver (Stratford) ...
5
25
Clayton & Hill
Joseph Vidulich
Barron River Rice Co.*
Wharf
Wharf
Wharf &millsite
15 do.
15 do.
21 do.
Eastside Trinity Inlet
do
Barron Rive r ( Stratford)
1 32
1 14
3
:■)
1st 7 years.
5
1st 7 vears.
15
Cairns Boating Club ...
Boat-shed
10 do.
Trinity Bay, West Shore ...
1*0 feet
10
Ah Choy
Yearly,
subject
ti.t; nils'.
•d town boundary (western)
5
r,
without
compen-
Ah Ting
T.,ng Yow
Ah Choog
Ah Kim
Wour Mow Yin
do
do
do
do
do
do. ...
do....
do. ...
do. ...
do
do
do
do
4 2
5
5
5
4 10
5
5
5
5
liarron River Rice Co.
Murray & Carson
Smith Bros
John Robb
Notlstated
Sawmill
Wharf
21 years
21 do.
21 do.
Until ter-
mination
tract for
Stratford
Chinaman's (or Alligator)
Inlet
3 2 24
I
300 feet
20
1st 7 years,
26
%^ y o & '
Daniel Patience
Wharf
East side Inlet .
1 1
5
1st 7 >ear*.
5
5
10
Charley Ah.Chun ...
Ah Lye
Ah Chew
Garden ...
do.
do.
subject
to U ujos'.
notice
com pen -
9a do D ..
do.
Biboohra, Upper Barrou
do
Liiybank, Barren River ...
5
.^0
10
Ah Ching (at auction)
"Wharf
lSyears
Inlet
36*
30
■ Xotla Begisler. Parti
17th Jauuaiy, 188'J.
correspondence and lessee.
R. T. HARTLEY,
Acting Land Agent.
329
APPENDIX No. c
Returw of Scgah Produced and Land under Sfgab-Cane i
the District of Ca ikns.
Quantity of
Cine crusUed.
Tons ofSSugar
yiroduced
therefrom.
Gallons of
Molaseesprodttccd
therefrom.
Tear ended 31st March, 1883...
A 15t
180
26,M0
1884
»80
1,750
75.000
1886
877
1,918
78,000
1886
1,228
2,214
106,200
1887
1888
1,150
2,050
30,000
R. T. HARTLEY,
Sub-Collector Customs, Cair
APPENDIX No. 4.
ActCAt Produce of the PortD«cglas Disthtct— Eipobt Eetckn for the Year ended 31st December, 1888.
Bananas
Bananas, dried...
Sugar ...
Pineapples
Passion-fruit ...
35,124 bunches
41 cases
366 19 tons
253 cases
27 cases
4,135
51
7.334
lltb January, 1889.
A. E. PYWELL,
Acting Sub-Collector.
APPENDIX No, 5.
STATEMENT BY ME. A J. DRAPER, CAIRNS.
The Secretary, Sugar Commission, Cairns.
SiR, — I h;ivc the honour to tender herewith a few remarks relative to tropical agriculture in Cairns, and in
doing so take this opportunity »f regretting my unavoidable absence during your stay in ■Hr midst.
As a preface to my ronarks, I may state that for the pastfew years [ have taken great interest in agricul-
tural produce generally, and am the proprietor of a nursery aud orangery.
From carefully watching the advance made by my fruit trees, I have no hesitation whatever in stating that
seedlings are in every way preferable to erafted trees. Whether it is due to climatic influence or no, I cannot
say, but it is an undoubted fact that seedlings bear in this district inside of five years. #n the other band, many
grafted trees, although cared for in every way, have been planted seven and eight years and are still fruitless. I
nnd also grafted trees are very subject to pests of ever? description, and, unless carefully watched, do no good on
that account, while seedlings are healthier and less liable to attack.
Mangoes grow luxuriantly, but the great bar to production at a profit is a moth that pierces the fruit just
as it ripens and leaves a deposit of maggots. I feel sure the Department of Agriculture could advise selectors
how to rid themselves of this evil.
Bananas are particularly in my line, and they arc without doubt, although few admit it, the second backbone
of Cairns at the present day. My exports during the past two years have averaged about 2.000 bunches weekly,
and during that period I have had ample opportunity of gaining valuable experieuce. The popular cry that the
fruit is sent away too green bas something in its favour, but I unhesitatingly say that the exports from North
Queensland of this product would be quadrupled immediately if more care was taken in the shipping and handling.
It is on account of the great knocking about the fruit receives that it lias to be shipped so green. It maybe asked.
Low can the assistance of Government he brought to hear upon this? In the first place encourage an opposition
shipping company ; in the second, push on our harbour works, so as to allow vessels at all (ides to come to the
wharf, and thereby save handling; and finally, in granting a contract to carry the mails, stipulate that tbe ships
huve movable fixtures to carry the fruit upon.
Fourpenoo per hunch is paid f«r lighterage find wharfage at present, and considering the average price per
bunch is about Is. 3 J., it is clear 4d. is a heavy tax.
Although going a trifle beyond the question, I would suggest, with deference, that a further step be taken,
and that by our Federal Council— viz., to make the penalties for defrauding consigners, by issuing false accouut
sales or in any way tampering with same, a seri*us offence. It is well known that consigners are robbed of large
sums by dishonest agents, and when such a distance intervenes between the market aud port of shipment as in
our case, fear of imprisonment might assist towards correct returns.
Bananas yield a most profitable crop, and only ask a clean soil. I find forest country less suitable than
scrub, but tbe latter is all that can be desired.
Information as to how bananas are shipped in other parts of tbe globe, how cultivated, and the kest soils to
grow would be acceptable to settlers, as up to now nothing but chipping with the hoe has been practised, and this
at a great cost.
Pineapples are most prolific, and with bananas offer every inducement to cultivators.
Sugar unfortunately also fell to my lot, and while leaving this matter to more able men than I to dilate
upon, I may add that my partners and I bought tbe rijjht to crush some 800 aeres of cane from a
plantation. Everything was in going order and had worked about two weeks when vre took charge. By way of
experiment we decided (o utilise wbite labour in the field, and the result was most disastrous. We put cn gang
after gang of white men to cut the cane, and they all gave it up, aud eventually we ha.d to employ Chinamen at
28s. per week, and the end was we lost £1,400 in about two months, although our manager was an able man of
great experience. I cannot
330
I cannot too strongly nrffe the immediate formation of the State nui\=ery. It would "be a b«on, not alone to
Cairns, but the whole of Trorical tueensland. It k greatly to be regretted such delay is taking place- in the
matter, as the wet season Trill be gone soon, au< a year lost. , . . .
In conriusirei I strouBlybrmK before your notice the great trade possible in the exportation of fruit, particularly
banauas aud pines, from «ur midst, and while feeling that my ideas of fostering the trade may be considered tar-
fetched I think them reasonable.
The duty into Melbourne of 7d. per bunch is a great drawback to the trade, and any reciprocity treaty
feasible which coubi remove or reduce it would be advantageous to the colony.
I have, &c,
A. J, DRAPES.
Number treated
Number treated
Number treated
23rd January, 1589.
APPENDIX No. 6.
Kates of Moetality amongst Polynesians in Geejxdton Hospital.
1886. From May 2
Died
Death rate per cent., 12-169.
1887. January to December (inclusive).
435 Died
Death rate per cent, 5747.
1888. Jauuary to December (inclusive).
459 Died
Deatk rate per cent., 4/357.
S. S. BOWLES,
Acting Inspector Pacific Islanders.
APPENDIX No. 7.
Schedule of Emflovebs « Pacific Island Laboubebs in the District of Gebaldto>-, as at 1st January, 1889.
Xo.
Employer's Xaoie.
Locality.
Distance
from Officer.
Exemption
Ticket
Holders.
Miles,
1
Colonial S. It. Co.
Gnondi
Johnstone River, North branch...
il
26
461
12
23
2
Clump Point
5
3
j! P. Fitzgerald "'
Reddiffe...
Johnstone River
4
"e
4
W. Hyue & Co.
Woodlands
Clomp Point
28
"a
6
5
J. C. Hubinger
Muaiign Creek...
Cardwell
i
6
Johnstone River S. C«.
InnjsM
Johnstone River, N»rth Branch...
%
8
10
7
Cessfovd
Alligator Creek, North Branch . .
1
8
M«wilj ui Sugar Co. ...
M.urilyan ...
Johiist.ne River, South Branch .
25
y
Queensland Sugur Cn. ...
Innishowen ...
Johnstone River, S»uth Branch...
n
37
10
520
12 81
Total ...
613
SHOLTO STILLINGFLEET BOWLES,
Acting Inspector Pacific Islandera.
APPENDIX No. 8.
GERALDTON- -JOHNSTONE RIVER.
List ob' Convictions— Supplying Islanders with Liquor.
No.
Taken ljy.
Charge.
Pine.
1
8-2-86
R. Levinge
M rs,
M. S. MoT)
£5, s
nd costs 4s. Gd.
2
6-4-86
W. Langdon
.Mi,.
M. S. M,.]
3
7-4-8H
Police
Mrs.
M. S. MM
and cms 2s. 6d.
4
21-4-86
Assistant Inspector, P.I.
Mrs.
M. S. Mi..]
.uMd
ami costs 4s. 6d.
137-86
Police
Mrs.
M. S. McT
tnd six months ; verdict cpuashed.
(5
14-7-86
Police
Wili
7
29-U-86
Excise
Ati 1
and costs 10s. 6d.
8
10-11-86
W. Canny
Mrs.
M Si Mcl
nd o.sts 4s. M.
9
10-11-86
W. Canny
Mrs.
M. S. Men
10
10-11-86
Police
T. 1
£'3, and costs 4s. (id.
11
24-11-86
C. E, Adams
"Ja
£1, and costs 4s. Od,
12
13-1-87
Mrs.
M. s' m'l'1'
Iee \d"
fiiO. s.,ld I., a whit.', man.
13
24-1-87
Police '".
1VU-
Supply ing
fJ.
14
30-6-87
Police
.Viu
Supplying
L'l,
it 14 days.
15
10-1-88
Police
Dust
p,L .a-..-.':)
to,"
or 3 months.
16
13-2-88
Police ,.
Said
(Ahv-sinia)
S R,',l .rrtsOl
Supplying
t'3,*
or 3 months.
17
2I-2-88
Police
Supplying
£'3.
18
17-7-88
Ptlice
J awes Prarer,
alia*
Supplying
£5,*
or 3 months.
♦Fine not Piiin.
Cases Blsjiissed.
1
lil-2-87
C. K. Adams
John
Irownlie. .
Supplying
2
1-3-88
Excise
M. S. McDonald
Selling ...
3
27-2-88
Excise
Jam
sCar ill
Selling ...
a. uuvvixtus,
Geraldton, 23rd January, 1889. Acting Inspector Pacific Islanders.
331
APPENDIX No. 9.
Claims Advanced by Relative of Dkcrased Polynesians in the Geualdton District to the Head Office, and
ac&nowledgeJ by Payment.
Kame ol Claimant.
Name of Deceased.
Relationship.
Amount Claimed.
When Paid.
Lee Anamil, at Go«ndi
Melegor, at Inni>-howcii
Arselloal], at Innishowen
Lilly, at Monrilynn
Taaimoao»s, at (lo«ni!i*
Tagalooa
Miimalemal
Troar ...
LWvell
Boolah
Brother
lirnthiT
Brother
Wife
Brother t .
£ s. d.
7 11
1 10
2
10 10
2
25-11-86
12-5-87
10 5-87
♦ Not paid, on account of Tann3«56oos having d'led in hospital, 24th November. 1HKN. He-transmitted to In sbane.
S. S. BOWLES,
Acting Inspector Pacific Islanders, Geraldton.
23rd January, 188!).
APPENDIX No. 10.
List of Casks mi Convictions and Bismissals in the Police Couut of Ingham far Selling or Supplying Liquob to Pacific
Islanders, from 1st January, 188G, to 3Lst January, 138S>.
Xo.
Date.
lufnriucT.
Offender.
To whom Sold or Supplied.
1
•2
3
1886.
Aiigu*t 31
SopiolnlH*; .
Bept^ba 27
October^
Ji W. Knox
Police Z Z
FM
Supplying
S.S.I. Santo
JoeTanna ...
£ s. d.
2
5
3
4
Mahomet Hassan
,, Verrateer ...
4
Revenue Police
Ah Sum
Pacific Islander
5
(!
Vu Win- Clung
Selling:
Supplying ...
5
8
ib
Local Police ... Z Z
Ah Tin
Cases Dibmihseu.
S.S.'l. Spider ..."
., Taringalow ...
„ Slider
Taiiiigalow ...
la
15
5
5
64
i
2
1887.
,r„]y 21
December ...
lineal Police
W. Id. Boyd
Mahomel Bryan
Charley Tanna
Supplying
Pacific Islander ...
1688.
April 3
Inspector Pacific Islanders ...
Mahar»o
CKAS. A. KORSTER, Inspector Pacific Islanders.
Ingham, 31nt January, 1389.
APPENDIX No. 11.
Schedule of Employers »f Pacii-ic Island Labourers in the •istrict of Ingham as at 1st .January, 18S9.
No.
Employer's Name.
Estate.
Dtjuuee
rrom»rBce
Under
Agrceim-nt.
Not under
Agreement.
2
7
U
10
11
12
13
14
15
10
Andersen, A
Aim, John
Cowley, A. S
Cochrane, P. J
Carr, A. W
Colonial Sugar Refining Company j
Fuitlifull, }[. J
Lely, Julm
Neanie, F.andA
Regaswwli, P.
Kosendx.hl, N.
W »od Bros, and BoyU
Whittingbam Bros
Waller Bros
Cassidy, J. ...
Fisber, —
Rivervtew
Groseth
( ' ii lo ih
Vidt«fla Mill and
Gairloch
Hor. 1SB y
Macknade
Halifax (selection)
Gumley
Ripple Creek
Hamleigh
Cordelia Vale
Mo»ngoola
FrancisCreekfselec-
Halifax
ditto
Ingham
ditt«
Halifax
Ingham
ditto
Halifax
ditto
ditto
In K ham ...
ditto
Halifax
Coast
Ingham
»'
13
4
9.)
13*
14
10
13
11
8
3*
13
10
11
3
2
1
2
366
2
1
76
1
2
95
51
5
5
•
1
1
4
"it
$
3
rt JP»
35
1
"6
18
14
618
18
90
Total ...
726
CHAS. A. FORSTER, InapeeUr of Pacific Islanders.
Ingham, 31st Jauuary, 1889.
332
APPENDIX No. 12.
Schedule «f Number of Islanders employed in the Ingham District, showing Number Employed and Death Rats,
A. Andersen
Aim, J
I ■<;. lKiM.in, A,
Carr. A. W
('..Ill l.u'll Su k -;.r ( V..
il.-iml-L-h Sn„Mr (\>.
W hittidirti.iiH Cr.--.
Mu.-k,,:. t-- S,r,-;ir Co.
F. & A. Neame ...
Victoria Colonial
Sugar Co-
Won Bros. A Boyd
Waller Bros.
Regaz2olr, P.
Robinson, H.
Radfwd&Co.
Norman, M
Lely, J
Herron, F
Cassidy, —
21 Cowley, A. S.
22 Cochrane, P. J.
23 Faitbfull, H. J.
River View
Groseth ...
Lilly Bank
Oak lei gh
Gairloch
Hamleigh
Macknade
GuKlay ...
Trebonne
Victoria Mill
Spring field
MonaParm
Drumcree
Coast
Francis Creek
Gairloch Homestead
St. Fillans
Selection, Halifax
Kate per S9 .
Ill
Ingham, 31st January, lSi>y.
CHAS. A. FOKSTER, Inspector Pacific Islanders.
APPENDIX No. 13.
From 8th M:in li, Ihh: c,l;itc un which liegisters were opened)
until 31 «t December, 1(187.
!
i
I
1
I
1
I
!
Coii| ileu.
|
A
Demand
17
7
133
49
5
309
47
497
Supply
34
«3
81
3:(
12
3S7
160
E*cea« of Demand
54
IS
337
Excess of Supply
17
Kg
78
i
Engagements made
4
Agreements
76
Prom 1st January till 31
Svmi art for the Year ending 3l s t December.
T
l Deeember, ISSS.
5
Demand ...
Supply
Excess of Demand
Excessof Supply...
Engagements made
Agreements
162
i
'£5
JOHN A. WALLACE. Assistant Immigration Agent,
The following are therates of wagas ruling in this district ; —
Mechanics, 10s. to 1 Is. per diem : lumpers, Is. 3d. to 2s. per hour ; navvies, 7s, to!b. per diem ; farm labourers, £40 b • £ 15
per annum ; ploughmen, 18s. to 20a pur week; old kinds, 20s, to 25s. per week; general labourers, 15s. to ISs per wesk ; mill
hands, 15s. to 20>i. pur woek ; cooks on plantations, generally bakers, 25s. to oO*. per week.
General servants, Us. to 15s. pur week; cooks and limndr esses, liw. to 20s.; laundresses (hotels), 20*. t-i 25s. per week;
housemaids, 8s. to 12a.; hotels, 15s.
JOHN A. WALLACE, Assistant Immigration Agent.
APPENDIX No. 14.
Return Showing the DEATH Rate amongst the Pacific Islanders employed in the Townsville Distktct during the
Three Years as under.
y&me of Employers.
Plantation.
18S8,
1887,
18S8.
Ymiihci-i.f
Islanders
K.mployed.
Number
of
Rate
Cent
NnmlKT of
i;iu|.ii»viii
Number
of
•eaths.
Rate
Bmpkued
Xnmher
of
Deaths.
Rnte
Cent.
Ahearne, Joseph
Cran, J. W. ...
Drysdale Bros, and Ci
Johnson, Ere
Maemillan, A. C.
Mackenzie, Jas
Oliver, Wm
Young BroB. and C o ,
Total ...
Maida Vale ...
I^>ch Marie ...
Pioneer
Ellerslte
Airdmillan ...
Seaforth
Trent Estate...
Kalamia
9
203
"t
1S9
5
170
io
6
"8
2S
3f
'34
7
1
157
2
7
!)5
2
8(1
22
1
"2
ii
50
"i
%
S
1
250
1
5
11!)
139
2
"«
"l
1U
67
is
20
6?
B63
30
H
867
29
8
529
54
10
JOHN A. WALLAOK, Inspector of Pacific Islanders,
SCHEl.rtE ..f Fmplotkbs of Vi
333
appendix :
mc IsL.tND L.\BOCUkRs in the
of Tow.VRVir.LE, as at l*t January. IS?!*.
Employers' Karnes.
Locality.
Estate.
Not
Working.
Agreement.
Exempt.
■ "
Ahearne, ,Tosh.
Oran.J. \V...,
Dry^lalu Bros. & Co
.Johnson, Fred
Macmilla,,, A. C. .
:ie, J an
O liter, Wn.
Young Bros. & Co.
MaidaYale
Loch Marie
Piuneer
Ellerslie
ifeaforth
Trent testate
K:.lhl.llLUl
Lower Burdekin
Townsville
Lower 11m dekin
Townsville
Lower Burdelrin
Miles.
73
4
t>8
3
so
s.->
78
73
3
X
" 1
5
1157
1
148
1
!
"i
3
1
2
Ill
Total
543
10
JOHN A. WALLACE, Inspector Pacific Islanders
Hay
Chaff
Potatoes .
Onions
Maize
Oats
Wheat
Butter
Cheese
Green fruit
APPENHIX No. 16. (A.)
Pbopuce Imp«ete» into Townsville during Year 1888.
6& Ts' 1
1,152 18 1
1,337
320 17
. 91,926^ bushels
. 18,911
4,34-U „
130,3-16 hogsheads
. 118.324
21,584 packages.
Phoducje Ijlpoete» into Townsville f«r the Mouth of January, 1889.
Hay and chaff 253 *19 o"
Potatoes 136 13
•nions 22 16 2
Maize and oats 16,115 bushels
Wheat 136
Butter 12,893 hogsheads
Cheese u',026
Green fruit ... , 2,0*7 packages.
APPENDIX No. IS (B.)
Peodtjce Imports* into Mackay for the Year 1888.
Hay °32 C ll q
Chaff 119 5 3
Potatoes 492 18 2
•nions 51 18 3
Maize 21,305 bushels
Oats 12,401| „
Wheat 50
Butter 6,209 lb.
Cheese 15,684 „
Fruit (green) , 2,088 packages.
Pboduce Imporxe» into Mackay for the Month of January, 1889.
Tone cwt. qr.
Hay and chaff 16
Potatoes 12 11 1
•nious 3 3
Maize and oats 987 bushels
Wheat Nil
Butter 177 lb.
Cheese 1,135 „
Fruit (greeu) 60 packages.
334
Svjimabt for the Year ending 31st [Wmber, 1888.
From ltt January to31at December, isss.
1
•
J
1
_-
I
I
1
|
jl
■
P
a
£
Demand
4J
106
5
24
13
34
Supply
:::
133
42
22
15
44
Excess of Demand
04
Excess of Supply ...
90
10
Engagements made
1
14
Agreements made
78
The foil owing are the
labourers, 12s, prr week : i ■]>
i,.- ,.tM !■:■ !
maid.-,, B». to KH per week ;
~F. C. HORT^BROOK,
Assistant Immigration Agent, Mackay.
sr day; navvies, 7s. to Ss. per day; farm
j jut week ; mill hands, 15s. per week ;
uital servants, 12s. to Lis. per iverk ; house-
Scobdclk of Kwploysiis of Pacific Island Laboijbebs in the District ol Mackay, as at 1st January, 1889.
Zstate.
Lwalily.
Distance
So.
Xmne of Employer.
Work ids
Agreement. Exempt-
1
-
Armitage.J.
Eimeo
.North Coast
12
1
2
Aiherton, E.
Sank o f Australasia
Cliftonville
North Side
2*
1
215
4
Baker, T.
Barrie 1 "^ 011
Eton
20
35
Bolton, F. W. ..,
Farleigii *" ...
lil
136
2
6
Christensen, H.
Homefield
13
1
7
8
Colonial Sugar Refining
Company
Cook J. ...
Homebush
Balnagowan
13
12
121
1
9
Dalrymp.'e, D. H.
Newhury
15
1
!•
Denman, E.
Etourie
10
4
11
Duppy, C, ...
St. Marie
North Siiie
13
4
12
Evans, C. W
3
1
13
Geisler, J
South. Boundary
2
1
14
Grosskreutz, E.
Greenfield
near Marion M ill
17
1
15
Gladstone, D
Woodlands ...
...
12
1
16
Henderson, A
Beac«nsfield
6
31
17
Hess, J. G
Near Homebusli
...
15
2
18
Hync and Co.
Meadowlands
3
68
19
Inverarity and Mclnnes . ..
Ellalong
18
*
20
Jane, H.J
Glendarragb. ...
7
Jones and Braekenbury ...
3
22
Lacy, Dysnn
St. Helens ... Z.
50
1
23
Langford, B
Mayfield
near Marion Mill
16
1
24
Loig. E. M
Habasa
14
190
25
Mac-kay Sugar Company ...
Vi< toria Mill
Eton
19
23
|
26
27
Dingle Farm
Newbury
15
3
Markey, D
Avondale
near Marion Mill
17
1
28
Matsen, O. ..
Springfield
15
64
I
29
Melbourne. Mackay Sugar
Palms
i
Company
Mel bourne- Mackay Sugar
:
30
Te Kowai
55
6
Company
31
32
McBrydeand Finluystn ...
McCready, H
Richmond Hill
PalJKyra
8
7
42
is
33
Jseill. K
Grecnvale
14
2
34
•hen, F
Baeecotirse
4
1
35
Paget Brothers
Nindaroo
10
137
1
3«
Parnell.D
ElLeslie
near Broadsound
EflO
37
38
Paterscn, C. V.
PLilp, J
Digger 'sF arm
Sandeford ...
7
12
2
39
HouaW, R. B
Eiver Estate
4
198
40
Rcid, E. V.
Maekay
1
3
41
Ryan, T
Mayfieid
...
1
42
Ryan. P
Sea View ,
;'
1
45
Steedman. W.
Pleystowe
11
26
3
44
Stevens, F. I
Cottonvale
Homebush road
12
2
2
45
Voysey, Geo
Rosevale .
Bowen road
10
"i
46
Wa tson. C. C.
Ftrnbroc-k
Walkcrston
10
3
47
48
W ebster, Chas
Willock.C. J.
Eulamere
Rosemwunt
...
14
20
3
3
1
Total
1,473
| 13
' 130
F. C. H«RNBR»OE,
Inspector of Pacific Islanders, Mackay.
335
APPENDIX No. 19.
n the Macsay District dining the
Xnrne of Employer.
Avery, J.S.
Armitage, J.
Atherton, E.
Adrian, W. S. G. ...
Antony, J. ...
Bank »f Austral&s' i
Baker, T. ...
Bailey, D. ...
Bolton, F. W.
Black, H. L.
Black, M. H
Bai'kly, J
Barber, H. A
Bridgeman, R
Brown, R. S. P.
Barry, J.
BrarJ, G. A
Brown, K. C
Baumgarten, H
Bryson and Stewart
Bell, H.
Ml, A. T
Christenson, H. ...
Colonial Snjfar ReHningCo.
Connor, •
Cook, J.
Ctstello, J. M
Christensen, J. W.
Cheva
>. G. W.
Cartney, J.
Dalrymple, 1). H
Banielson, Carl
Dupey, C.
Denmaii, E
Denman and Coatello
Draper, A
Diehm.A.
Donaldson and Co,
Evens, C. W.
Flood, M
Florence , A .
Geisle, J. ...
Gladstone, D
Ginsskreutz, E
Gallangy, J.
Harney, J
Henderson, A
Hendy, W.
Hese, J. G
Hyne, W., and Co.
Hunter, Clias
Hamilton, A.
Hewitt and Co.
Holt, W. H
Inverarity and Mclnnes ...
I vera, J. F. ..
Iwers, B,D
Ironside, Geo.
Inverarity, W
Jane, H. ,1
Jones and Brackenbury ...
Johansen, J. N.
Josling, H
Jobson, C.
Jack and Bilker
Keane, P
Kaddatz, A.
King, G. M
Kemp, C
Kriegher.A
Kinff, T
Kenimis, A.
Lacy, Dyson
Xtmgford, B
Long, E. M.
Lloyd, A. H
Landed, W
M;ickaySng«,r Company...
Mackenzie, A. R
Man, CP.
Manuel, H
Markey, D
Matsen, O -
Mel ourne and Mackay
Sugar Company...
Do!
Do
McBride anW Finlayson ...
McCready, H
McLellan, B
McCallum, J
i C«ningsby
I Eime«
Cliftonville
MountPleasant
J Etonvala ...
I Ashburton and Pioneer
1 Bstrde
! Springvale
Parleigh and Foulden
I The Grange
Hamilton
Green Park
Roseiale
Motato
Walkerston
Norwood
Etourie
Victoria Mill
near Marion Mill...
Plane Creek"
Varraville
Homefield ...
Homebush
Lansdowne
Balnagowan
Millicent
Cormtweed
Porest Vale
Eaglemount
Newbury
Mitchell's Farm ...
St. Marie
Etoune
Richmond Trust ...
Eton...
CWda
Erridge
Virginia
South Boundary ...
Woodlands
Greenfield ...
Kl"i i'la
Plane Creek
Beaconafield
Riverview Farm ...
near Homebush ...
Meadowlanda
Hunter's Hill
Hill End
Br..kland9..
D»nnybrook
.
lUaripnMill
Glendarragh
near Habana
Kelvin Grove
Woodlands
Greenmoimt:
Cedars
Carryofl
Branscmnbe
Kempsey ...
Crapuold
XfUllKl'V
St. Helens
id .
Havana
Duinbleton
Glenmorsan
Victoria Mill
Marion Mill
Dingle Par m
Black water Creek...
Avondale
Springfield ._.
Faints
Te Kowai
Peri
A li'Mindra
Richmond Mill
Palmyra
Rosehaugh
Woodf«rd „.
336
APPENDIX No. 19— continued.
Retchn showing- Death Rate ajaong-a-t Pacffic Islanders, MackaT — continued.
Vameof Employer.
Mitchell.M
Muggleton, J.
Mockiidye, E.
McDennott, P. .
McSheny,H.
JMcK.ii) no n, C. F. .
Neill, K
Napier, W. B.
Nnrthcj-
Olseii, F
•akenden Sugar Coi
Paget Bras
Parnell, V
Petersen, C. V. ...
Petersen, Neil
Philp, J
Porter, J
Ronald, P. 1.
Ross, W. S. .
Reck, Carl
Reid, E. V
Rice, L. K
Ryan, T.
Ryan, P.
Ready. M
Kobins.n, H. T. F.
Steedman, W.
Stevens, V. J.
Synions, H
Sachoe, W. H. ...
Solway, T
Smith, J.
Smith, A
Stephens, A.M. ..
Smith, Geo
Toussaint, C. W. ...
Voyse v, G
Walkitr, W
Watson, E. .
Webster, Chas. ...
Willock, C.J.
WUmau, P
Walker, A
Willtett, J. ...
Weston Bros.
Mitchell's Farm
Plane Geek
The Dingle...
•rumilolf ...
Mackay
Green vale ...
near Haliana
Kingnboniugh
Ckkenien ...
Mintlaroo ...
Ellei-slie
Bigger* Farm
Marseilles ...
Sandef«rd ...
River'Estate"
Cul/wsste ...
LoaisFarm...
Mackay
The Rocks ...
MayBeld ...
Seaview
Castle Connor
Goodwin ...
Pleystowe ..
Cottomale
near Habana
Boomerang . .
Solw&y's Farm
Stirlingvale
Allandale ..
Mariou Mill
Marion Mill
Hazelwood...
Rf>sevale ...
Walker's Farm
Fernbrook ...
Eularoere ...
Rosemount...
Lustrup
Newbury
Xninber of
Employed
Islanders.
F. C HORNBROOK,
Inspector Pacific Islanders, Mackay.
APPENDIX So. 20.
Schedule A.— Return of Complete Sugak Mills in the Bunuabkbg Bistrict.
ie of Oimer or OCcup
A. H. & K. Young
Do.
Gibson & Howes
Nott Brothers
a. p. Barton
S. Johnston
Buss & Davidson
Rubyanna Sugar Company
Thomas Penny
Qneeiish nrt Investment Company
Weist & Blinsett
R. .Tones
.). Gaviiiu!
Mrs. (Jreathead
H. Palmer A S*n
Hm*»fcr«my ,
Ola son & (irotherr
Banna Sugar Company
Wiiltei- Atla tns
M m tin W te9 ll
R. Le*
K. C. McDouall ...
Noakea Brothers
W. G. Buchanan
Same of Plantation.
Value of Mills
(when given).
Total Valueot Mil]
Bud PlautaUou.
Value of Rolling
Stock & Implements
in Plantation.
Minnie r of
Whites Tvagess.na
Bations per Annum.
Number of
Blacks
Employed.
Blar.ks' Wages,
and Passages.
£ *. d.
Fairymead*
1,252
5,800
Hermitage
115
1,150
bo, 000
6,021 10 4
650
4,203
500
□0.0U0
3,1!)6
Waterview .
270
1,248
1,755
FemberUn Grange
38t
oO,UUU
2,007
4 8
4,100 11 8
450
1,524
2,071
Millbank
250
1,149
5 10
1,057 u 9
Kalbar
330
052
2,181 9
G»odwood
400
802
1,100
i,;m; o o
Tejiji
2G0
8,906
16!58fl
IS
S
60
i
1,100
.
150
16,«00
1100
23
3
1,610
45
2,040
Hopewell
250
8,000"
15,000
f>0»
17
3
1,«00
2
2,500
Sharon
300
1,2»0
2,100
Ashfield
22*
8',000
l&OQ
900
10
1,070
«
2
1,100
Kalkie
ISO
6,700
11.4K7
8«0
15
1,174
55
1,751
200
11,115
964
12
1,263 11 6
40
2
1,22(1 3
Smnn'Uv-ille"'. Z
120
Jt.OOO
403
8
031
27
3
845 15
Bdlevue
127
!),M0
300
8
2
52*
23
8110
Sherwood
150
3,300
5,425
1)66
10
1
1,1*0
243
10
2
611(1
Cuba
70
2,500
3,500
200
1
2,5
1
1,0-tO
Spring HiU
550
2S.000
1181
3
1
260
40
2.0%
Branyant
15*
6,50b'
16,500
r.oo
8,474
£110,406
£■007,(546
£30,397
44(i
B5
i'37,0S0
4 5
1448
96
£48,966 If. 9
•HermitsgcblaCk labourincluaed luFairymea*.
orking. Estimateonl)' :
Schedule B— Retcbn of Crushing Mills for Extracting Jnice only, in the Bundaberg District.
W. R. MAY, Secretary Bundaberg Planters* Associal
Name olOwneror Occupaut.
Name of Plantation.
1 Acres , Value of Jnice Mill
Total Value Mill aud
Plantation.
Value Of Rolling
6tock 4 Implement*.
vrhites'Wngesand
Bationsper annum.
Number of
Blacks
EniDloyed.
Black*- Waves,
Rations,
aud Passages,
1
2
3
4
5
b
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Cr,m Bros A Co
Famtiuliar& C:*
F.W. Glad well
Miss Tanner
Bucluuian & Denny
E. Tinner .,,
net
Walker Bros
S. Howe
J. Clarke
J, & T. Young
Carl Thorns
J. Forrest & Co
•uncraggan
Hummock ...
Oakwood
Sunnyside
Woodlands
P«plai-3 & Hybia ...
Seaview
Wo.ndooma
Ashgrove
1 Kepnock
Horton
Avuuaf
too
240
340
350
200
260
150
185
16*
200
20
150
4 s. d-
0,2*2"l3 7
4,000'"0
4,629 12 9
3,000
3,200
2,000 "'0
6,502'"0
£ t. d.
50.000
35,000
17,750
16,925
11,582 9 9
11,150
10,000
9.100
8,145 10 6
6,800
5,000
4,700
1,000
1C.500
£ s. d.
1,500
1,079 3 4
650
774
1,833 7
700
COO
150
587 10 6
2(10
250
300
50
500
34 4
14 2
7 2
6 1
12 4
7
11 2
5 2
4 1
6 2
5 1
5 1
6
£ s. d.
2,262
1,876 11
639 10
1,332
1,702 3 10
888
852 10
278
351
400
350
450
240
at. P.
150 8
95 7
30
60 6
46 6
45
54 4
23
28 3
24 1
18 2
22 2
£ 3. d.
•1,540
3,'>70 17 4
UOO
1,841
1,083 fi ()
1,420
2,211
777
1,201)
750
670 13 4
R-19 14 6
14 _J
2,835
£82,582 6 4
£203,553 3
£9.234 . 10
118 22
£11,330 14 10
£505 30
£19,772 11 7
* Tafce&by Mr, farquahar.
7 Networking Estimate only;
W, H. MAY, Secretary Bundaberg Planters' Association,
APPENDIX No. 20— Ctntinued.
SciiEDrtE C— Retcrn of Cane-Growers only, in the Bindabkbg Distkict.
.Name or Farm.
Acres under
Oano.
Xumberof
Whites
Employed.
M. r.
12
3
2 " 1
4 1
4
1
2"'
2
8
Rauensjiev aim uiu.
Number o!
Hacks
Employed.
E lucks' 1V;lJ[P8,
Uati»ns. Passages, «<j,
£ 3. d.
561 15
185
365
175
rm
120
06
76 "0
124'
40
112 10
700
Cloaringiind l'lautiuff,
1
2
3
4
6
C
ff
9
10
11
12
13
14
lf>
lfj
17
.t ft. Hill
J. W. Kini;
C. and J. Smith
D. Walker
J. C. Grimwood
J. Neilaen
Mrs. Pearse
T Williams'
I. Ruddell '
J. Nepali;
C*.Hi%«inan" ! "...
L. J. Brensch
Scott, and Walters
Jens Christensen
A. C. Walker ...
J. A. Simpson .. ...
South Kolau
Anneslev
Tecoraa"
Braemar
Dullhighoo
Mailbank
B.-cana
Edenderry
Violet Hill
Dodder Fiinn
Woonjarra
Hillside
Albion
Kalkie
Knockroe
Forrest Hill
ISO
140
100
!)0
8a
80
45
3l'
30
25
25
"23
20
15
18
£ *. d.
036
225
130
400
264
7S
m
82
5t0
it. r.
12
4 1
7 " 1
6
10
4 2
2 1
4 "
4 '
1
3
22 "
£ s. d.
1,000"
1,012'"0
800
30l"0
425
575
100
234"o
17
910
33 2
£2,771 j 79 4
£3,075 2
£4,50G
X.B.— The lielice returns or acreage uuderoaue is furnished to the Kegistrar-fteneral - no doubt iu a complete rorm.
W H. MAY, Secretary Bundaberg Planters' Association,
Rscapitclation.
Schedules
XOB.
De*cnl>tfoii.
Ai'rei under Cane Valu0 of Mil Is (where
Total Value MiWmid
Plantation.
Value of Jloltios Stock
and Implements.
Number »r
Whites
Kuiplo.red.
Whites' Wages and
Hatlons per annum.
Slacks
Employed.
Slacks' Wases.Passage*.
Rationa. Clolhing.Medi-
cal Attendance, ftc.
A
i
c
22
14
17
Complete mills ....
Jnicemillft
Cane-gron-ers
£ *. d.
8,474 119,406
2,855 1 32,582 6 4
910 j
£ s. tl,
576,6415
203,553 3
£ s. it.
30,397
9,234 10
41G 85
118 22
38 2
£ s. d.
37,080 4 5
11,330 14 10
2,771
1,448 95
595 39
79 4
£ s. d.
48,966 15 9
19,772 11 7
3,075 2
12,239 £151,988 4
£771,199 3
£39,031 10
G02 109
£51,181 19 3
2,120 138
£71,812 9 4
N,B.— Messrs. K. Cran and Co.'sSugar Refinery, which is generally roughly estimated at £150,000, must beaddedtu value of mills and plantations £771.190.
Value of. Knlliog Stock 39,631.
Value of K. Oran's Refinery— say l:>0,000.
Showing Capital invested— say £9fi0,tJ30
APPENDIX No. 21.
Rbtihx of Su<4AB EspObtei) from the Port of Rc.vuabero for 1888.
Periods.
EIPOErr.D BEYOND BOKDK1S.
F.XW11T»:0
COASTWISE.
Value.
Quarter enderl 31st March
Quarter ended 30th June
Quarter ended 30tii September
Quarter ended 31st Becember
1,313
1,006
3.52S
1,345
29,247
32,022
69,217
25,990
1,6'20
843
3,257
2,278
29,169
15,174
58,626
48,977
2,449
6,785
3,623
58,416
47,196
127.S43
74,967
Total
7,792 t I1fi,J76
7,998
151,946
15,790
308,422
Exports of Sugar for Year 1888
Exports of all other Products, 1888
£308,422
54,079
Total Experts £302,501
E. KILNER, Sub-Ctllector.
.APPENDIX No. 22.
Uktdkn of Savings Bank Accounts, Pacific Island Laboubebs, Marybobouoh Distbict, 7th jMakch, 1889.
Number of Sa vings Bank accounts to date 80
Amount at credit £539 17 3
T. B. SMYTH, Inspector Pacific Islanders.
APPENDIX No. 23.
Retdbk of Pacific Islan» Lab«tjbers, MAiiYBOBOuoH Distbict, as at 1st January, 1889.
Number serving itDder agreement at above date 337
Number of exempt Islanders employed on plantations 23
Number on plantations not working 13
Estimated number walking about, not working, or illegally employed 100
473
Besides the above, there is a good number of exempt Islanders of which there is no record in ihis office.
T. B. SMYTH, Inspector Pacific Islanders.
Return of allScGA
APPENDIX No. 21,
3 Imported into Melbourne. "Victoria, for Twelve Months from February, 1888, to January,
per Messrs. Eraser .ind Co., Limitei's, Reports (monthly).
I
3
181 i
1U
37i
%
2,80*2
4.110
1,767*
0764
4051
N'OTK.-Tho above quantities shown in Tuna.
• I rinouioil to lu (Juki DilnuiJ Sugar
340
APPENDIX No. 25.
Rktubn showing Numbeh of Sctoab Plantations and Fabms under Sugab CoLTivArau.' in the Colony
of Queensland on 31st March, 1888.
Plantation or Farm.
Name of Owner c
BRISBANE DISTRICT.
1
Connell, A.
Brookfield,
Farm
2
Schultz, W
Toombul,
3
Rea.J
Rosewood,
Plantation
4
Smith, Thos. L
Woodlands (Distillery),
5
Gordon, Jas.
Netherwick,
6
Heinemann. H
Moon! Cotton,
7
Paston, or Preston
Mount Cotton,
Farm
8
Burnett Bros
Buderim,
Plantation
9
Fielding and Dixkson
Yagilla,
10
Gardener,
Normanby (Distillery),
Sommer, C, A. ...
Bahr, W
Bruse, M.
Ratz, W
Bilgan, G.
Bilgan, F.
Eruger, C.
Lehman, C.
Ernst, C
Noe, W
Eaii, M. ...
Stem, A
Fiseher, A.
Balir, F
Egersdorf, C. ...
Erebs (Co-operative)
Oppermm, H. P.
Gooding, F.
Witty, W. E. ...
Watt, A
Couldery.W. ...
Pidd, Wm.
Heich, H.
Eleinsmidt, A. ,..
Rehfelt, E.
Markes, T.
Raibaw,
Harih,
Sehwenke, ...
Pariherd, . . .
Doublin, ...
Euhman, ...
Mewing, H.
Eishman, A.
Miers, G
Brumm, E .
Grimes, S.
Robinson, A.
Gartside, J.
Rhodes, J.
Lewis, D. M. ...
Fullerton Bros. ...
Duncan, J.
Townley.T.
McQuigan, R
Stephenson, A. P.
Winb, J
Pettoes or Aloes, C. P. .
Petersen, List J.
Herrenberg, Mrs.
Groundwater, W. R. .
Hodgkinson, J
Eelly, P.
Joues, W. R
Cuttler, G.
Eermoske, J
Barbeler Bras ,
Clarke, John
Jackson, Lewis
Garvie, J. M
Weber, C. W
LOGANiDISTRICT,
Gramzow,
Alberton,
Beenlcigh,
Gramzow,
Gallowwood,
Bcenleigh
Eagleby, I
Beenleigh, Distillery and
Yatala
Bannockburn,
Agcslon (Distillery)
Norrill,
Rocky Point,
Stegelilz,
Junction,
Plantation
Farm
Rockholme, Plantatii
Ilelensvale, „
Olmoor, „
Rirerside, Farm
Ebenezer (Nerang), Plantatic
Bundall
Benowa „ „
St. Helena Penal Establishment
MARYBOROUGH DISTRICT.
Wallalla,
Jlaucvaug,
Freaskow,
Peacchomc,
HignHill,
Lonojolc,
LaurelJBank,
Feracy,
Nerada,
Muryville,
Clifton.
River View,
... EaUii Vale,
Linton,
Alpha,
... Eosenburg,
Pk-tniation
Farm . . .
Plantation
Farm ...
341
APPENDIX No. 25— continued.
Rftdiin sliowir^ NusiBta of Sugar Piantatioks and Faiims under Suoaii Cti*tiv a tton i
at" (Queensland on 31st March, 1888— rmititMcrl.
the Colony
Clarke, B, F, ...
Stewart. James ...
Timbrel I and Son
WhittiiW, John
Porter, Ernest G.
ItitcWll. Jol in ...
Smith, Henry ...
Yates, W. T. ...
Fletcher, A.
Cameron, J. A. ...
1UU, H. M.
Buldles, Perry ...
Wilson, W. C. ...
Martin, Boyle ...
G0.S5, Chas. W. ...
Cnm, James
Not known
Koekener, J.
Morton, Titos. ...
MARYBOROUGH DISTRICT-c#)i«i««f<*.
Mona,
Bust 'mount,
Apperly, '
Elizabeth,
Crtuora,
Tindah,
Nawit Hill,
Tulano (Tiar«),
Myrtle Grove,
Callart,
Aurora,
Bryrum,
Birilurim.
Preston (Wide Bay)
Pialba,
Toland (Maryborougli)
Aitigua,
Rosella ?
Budenim,
Yengarie Kefinery
Note. — The most of these mills are simply juice mills, the cane juice being crushed mn farms and eo
by pipes or tanks to Yengarie Refinery. Some lew planters still continue to naiufacture their «\vn sugar.
All distilleries closed in the Maryborougli Bistrict.
24
iveyed
JUNDABKRG DISTMCT.
1
Yonn$t, A. H
Foirymede.
a
Young, E.
Hermitage,
3
MeDouatt, J. W
Kulbar,
<L
Me Jouall, A
Cuba,
5
Buchanan, S
Oakwood,
6
Pegg, A.
Glenmure,
7
Henkcr, C
Otoo,
8
Hood, James
Sunnyside,
Bock Bros.
South JColan,
10
YPhittmciton, F
Burnett River,
11
Jones, R .
Tegege,
12
Wessel. Martin
Beileview,
13
Hunt. William
Greenwood,
11
Nielson. Jorgen
Mail Bank.
15
Bock, Hans
South Kolan,
1G
McKensie, D.
South Kolarj,
17
Palmer, H
Sliaron,
liS
Wockman. B
Ballindarry,
10
Hill, J. H ,
South Kolan,
20
Gibson and Homes
Bingcra,
31
Johnston, Samuel
Watprview,
22
.liken. 11. S
Woondooma,
23
Gladwell. F. W
Mabro,
21
Cliristensen, T.
Xalki,
25
Clark and Ford
Ashgrorc,
Violet Hill,
ao
Neweilt, Jos
27
Tanner. C. \l
The- Grange,
28
Gi'inivrood, T. C.
Calling! ioo,
29
LtfC, J
Brampton,
;)u
Buss. F
Roseville,
:u
II ami Item. Mrs
Rest, of Age,
32
Man thee. W
Rosen tabl.
33
NoaktN Brothers .,,
Spring Hill,
31
Barton, A. V
Mon Repos.
3j
Faulkner, C
Woodlands,
36
Turner, E
Snnnyside,
37
Forrest, T
Aroea,
38
Stanieg, L
Seaview,
39
Farqnhar Bros
Ihimmock.
40
Nott Bros.
Windermere,
41
Howe. Sam
Woondunoo,
12
Young, Thos. ...
K>pnorh,
ta
Buss. F. and C. W
Asb field No. 2
•H
Bengisson, N. P.
Stoney.
Wi
Offman. T. H. ...»
Donnybrook,
IG
Walker, M. W.
H^bla.
Plantation
Farm
Plantation
Farm
Plantation
Plantation
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
342
APPENDIX No. 25— eontinneW
Retuun showing Ntjmbeb of Sr&AH Plantations and F.\.bms under Scgaii Cultivation im the Col»ny
of Queensland ot 31st March, 1888 — continued.
47 Fox, Jos.
48 I Dredge, D.
49 Smitt, F.
50 Pearce. F. T
51 Walker, A. C
52 Coomber, A. T
53 Carlson, C. and M.
54 Hicksen, W. M. C.
55 I Nielson. P.
66 Lee, R
57 Gayland, T
58 Pringle, T
59 Goodwin. C. H
60 Penny, Tom
61 Greathead, Ann
62 Bertbea*, T. H
63 Buss and Davidson
64 Ditto
65 Simpson, C. A
66 Jacobson, L
67 Moon, W. G
68 Lagreen, A.
69 King, T. W
70 Olsen Bros
7L Carlson, T. A. ...
72 Williams, Thos
73 Walker, T. Y
74 Cliristensen, A
75 Matzka, A
76 Matton, C.
77 Davenp»rt, G
78 Smiith, T. T
79 Jensen, N. C
80 Hurlebans.T ...
81 Nott.H. O.
82 Breusel, L. T
83 Arstall, T
84 Watson, D
S5 Sherrington, A
Messrs Cran
This appears to be the most
simply crush the cane and send the
BUNDABERG DISTRICT— conitmierf.
... I Dodder, Farm
Sun bury, ,,
Uiseand Shine, „
1 Bojomiick, ,,
Bingera, „
Fig-tree, „
Frecdham,
Hubyanna, Plantation
Rosewood, Farm
Sherwood. Plantation
Windsor Park,
Bonna Sugar Co.,
Branyan,
Milbank,
Hopewell.
Sommerville,
Pemberton Grange,
Glenmorris,
Forrest Hill, Fa
Caspian,
Ashton,
Waterfield,
Annersley, PI
Kalkie,
Freed ha me,
Farm
The Poplars, „
Milan, „ -
Live Farm,
Cbappleton, „
Davenport, „
Tccoma, Plantation
Stoopie, Farm
Stone Hill, „
Viae Garden, „
Mary Va'e, ,,
Forge Farm, „
Braemar, „
Et'erton, „
Millaquin Refinery
flourishimg district in the colony. A large number of planters t
juice to refinery. 19,4D2 tons of sugar made the last season.
1 Bable Bros ,
2 Anderson, W. C.
3 Smith, A. (manager)
4 Luid, G. M. A.-
5 f Cart ner, A. ». (manager)
Gl McKinnon and Co., Melbourne
7 No name
8 Steedman, H. (manager)
9 No name ... ...
10 f Davidson, J. Fwcn
11( Melboume-Mackay Sugar Co.
12 Watson,
13 Kemp, C
14 No name
15 ( Robinson, H. (manager)
1G t Melb«ume-Mackuy Sugar Co.
17 No name
18 Josly., R
19 Leon,
20 Sandford,
21 Christesen, H. C
22 Stephens, F. T.
23 Nielson, H
24 Matzen, A
25 Ironside, G
26 Autom.T
27 f Smith, R. G. (manager)
28 I Colonial Sugar Refinery Coy., Sydney
29 Porter, John
30 Christensen, T. M
31 Peterson, N
MACKAY DISTRICT.
No mime,
Victoria,
No name,
Ashurton,
Pioneer,
Green mount,
Pleystowe (•istillery),
Halnagowan,
Alexandra (•istillery),
Ncbia,
No name,
River Estate,
Calrossie,
Te Kowai (Distillery),
Foulden,
Homebush,
Onhcnden,
No name,
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
1
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
1
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
1
Nil
1
Nil.
Nil
1
Nil
1
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
mi
Nil
Nil
.v.. ...
32
34
35
36
37
3H
39
40
41
4'2
43
-14
45
46
47
48
49
50
61
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
04,
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
9«
97
343
APPENDIX No. 25— continued.
showing Number of Sugar Plantations and Farms under Sugab Cultivation in the Colony
of Queensland on 31st March, 1388 — continued.
Name ot Owner or Manager.
rianliitioii orFann.
Draper, A. .,
Hess, T. G
Bridgeman, E. ..
Estate, R.
CartiK'y,
McHride, T. (manager)
McBride, Finlayson, and Poolmar
Kenny, T
Kenny, T
No name ,
Henderson, A . (manager)
Dunne, R. D. (manager)
Ditto
No name
Robertson, Wm.
Belday, E
Codnan, E
McCann,
Clarke,
rotto, Henry
iirian, W.S.C
Hendry,
Toselyn, R
Cowley, J.
Rogers,
Tudes, A
jennrick, C
Darey, T
Brtwne, C. "Wade
Ah Sin, Jimmy
Nestle,
i.h Sin, Jimmy
\h "Wop, Ling
3hip*kcc,
Walker, J
Landells, Wm. ...
junberg, L
Ryan. T
Smytenskec,
DIeson.
?nwright, M
?iorenee, A
lyne and Co
iinguet,
lorkleigb,
tomtlis, Mrs.
Gulden,
JIarkson, Dr.
jlovd.A. H.
iVilletl, ~
BISTRICT— tontinued.
... I No name
No name,
Richmond No. 2
Beacousfeld,
Barrie,
Liarrie,
River Estate,
Nc name,
Mount Pleasant,
No name,
illetl, T.
Solway, T
lynes, Wm
Archer, W. (Manager)
Lh Sen,
ichaffer, T
J etersen, A. A
jeivens,
deCready, Hugh
rvis.
!ass«da,
Jo name
rales, Wm
,avres. Sir F. B., England; B«tton, F. W.
(manager)
r oysey, G.
lenham, ,
aget, W. T. (manager)
r o name
Ditto
Ditto
arry, J
rery.T.G
ounson,
lillicent,
o name
rackrnbury and Jones
o name ... ...
Ditto
ang, Ell. (manager)
Mcadovdands,
No name,
Rive r Estate,
No name,
Palmyra,
No. name,
Glcndamii,
No name,
Farleigh,
Nindaroo,
Eichmond No. 2,
Spring Vale,
il andanna,
No flame,
Coningsby,
No name,
Avon Farm,
No name,
Acaeia Vale,
Eockton,
Habana,
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantati*
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
Plantation
Farm ...
344
APPENDIX No. 25— continued.
Ketpbn showing Number of Sogab Plantations and Faiims under Sugak Cultivation in the C«lonv
of Queensland on 31st Marcl:
No. of
Namo of Ownor or Manager.
Plantation or Farm.
3JLUlt'
111
112
117
118
119
123
124
127
128
129
No. name
Ditto
Flood, M
McLanaghan,
Pence, T.
Hendy,
Miller, Thos
5 — ty
No name
McSherry,
McKensie, A. E. (manager)
Langf ord, B
Baumegarten, F.
Dingle,
Coyne, David
Willork, C. T
Krutz, A. G
Rich, Carl
Waddatz, A
Erected by Queensland Government...
MACKAY DISTRICT-wniinaerf.
... Green Vale,
"Western Farm,
No name,
Stephens Farm
No name,
Marion Mill (Central Mill),
No name,
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
1
1
Inspector Connor states : 19 farmers, representing 246 acres are to crush at Racecourse Mill, 1888-9 season ;
and 12 farmers, representing 390 acres, will send cane to Eton Mill, same season.
16,062 tons Sugar. 1888. 16,138 tons, 1887.
Note. — I should imagine the lands in this District were showing signs of exhaustion, seeing that 12,309
acres were cut for 16.138 tons 1887, against 14,361 acres in 1888 to make 16,062 tons.— D. C.
COOK DISTRICT.
... iMyzalla, Plantation
I Vitele (Weary Bay),
1 I Hi slop, George
2 | McDougall, Robert ...
JOHNSTONE RIVER AND CARDWELL.
1 Canny, "William (manager) ... | Iniiishowan, Plantation
2 Adams. Ghas. ,, Goondi, ,,
3 Ledinge, R. „ ... Moun'lyan, „
4 | Dempsey, T. „ I Innisfail,
CAIRNS DISTRICT.
I Hambleton (Swallow-Derhand), Plantation
I Pyramid, „
ROCKHAMPTON DISTRICT.
I Yeppo«n Sugar Companyi Limited (Alwiwin, i Ycppoon, Plantation
| secretary, or Henry Ross, manager) |
I Williams, 0. (manager)
I Langdon, Wm. „
Young, Chas. (manager)
McEenzie, J. (owner)
New Zealand Loan and Mortgage Company
Oliver, "William
Oliver, "William
Munro, C.
Drysdale, John ,
Ahearne, Dr.
BT7RDEKIN, TOWNSVILLE.
Salami a.
Seaforth ,
Ardmillan,
Trent,
Norham,
Drynie,
Pioneer,
Maida Vale,
Plantation
F»rster, C. E. (manager)
Cowley, L. J.
Anderson, A.
Aim, T.
Herron, F.
Hoffensetz, TT
Rosendal. "W.
Carr, AW.
Waller, Bros
Laddams, W
Watson, C.
Williams, T
Radford, E.-T
Keixon, T.— Norman, W,
Nankivell, ,
Blaekmore, R. G. (manager)
Trail and Co
Neame and Co
Wood Bros, and Boyd ...
HERBERT RIVER, INGHAM.
Victoria,
Gairloch,
No name,
ITamleigh,
Trebonne,
Mackrmde,
Kipple Creek,
Nil
1
:l 1
1
1
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
W. H. IRVING,
For Chief Inspector of Distilleries and Excise.
APPENDIX No. 26.
of Scgar PtASTATio^s and Farms in Suqab Cl'LTIVATiOx for the last Seven Ybars in the Colony of Queensland, with Ncmbbr of Scgab Mills and Acreage under StTOAB-OANB in each District.
March, 1882.)
season 188Z-3.
(31at March, 1883)
SKASOX 1883-4.
(31st March, ISSil
SKASON 1*4-5.
(31st March. 1865.)
son 1BBA-G.
March, 1686)
|Sl«t
aarc^flgsV.)
(31™
sox 18S7-8.
March, I8SS.)
Phnta-
Acre.
MiiK
Aeries
PlaMa-
Farms
Acres
c^r
Mills.
Wanta-
*cre«
5» der
Sugar
MilU
riama-
Panu
Acre*
Can"
Mills'
Planw-
aud
Acr 9
MUj"
Pfcuta-
Acre,
under
Cane.
KIMAEIS.
BrialjMW
20
1,567
22
21
1,732
S3
18
1,471
20
35
2,015
25
22
1,322
21
7
770
18
10
511
8
3
Logan
24
3,031
26
30
3,572
30
39
4,269
37
70
4,380
40
41
3,841
33
28
2,340
31
54
1,441
18
1
Maryborough
30
4,981
28
46
4,760
28
53
4,842
37
60
5,161
31
58
4,818
35
59
3,973
33
37
2,527
1 omitted
B"ndaberg
48
2,154
6
61
5,088
19
70
7,143
26
86
9.7S6
28
90
11,581
31
89
12,925
33
85
11,735
34
Mackay ...
104
9,801
19
148
14,575
18
157
16,963
25
138
18,210
25
124
17,921
26
123
128
15,366
18
j 2 erected
Port Douglas and Caima
1
5
Nil
1
230
1
1,680
2
4
1,808
4
3
1,939
3
3
1,937
3
2
1,420
2
(Central Mills
Rockhampton ...
Nil
Nil
Nil
1
100
Nil
3
211
Nil
1
135
Nil
1
234
1
1
365
1
1
475
1
Burdekin and Townsville
5
109
2
8
502
Nil
7
2,761
1
9
3,574
5
7
3,054
5
8
2,013
4
8
2,594
Johnstone River
Nil
Nil
Nil
9
288
Nil
9
1,786
1
15
1,844
3
7
2,560
4
2,500
4
4
2,360
4
Herbert River ...
G
475
Nil
1
1,280
2
Nil
Nil
2
14
5,451
5
13
5,008
6
17
5,539
5
20
4,027
5
Bowen
Nil
Nil
Nil
6
Nil
2
200
2
310
1
2
362
1
1
250
1
Nil
Nil
1
Cook
Nil
Nil
Nil
26
Nil
5
41
1
711
1
3
745
1
2
551
1
2
529
1
247
22,143
103
335
32,159
120
367
41,307
152
438
53,285
168
371
53,980
166
342
49,102 1 160
1
351
42,985
119
^322
•istilleries at work ^
7
6
n
6
8
*l
9
9
*1
11
7
7
W. H. IRVING,
Foe Chief Commissioner of J»istilleriag and Excise.
346
APPENDIX No. 27.
[Fr*m Chief Inspector •/ mUlleries' Report fur 1887-8.)
Statement of Sugab and Kttm Manufactured, Impobtp;», and Expoeted iuring the Teabs fr«m
1870 to 1888.
, —
IS?
In-
1872 to
3 to
1874 to
1876
18T7 to
1878 la
31st March,
sist March
31st March
31et Marco.,
1371.
1872.
1S73.
1875.
1876.
137S.
1S73.
Sugar manuf aelurei (tons)
2,8541
3
762 1 .
6
2664
978i
12,108
6,^22
8,214
12,243^
J3,525i
Molasses ,, (gallons)
177,656
211i.i-.ii-l '
611)
442,253
651,259
438,950
416,115
490,26
570,301
fcsu^ar imported (tons)
2.090}
1,572
I
185
1.558
1.022
1,445
85
382
280
Sugar exported (tons)
li
1,154
1.431
5,665
2.
?6<i
1,134
6,052
5,072
JRuni distilled (gallons)
121,
112.979
UU,!73
161,413
217,701
343,214
183,243
196,001
216,395
]5nm imported (srallous)
21,142
1,326
b
63ft
9
278
11,821
13,684
15,06
14..504
10.269
Sum exported (gallons)
90,147
87,29
39,156
Sugar Mills working (N«.)
39
"55
65
"66
"" 71
66
70
9
68
Distilleries sorting (No ) .
10
11
9
1«
if
14
13
It
12
m\
IBM
to 1881 to
188S to
188B to
m: to
-
aistMarcU 31st March,
31st Mtrcli,
1st March,
IBS!
1881.
13?
1883.
1881, 1 ia&s.
886,
1887.
18X8.
Sugar manufactured (tons)
18, 7U
15,504
19,051!
15,7
02
36
14.8! M2-.Q10
5
.225^
56,859
57,960
Molasses „ (gallons) 6
U.,-486 602.960
58
663,£
1,071,4.13 801,613
1,781,266
1.51U,3"S
1,421,430
Sugar imported (t«us) ...
291,
185
214
274| 454
682'
4M-9
4121
Sugarexported (tons)
12.0r>l | 7,
721
8,4
5,020
22
.199 15.16?
37,701
44.975
39,115
Knm distilled (gallons) ... 2
i8,71i 201 ,
111
157.325
28
114,073 13!i,7«83
159,122 7
97,3758
47,3256
Rum imported (gallons)...
H.1,791
9,960
21.124
48
.881") 57,c
51)
3
6,458
24.698
38,044
Jium exported (callous) ...
32,629
68,
84,85.4
28,246
21.063 38,854
3
3,090
28,169
22,462
Su'ar Mills working (No.)
70
83
103
12t
152 166
166
160
118
Distilleries working (jN t o,)
9
9
6
i
7
9
10
11
TV. H. IRVING,
For Chief Inspector »f Distilleries and Exeis
APPENDIX No. 28.
VieUvn
Queensland ...
South Australia
New Zealand
Hong Kong
France
•ercnany
United States o f Am
Belgium
Natal
Soarabaya ...
Mauritius
Fiji Islands
1,89215
481«
5,«84
375^
3,781^
235A
140^
IOI"
2,239^
290
1,137«
Tons.
39^
17-ff
* Not incIudingEeet Sugar, 490tons.
APPENDIX No 29.
ItBTCRS ahowiDg tlie QrAK-TIT? of Molasses and Mbeacle Imported into the
Ykab ended 31st December, 1887.
ulermentioned Coxokiks during tlie
Queensland.
Viotoria,
New Zealand.
Tons.
Tons.
United Kingdom
403^
New South Wales
69,/ 3
944
13^
Victoria
27 J 5
23^
Queensland
179^
South Australia
P
9&
Hong Kong
United States of America ...
129^
Fiji Islands ,
6
43
New Caledonia
8U
T.tal
322^
585^
1,349^5
187WL
T. M. KING,
Collector of Customs.
347
APPENDIX No.
ueeno
New Zealand
G&110E9.
Gallons.
CalloDd.
Gallcras.
Gallons.
United Kingdom ... ... ... ...
247.062
New South Wales
13^117
16^357
2^059
Victoria
2,303
3,680
4,846
Queensland
7,208
"' 3
South Australia
"l67
3,609
1,«26
Western Australia ...
74
New Zealand.
220
Trance
"'l6
2,448
Germany
6
Singapore
12,000
8,854
Fijilslunis ... ...
3,109
Total
31,171
106,125
lfj,7C9
30,507
APPENDIX No. 31.
• Prom Whence.
Queensland.
New South Wiile».
•Victoria.
Tasmania.
New Zealand.
United Kinpdom ...
Nrw South Wales
Victoria ...
Queensland . .
South Australia
Tasmania
New Zealand
Hong Kong
China
France
United Stotes of America...
EgJPt
Natal
Mnuritius ... ...
t-ourabaya ...
l'ekatongan
Probolingo ...
Cheribon
Tagnl
Fjilit.jap
Samarang
Fiji Islands
Tons.
99**
212f2
28
T 704
2,807
14,791
757
10
194
2,451
189
Ton..
194IJ
15,03945
5$
Tons.
1,515££
2,866^
i
■a
It
57
203
24
3,354
B,20«i*
437 tfy
1,550
895
925
1,125
1,150
1,250
( 2,534^
50
7io
Quantity imported from each con
New Zealand Stiaiaiicai '.
Total
350 if
25,994
37.134JS
5,179^4
9,917
APPENDIX No. 32.
Kbttjbx allowing the Hates of Duties in Fobce on the imdermentioned Abticlbs in the various Colonies of Australasia,
Queensland
New Soutli Wnles
Victoria
South Australia
Western Australia
'lasmania
C Glucose, Its. per cwt.
^ 5s. per cwt
5s. per cwt.
1 •ther,
6s. 8d. per cwt.
6s. *d.
(Bert, «s. per cwt.
£ YarraviLe, 2*. „
4s. „ 4s.
Loaf and Crushed, Id. All other, 6s.percwt. .
id. per lb.
cwt.
Id. per lb.
j 5s. per ewt. ...
5s. 4d. per ewt.
3s. 6d. „
id. per lb.
(Case, 16s. per gallon
t.Biilk, 15s. .,
H.M. Customs,
Brisbane, 22nd December, J
349
APPENDIX No. 34.
Quantity of Scqab, Molasses, i
Great Britain . . .
Vietoria ...
New South Wales
Western Australia
Queensland
Mauritius
Natal
Hongkong
%ypt
Germany
United States ...
Total ...
Cwt.
13,897
127723
4,687
7S,628
17,378
6,169
14,040
270,266
Great Britain
Victoria
1,279
New South Wales
289
United States
1,130
Total ,
6,895
Gallons.
Great Britain
6,577
Victoria
2,777
New South Wales
3,181
Western Australia
2
Germany
147
Totul
12,684
19th December, 1888.
APPENDIX No. 35.
Rbtebn showing the Quantity and Value of Sogab, Molasses, and Rttm Impobted into Wbbtbbk Attstbalia
during the Yeah ended 31st December, 1887.
Sugar, Molasses, and Treacle.
Quantity. Value.
T»ns cwt. £
United Kingdom 91 2
New South Wales ... ... 12 11
Queenstand 5
Victoria 731 9
S»uth Australia 511 12
New Zealand 11
Singapore ... ... ... 53 5
Hongkong 30
China 20 6
India 1 13
Mauritius 559
Totals 2,011 14 ... 56,329
Rum.
Quantity. Value.
(iallonB. £
United Kingdom ... 7,954
New South Wales 82
Victoria 2,183
South Australia 495
Singapore ... ... ... 27
Mauritius 307
Totals 11,043 ... 1,933
T. M. KING,
Collector of CuBtomB.
H.M. Customs, Brisbane,
27th December, 1888.
Hetubn required by the Mackay Chambeb of Commence for the information of the Royal Sugab Industby
Commission, Compiled by H.M. Customs, Mackay.
Year.
Total V»Iuc of Imports.
Total Value ofExports
Total Value of Goods
E(i»ovec 1 Coastwise.
Total Value Shipments
£r«m Mackay.
1880
59,039
44,243
181,699
228,942
1881
97,:^»7
64,793
137,587
202,380
1882
169,298
71,006
160,235
231,241
1883
326.191
153,303
1884,
143,691
78,739
131,319
210,(188
1885
100.593
67,914
214,310
282,224
18K6
100,834
261,979
67,141
519,120
1887
125,730
259,282
43,117
302,429
1888
91,128
74,908
62,621
137,529
E. ft. N. MacCABTHT, Sub-Collector.
APPENDIX N«. 37.
RtrrnRN Required by the Mackat Chafes »I:~Cojimerck for the Information of the Hoyal Sugar Industry Commission, Compiled by H.M. Customs, Mackaj'.
Yoar.
Value
TOT ALSCGAR SWIFF*!} PRQMTIIR
Year.
Weight.
Weight.
Value.
Vulue.
Weight.
Vdhio.
Value.
Quantity.
Value.
Quantity.
1880
215
£
2,351
£
3.4C9
Tons.
1,094
£
30,417
TonR.
0,898
172,425
Tons.
.7,992
£
202,842
Galls.
20,817
£
2,093
GMk
39,900
£
5,486
Grtlla.
(i0,717
£
7,579
1880
1BS1
576
4,252
21,357
2,133
50,943
5,205
125,216
7,338
176,15fi
15,304
2,241
15,726
2,095
31,030
4,336
1881
1882
1883
721
!110
9,958
11,092
57,460
50,156
2,463
5,870
00,001
145,718
5,272
126,090
7,735
180,691
5,504
183
822
37
05,698
10,184
71,202
11,006
1883
1884
1,319
12,832
7,459
3,035
73,992
5,131
113,006
8,109
1S7,S58
175
41
52,491
7,589
52,606
7,630
1884
1865
1,370
11,391
3,570
3,897
66,659
9,897
197,534
13,794
204,103
25
6
33,543
5,305
35.5G8
5,311
1885
1886
1,390
14,500
0,797
12,253
248,331
2,488
50,221
14,741
298,502
7,737
964
37,203
5,248
44,940
6,212
1886
1867
1,023
15,463
22,220
13,819
243,661
2,439
41,168
16,258
284,829
3,213
402
17,034
2,075
20,277
2,477
1887
1888
76!)
7,275
11,933
3,533
56,174
3,520
56,875
7,059
112,519
7,666
888
17,834
1,845
25,490
2,733
1888
E. R. N. MacCARTHY, Sub-Collector.
351
APPENDIX No. 38.
Aitboximate Statement of .Acreage and Value of Sugar Machineey Deserted or Not Worked at present
on the Mart Ritbb and Tin an a Cheek, MAETBOBuron.
Nwuo or PUntaHpa.
Estimated Valuetif
Machinery.
Estimated Acrctge.
Tallasco
Eircnbbin
Maryborough Sugar Company
Good Hope (Central Mill)
Wilson, Tiaro
Myrtle Grove
Antigua
Miller Brothers
Iverah i,
Timbrell
£
14,000
2,000
5.000
(3,000
5,000
5.000
500
1,000
8,M0
590
1,600
1,«00
Acres.
500
m
2*0
5C»
400
100
110
80
500
80
BP
8*
Add for machinery only in partial use
49,000
25,000
2,860
£84,000
Tbe cost o f getting the land a n d cane ready for the mill in t b e first instance i s as follows : —
£ s. d.
Felling and burning-off scrub, per acre 4
Holing, 3,000 holes to tbe acre at 3s. per 100 5 10
Plants, 6,000 plants at 10s. per l.tOO 3
Twohoeings 2
One trashing ...10
£15 10
Thus primary cost of machinery and getting ready of crop for first cutting on lands idle are, total — ■
Machinery £84,000
2,860 acres at £15 10s. , 44,330
£128,330
APPENDIX No. 39.
Extract from Letteh from Mr. Angus Gibson, Bingeha Plantation, Bundabebg, regarding the
Destruction of the Ca ne Grub.
Bingera Plantation.
Bundaberg, 6th March, 1889.
Dbab Sib,
###*#######
The effects of irrigation on the land you have seen. One very important matter was overlooked by me
which should bare been mentioned — viz., that where a plentiful supply of water is put on the land, as in our
case, the grub, which appears to have made the stool of the cane his home during the dry weather, cannot stand the
wateras we put it on the land, but at once leaves the cane, comes out on the surface, and dies. We see Lhousands
of cases such as I describe, and during the summer m«nths I have noticei the crows and butcher-birds in
hundreds, picking them upas they come t o suii ace.
Apologising for troubling you in this matter,
I am, &c,
ANGUS GIBSON.
H. E. King, Esq., Sugar Commissioner.
APPENDIX No. 40.
Letter from Me. J. W. Sutton, Brisbane, shoeing the effect the Befression in the Sugar Ixdustbt has
bad on bis Trade.
Brisbane, 15th March 188!).
Deak Silt, — Your note of yesterday to attend and give evidence before the Sugar Industry Commission came
under my .notice a little alter 2 p.m. J was therefore unable to collect facts and be present at 2 3*. I have there-
fore just noted down a few facts io uonnection wiiIl our business with s«gar- planters.
We may state that our business has beeu in nearly all cases with small planters, the capabilities of the mills
ranging from 15 cwt. to 4 tons per day, the plants costing from£6#0 to £5,000.
In addition to the names mentioned we have added to numbers of other plants iu the shape of vacuum
pans and additional rollers. Those marked thus. X, are now all defunct, either having gone through the
Insolvency Court or liquidated by arrangement.
' Between the years 1879 and 1884 we made and erected the following mills : X Collins and Watts. Cleve-
land; X P. Bourke, Cleveland ; X Bahr and Company, Albert River ; X Buderim Mountain Sugar Company,
Mooloolah; Helrfelt, Albert Hiver ; X Summers and Woolf. Logan ; Ernest and Heck, Pimpama ; X Meyer, J.,
Nerang ; X Nemert, C Nerang ; X Crawford, J ., Pine Mountain ; X Lobergager, Pine \M i ■iiniinii ; X Port,
Darwin Sugar Company, Fori Darwin : x Pringle and Sliankie. Tweed Rivnr ; X Coliu M'nnro, Burdekin ;
X Winlield, Albert R iver ; X Wilkin. A. H., Tewantin; X Utanluum, C, Tweed River ; Skinner, Twc'ed RiTer.
I have purchased numbers of mills for old iron, and re-mclted same. I estimate my losses at between £6,000
and £7,#00 with sugar people only.
During
352
« had in our employ about 150 hands engaged ^^^^^M
plants. I nm certain
contracts for their require!
state that any questions you may wish to ask I shall feci it a pleasure to answer them.^
W. Robertson, Esq., Secretary to the Sugar Commission.
| - APPENDIX No. 41.
Retobn of Vessels .xcbuitiko in the Socth Sea Island Lasottb Tbade.
Department of Pacific ^^^U 1889.
Memorandum for the Sugar Industry Conmission. .
Number of Vessel* arriving with Labourers, Number ihey brought, and tlte Number they were termed .
to carry,/ or the Years 1886-1888.
Normal voyages — „ .
9 * Krnneiit. licensed.
2,024
2,875
3,317
1886-
BrnuRllt.
20
1,435
25
1,866
29
2,160
74
5,4*1
5
129
Exceptional wyages —
1886 and 1888
The exceptional voyages are the following : —
April 25. — " Forest King" brought back at request of Government agent owing to insobriety of the crew and
want of control over them by the master.
July 8. — " Young Dick" brought back by the master owing to the ship having been attacked and the Govern-
ment agent and others killed.
1888—
March 12. — " Eliza Mary" brought back on account of death of tlie captain.
August29. — " May" brought back on account of the Government agent having blown his hand off, death
subsequently ensuing.
November 24. — "Eliza Mary" brought back on account of the Government agent having been wounded.
A. WOODWARD,
Officer in charge Pacific Island Immigration.
The following letter accompanied thejabove return :—
Pacific Island Office,
25th March, 1889.
Sin, — I now wait upon you with the information you desired relative to the proportion that the recruits
bear to the number the ships go out to obtain.
Success arises from a combination of favourable circumstances, not always possible — I may say rarely
attained.
An unsuitable master, recruiter, or Government agent are each and all elements of non-success; so also are
bad weather, too large vessels, a fixed limit to the voyage, a want of liberality in the distribution of trade, the
active canvass now made on the only open recruiting ground — viz., the Hebrides, Banks, Torre.*, and Southern
Solomons. Some of the vessels are too large; smaller vessels would, make quicker trips, and be full hoth ways.
Vessels of the size of the"Lavina" and the "Helena" I take to be the most suitable, that is about 120 tons.
The *' Lavi'na," of 119 tons, has made ten trips between March, 1885, and February, 1889, with a capacity at first
of 77, but afterwards of 68, and her numbers have been 58. 63, 68, 51, 65. 61, 50, 68, 68, 68. The " Helena," of
126 tons, has made 10 trips between'November, 1884, and November, 1889 ; her carrying capacity having been
fixed successively at 97, 93, and 90, and the numbers she has brought have been 62, 77, 95, 92, 93, 92, 96, 65, 75,
and 72.
I trust this information may be in the f wm you desired, and that it may be of service.
I am, &e.,
. „ rt , A. WOODWARD.
A. S. Cowley, Esq., M.L.A.
APPENDIX No. 12.
Letteb from the Manages of the A.TJ.S.N. Co. m reference to the FntriT Tease of
Queensland.
Australasian United Steam Navigation Company, Limited,
Brisbane, 4th April, 18S9.
Deab Sin, — With reference to the evidence which I was recently invited to give before the Commis-
sion in. regard to the conveyance of sugar and fruit from North Queensland ports to the South, I beg to
enclone for your information copies of circulars which we addressed to our commanders ou 6th' January,
npd Ht-h April, 1888, aud22ud March this year, aud the hist-natned circular may be regarded as the
direct outcome of the complaints which the Commissioners received from shippers in the North regarding
the losses they have sustained in developing the fruit trade.
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